This paper is an attempt to suggest an integrative formulation of obsessive symptomatology, based on the integration of Lacanian and object-relations points of view. This formulation manifests a singular interaction between three aspects of obsessive symptomatology, which I call "the metaphorical aspect", "the metonymical aspect" and "the psychotic aspect", and which are intertwined with a varying degree of dominance. The singular interaction between them has crucial influence on the capacity for symbolization and reflection, and therefore has immense implications concerning analytical work. The theoretical formulation will be followed by a detailed analytical illustration.
Keywords: excess; metaphor; metonymy; obsessive symptomatology; psychosis.
Copyright © 2015 Institute of Psychoanalysis.