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This book is a major Jungian contribution to the literature on sexual abuse. The rich tapestry of different theoretical strands is exemplified by clinical material covering a wide range of problems which forcefully convey the challenges of working with adolescents.
There are problems, however. A central one is the relative importance of fact and fantasy, and whether one's theoretical model allows for both. The problem arises with the excessive adherence to Kleinian doctrine as espoused by the editors, and as reflected in the title of the book. By choosing this title the editors seem to overvalue the fantasy and downplay the reality of actual incest in the causation of self—destructive acts in adolescence. The contributors explore the effects of actual sexual abuse, and describe therapeutic work with adolescents, many of whom have been abused. The tension between the literal and the symbolic exists throughout the book.
The introductory chapters by the editors include some basic elaborations of Jungian theory, which will be familiar to Jungians, while many non—Jungians might find these sections dense. There is a helpful discussion of the treatment frame necessary for adolescents, although I take issue with the handling of confidentiality. I agree that ‘the disclosure (of abuse) should be dealt with with extreme sensitivity and discretion in relation to the parents or public authorities’. However, the dogmatism of ‘the only justification for breaking confidentiality is the recognition of a high suicidal risk’ conflicts with current thinking about child protection, particularly when one hears something that leads one to think that the patient, or other children, are currently at risk of abuse.
The section ‘Incest fantasies and separation’ consists of a chapter by Mara Sidoli elaborating the recognition of pre—Oedipal damage in adolescent problems, by a study of the Oedipus myth. Gustav Bovensiepen's chapter contains case material from an anorexic girl, with a detailed disc