Meetings of the Psychoanalytic Association of New York

DISCUSSION: Dr. Simon A. Grolnick noted that while death and dogs are associated on both clinical and anthropological grounds and the content of the dreams and associations of Dr. Halpert's patients and the mortuary writings were similar, the psychic operations involved in each instance might be on a different level. He suggested that the ancient Egyptians frequently operated with a more primitive symbolic process (protosymbolic) and more nearly delusional beliefs than those seen in the dream symbol associative process of analytic patients. Dr. Howard H. Schlossman presented some additional clinical material and references to ancient papyri in which the relationship between dogs and death was understood as regressively conceiving of cannibalism and death to facilitate reunion with the mother. Malcove, Tarachow, and Brodsky were quoted as believing that cannibalistic reunion in fantasy was used to overcome separation anxiety and ego disintegration. However, the dog represented the aggressive, demanding mother who must be placated before blissful reunion with the early breast-womb mother in eternal life can be permitted. Such placating conditions are consistent with the thesis of early superego precursors. Thus the dog represents the mother, together with ideas of right and wrong, good and bad. Dr. Schlossman also cited the myths of Cerberus and Anubis to illustrate the changing form of the myth of the afterlife—from a place of oblivion without judgment to separate abodes of heaven and hell. At first, these dog gods were conductors of the dead and protectors of the portal of separation. Later, especially in the myth of Anubis, moral judgment was introduced to determine whether there would be an afterlife of bliss or oblivion as feces. The animal who eats the bad was clearly shown as female in the ancient papyri.

Dr. Alan J. Eisnitz focused on the real as well as the psychological meaning of the relationship between man and dog, particularly the dog as man's