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In adolescence, as in other periods of the human life cycle when great transformations are experienced, we can recognise psychological dynamics and states of mind which are intrinsically linked to the painful nature of growth producing change (Bion 1965). Before proceeding any further, it might perhaps be useful to examine in depth the specific relationship between the experiencing and recognition of mental pain and the process of reorganisation of the Self onto a more complex level during adolescence. For a definition of the organisation of the Self, we can refer to E. Jacobson (1964), according to whom the Self is made up of the state, the characteristics, the potentialities and abilities, the positive qualities and deficiencies of the physical and psychical Ego.
However, in the course of adolescence there takes place not only a transformation of the Self, but also of the very Self-representations, which guarantee a permanent, stable, unitary experience of one's own individual identity. These representations are rooted in the mental experiences and interrelationships of early childhood. As Stern (1985) has shown in his research on early childhood, these representations are essentially concerned with the sense of being active, the sense of physical cohesion, the sense of continuity, the sense of one's own affectivity, the sense of a subjective Self which can enter into intersubjective relationships with the other, and finally, the sense of transmitting meaningful messages.
It is clear that the transformations of puberty and adolescence have a