ABSTRACT
In the context of Freudian theory, this article intends to discuss the place of experienced events in the constitution of trauma. The main focus of this debate consists in thinking about the consequences of experiencing events considered traumatic during childhood. The term potentially traumatic situation is suggested as a form of designating this event implicated in the constitution of trauma, in opposition to the term traumatic situation. In a metapsychological perspective, this paper proposes the use of the terms primary helplessness and secondary helplessness, parallel to the terms primary narcissism and secondary narcissism, to think about the place of helplessness in the constitution of trauma.
Keywords:
trauma; helplessness; narcissism; childhood; Freud