ABSTRACT
There is a dearth of writings on the topic of the death of a child within the psychoanalytic literature. Psychoanalysis, beginning with Freud, has delved deeply into the topic of mourning, exploring what is deemed "normal and pathological." The general topic of "loss" has also been extensively studied and written about by many psychoanalytic scholars. Beginning with Freud, psychoanalysis has placed importance on separation and the loss of the object, demonstrating "the extraordinary impact of disorganizing, potentially lethal sequelae of significant loss throughout the lifespan". Freud's early theory of mourning burdened psychoanalysis with the troublesome assumption that normal bereavement ends with giving up all emotional bonds to the lost loved one. Freud's theory of mourning focused on "the mourner's internal disorganization and gradual restoration of a sense of balance rather than addressing the actual death and the loss of the relationship".
