ABSTRACT
We are social beings, and discover ourselves in interaction with others. People who are ‘different’ are at a disadvantage, particularly in the early years, when the challenge of becoming part of the social structure is at stake. In childhood, difference tends to be marked as a problem, often leading to bullying and social exclusion. Difference becomes further problematized in adolescence, during those uneasy years in which adult identity is being consolidated. The very qualities that mark us as unique and special can feel dangerous if they also mark us as too distant from our peers. Evidence mounts regarding the damaging effects of social exclusion, experiences that deauthorize and dehumanize the developing sense of self, at times catapulting the victim into a terrible void of deprecated otherness (Charles, 2012, 2013). Tensions between internal and external demands can result in psychotic symptoms, signs of strain that are often transitory and can be moderated in psychoanalytic therapy if we can recognize the healthy developmental desires that may be obscured by the symptoms.
