ABSTRACT
A 10 year old boy was brought to analysis due to his parents’ concerns about his recurring accidents. Many of these accidents occurred when the boy was allowed to use the tools of his father, a welder, who, in the initial interview spoke of his disappointments not only with regard to his son, but also with his own father and life overall. A necessary intervention enabled a turning point in the analysis, when the mother reported in a session that the boy had driven the family car into a tree, slightly injuring himself and two other boys. The paternal position is an exception, a position that is not ever fully attained by anyone, but which provides a necessary supposition for the progression of the Oedipus dialectic. The “pere-version” is what adds to the symptoms of a father, by marking a point of desire and allowing a supposition, an exception, to function for the child in regard to his role.
