The multimodality of language in the psychoanalytic clinic with infants

case study and microanalysis

Abstract

This research is situated within infant psychoanalytic clinical practice and explores the role of the tactile field in early psychic construction. It is based on the case of Luca, a six-month-old infant brought to consultation at the request of his parents, who were concerned about their son’s lack of eye contact. The objective is to examine how touch can become a vector for interaction and connection with the other within the therapeutic process. Our reflection draws on Freud’s drive theory and the concept of the drive circuit as developed by Lacan and Laznik, as well as on Couvert’s proposal to include the tactile as a full drive field. A microanalysis of two video-recorded therapy sessions was conducted using ELAN software in order to objectify the baby’s motor, tactile, and visual interactions with his mother and the analyst. The results highlight an evolution in his interactions, increasingly oriented toward the other, as well as the construction of a bond with his mother. The study also emphasizes the importance, for professionals, of expanding their attention to the baby’s non-verbal modes of communication, particularly touch. By recognizing the tactile as one of the baby’s modes of interaction, this work brings to light the potential for early intervention with infants in distress and supports their process of subjectivization, within a perspective grounded in becoming rather than causality.