Meanings of Suicide in a Group of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapists

Abstract

Objective
. To explore the constructed meanings of suicide in a group of psychoanalytic psychotherapists from
a formation center in Lima.
Method.
A phenomenological design from the qualitative model consisting of two
stages was used. For the
fi
rst stage 54 psychoanalytic psychotherapists participated, and for the second stage,
8 participants from the
fi
rst stage who were involved with patients with suicide ideations and/or attempts were
selected. The collecting techniques used were: a data sheet and natural semantic networks for the
fi
rst stage, and
for the second, a detailed interview.
Results.
The psychotherapists evoke diverse meanings around the suicidal
phenomenon, which can be organized into three axis; the patients, the therapist and their countertransference,
and the treatment.
Conclusion
. The meanings are constructed with a foundation of individual experiences,
so that countertransference is a psychoanalytical concept that allows for the comprehension of the dynamic
between suicidal patients and their therapists, and how it in
fl
uences the creation of mutual meanings. Likewise,
the psychotherapists employ the meanings as a manner of giving signi
fi
cance to and comprehending suicide.