• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Tony White

Psychologist

  • Home
  • Profile
    • Professional History
    • Professional Services
    • About Me
    • Training & Work Background
  • Books
  • Journals
  • Blogs
  • Monograph Series
  • Home
  • Profile
    • Professional History
    • Professional Services
    • About Me
    • Training & Work Background
  • Books
  • Journals
  • Blogs
  • Monograph Series

Magical thinking about death

It would seem prudent for any therapist to enquire of the pre-suicide fantasy a person may have to assess the level of magical thinking present.

August 7, 2016 //  by Tony White//  Leave a Comment

Pre-suicide fantasy. Most if not all suicidal people have a fantasy about what will happen after they die. Who will do and say what and what will become of them and so forth. How factually based that fantasy is, can of course vary enormously. However it has been noted by many that such pre-suicide fantasies often involve a degree of magical thinking. That is, the A1 ego state is influential in the thinking about the post death scenario. These three have stated so:

Firstly Harry Boyd (1972) makes the statement, “My impression is that the suicidal patient does not, on the Child level, really conceive of his death as terminal”(P.87).

In addition Little (2009) talks about the ‘pre-suicide fantasy’, “suicidal people have transformation fantasies and are prone to magical thinking, like children and psychotics”(p.220).

Campbell (1999) also describes fantasies that the suicidal can have about death. He notes the suicidal person expects and understands that his body will die (Adult ego state) but the person can imagine there is another part of himself that can continue to live in a conscious body-less state that is unaffected by the physical death of the body (Child ego state).

9517056506_e816b1f327_z

We all maintain our A1 ego state until we die.

When the A2 arrives it does not just go away so we all maintain the ability to have magical thinking.

 

These writers are talking about suicide in the general population including fully grown adults. If adults can regress in these ways such that their Child ego state magical thinking plays a significant role in their pre suicidal decisions then a teenager has more propensity to do so because their Adult ego state is less resilient and more immature.

Hence we have this diagram showing the regressed nature of the suicidal person.

Regression ego states

In addition some, if not many suicidal people, are intoxicated to some degree at the time of making a suicide attempt which means the A2 is further decommissioned. Furthermore some protective factors as they are known are reduced. One protective factor is the person will think of the pain this will cause their loved ones after the suicide. This of course requires compassion and empathy which generally are seen as Parent ego state functions. In regression the Parent ego state is significantly reduced and hence these protective factors can also be significantly reduced.

One could probably say, the person who is going to make a serious suicide attempt has the ego state structure as shown in the diagram. It would seem prudent for any therapist to enquire of the pre-suicide fantasy a person may have to assess the level of magical thinking present.

Category: Personality, suicideTag: Ego states, magical thinking

Previous Post: « Homicide as a form of suicide
Next Post: The car as a suicide attempt »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Website Re-build

The website is being rebuilt at the moment. Thank you for your patience and many apologies for any inconvenience.

Recent Posts

  • Deconfusion of the Child ego state
  • Deconfusion of the Child ego state
  • How I became a child psychotherapist
  • Consent and power in relationships.
  • Silence and the unconscious – Part 2
  • Silence and the unconscious
  • Silence in psychotherapy
  • Permission and redecision
  • Mature love, immature love and the teenager
  • Embrace the homeless
  • Psychology of the court process
  • Psychic organs to ego states
  • Regression – defence mechanism & natural human process
  • Two types or levels of life script change
  • Identification – Post 2
  • Identification – Post 1
  • Self control. Therapeutic implications
  • Adult ego state strengthening – Post 4
  • Adult ego state strengthening – Post 3
  • Adult ego state strengthening – post 2

Recent Comments

  • Irina on Social development – History taking
  • Joseph on How I became a child psychotherapist
  • Kahless on The Demon sub personality (Aka Lillith)
  • Kahless on How I became a child psychotherapist
  • Kahless on Consent and power in relationships.
  • Tony White on Consent and power in relationships.
  • Kahless on Consent and power in relationships.
  • Kahless on Silence and the unconscious – Part 2
  • Kahless on Silence and the unconscious
  • Kahless on Silence and the unconscious

Blog Archive

  • December 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • February 2021
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • January 2020
  • September 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • November 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • August 2013

Copyright © 2023 · Mai Lifestyle Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in