Abstract
In a previous examination of Ferenczi’s concept of the “Wise Baby” (1996), I had noted both its applications and its limitations in the analytic treatment of an unusually intelligent adult. Ferenczi’s concepts of “the origin of intellect in trauma” and of “the wise baby” have often left the indistinct impression of being interrelated phenomena. In this paper, I regard as arguable the notion that very high intelligence is pathological when it is “precocious.” This return visit to the territory of the “wise baby” extends Ferenczi’s ideas about the “origin” and use of the intellect to include a consideration of what may constitute effective “treatment” for those who suffer from giftedness.
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Judith E. Vida, M.D. edits “On the Arts” for this journal. She is a Founding Member and Faculty of the Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Los Angeles, CA, a member of both American and International Psychoanalytic Associations, and of the Sándor Ferenczi Society of Budapest. Her private practice is in Pasadena, CA.
Address correspondence to Judith E. Vida, 301 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Suite 406A, Pasadena, CA 91105, USA; e-mail: jvida@spence.net
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Vida, J.E. Treating the “Wise Baby”. Am J Psychoanal 65, 3–12 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11231-004-1814-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11231-004-1814-y