King Lear and some anxieties of old age
- 1 September 1987
- journal article
- case report
- Published by Wiley in Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice
- Vol. 60 (3) , 209-215
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8341.1987.tb02733.x
Abstract
The experience of ageing and the resulting emotional difficulties of elderly patients have only recently begun to be understood from a psychodynamic perspective. This paper draws on two sources, literary (Shakespeare's King Lear) and clinical (consultations with elderly patients in primary care) to highlight a fundamental anxiety of old age: the dread of being abandoned to a state of utter helplessness. This state is felt to be caused by the catastrophes of old age, such as stroke and dementia. The defence against this anxiety is often a narcissistic tyranny.Keywords
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