ABSTRACT
The present paper proposed a psychoanalytical reading of the old age based on the Jean Laplanche’s Theory of Generalized Seduction. To this end, we retake the notion of drive reinforcement, present in Freud’s theory, reinterpreting it from the notion of leaning systematized by Laplanche in order to think about corporal modifications and their effects on the libidinal economy of aging subjects. The authors defend the hypothesis of a possible reopening of the original situation in this moment of life, considering the corporal changes specific to the aging process, as well as the social and subjective meanings that we attribute to the various losses and changes experienced by the old women and men. We also discuss the several relationships between old age and otherness, original passivity and the mourning process. At the end, it is emphasized the need for further in-depth studies on this subject, signing the significant contribution of Psychoanalysis, especially about the psychical impacts in old age.
Keywords:
Old age; generalized seduction theory; psychoanalysis