03/06/2024
Abstract from my Master's Thesis March 2005
Trust Versus Mistrust: The Early Wounding Origin of the Puer Complex in Men
This thesis is an exploration of the puer aeternus (latin for eternal youth) complex as it manifests both culturally and within the individual male. The puer aeternus (puer) is an archetype that serves a special function by connecting the human realm with the Divine. In its archetypal form the puer is the inspiration for new beginnings and inspires art. When a person is dominated by the puer complex he remains caught in one way of being. This person is often resistant to commitment, has a drive towards a new spiritual path, a strong desire to fly or engage in dangerous activities, a grandiose perception of himself, and difficulty with a mother complex resulting often in a deep seated loathing for women. Because his wounding was within the first phase of development, which psychoanalyst Erik Erikson deemed the basic trust versus basic mistrust stage, the puer dominated man was never able to develop the belief that he is safe in the world. As a result he cannot trust himself nor the outside world. As this is the first developmental phase, his entire self construction was developed in reaction to the ego-distonic environment. As the mother is usually the person who is the primary caretaker, the puer dominated man sees her as the source of his pain.
The puer in traditional psychological terms is the narcissist. Historically narcissistic personality disorders were seen as untreatable. Heinz Kohut redefined the origin of wounding in the narcissist and developed a way of working with this type of client. In therapy, through mirroring the client and creating an environment where he can develop that base level trust, the puer dominated man can move beyond this complex.
The puer aeternus archetype serves well to assert the importance of moving beyond the traditional. When it becomes a complex either socially or within the individual it is important to uncover the origination of the mother wound. To uncover the mother wound this thesis will explore the oppression of the feminine traits of nurturing, loving and caretaking in society's attempts to fit women into the traditional, patriarchal working world. In addition the domination of Christianity has undermined the power of the Goddess and her place as a role model for women. This thesis questions whether the undervalued place of the mother in society is, in part, the reason for the increase of the puer complex.
