Omnipotence and impotence

Abstract

During intrauterine life, characterized by a state of symbiosis, the vital needs of the fetus are satisfied in the absence of any form of psychic consciousness, as they are automatically satisfied by the mother's body. This balance, characterized by fetal omnipotence, is broken at birth, a traumatic event that exposes the newborn to violent sensory stimulation. From this moment onwards, through various imprintings, the child adapts to new stimuli, learning to recognize and express its needs to a mother who is no longer always immediately available. In this context, the loss of omnipotence and the new condition of dependence leads the child to experience the anguish of powerlessness, which will recur in various forms throughout life as a legacy of this first separation. In fact, in the subsequent stages of life, the two needs for omnipotence and symbiosis are transformed into needs for power and love, which guide the individual in the search for new symbiotic relationships, i.e., love relationships