From reinforced fiction to vital fiction

Abstract

The author [who is the most profound expert on the theory of fictions as anticipated by Giovanni Marchesini in Le finzioni dell’anima and later developed by Vaihinger and Adler] defines as “vital” those fictions which, although not adhering to immediate reality by their very nature, propose it teleologically as their ultimate goal. A lifestyle consistent with this orientation is considered normal because it is no longer detached from reality, unlike reinforced fiction. The concept is beautifully illustrated by the exhaustive presentation of a case, enhanced by the transcription of the dialogue with which the analyst overcame the resistance of the patient, encouraging him to