The wolf man. Ideas for an alternative analysis

Abstract

The article reflects on the famous clinical case of the “Wolf Man,” originally interpreted by Freud in an Oedipal key and centered on the “primal scene,” which is analyzed here through an alternative Adlerian perspective. The focus shifts from drive dynamics to the family constellation, highlighting the role of the distant mother, the depressed father, and the dominant sister in determining an early sense of inferiority. The concepts of sexual memories, sadomasochistic fantasies, animal phobias, and obsessive religious neurosis are reinterpreted as symbolic expressions of power conflicts, sibling rivalry, and identity compensation. This approach underscores the theoretical divergence between Freud and Adler, highlighting how the same clinical material can generate different interpretations, centered respectively on childhood sexuality and personal and social experience