Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Melancholia: From Freud to Butler

Abstract

This study aims to examine melancholia within the framework of psychoanalytic theories. Starting from the individual loss and identification processes in Freud's “Mourning and Melancholia”, Melanie Klein's depressive position theory and its connection with early object relations are examined. Julia Kristeva's treatment of melancholia at individual and cultural levels reveals the effects of this concept in the social context, while Judith Butler's theory of gender melancholia sheds light on the impact of identity and forbidden desires on melancholia. The clinical features of melancholia require the resolution of unconscious dynamics such as shame, guilt and identification in individual therapy processes. Self-compassion-oriented therapies and treatment approaches that take cultural dimensions into account stand out as effective tools in modern psychotherapy. This study aims to provide new insights for both theoretical and clinical applications by addressing the individual, social and cultural dimensions of melancholia from a holistic perspective.