The child and the single parent [Il bambino e il genitore unico]

This paper starts from the fact that the number of judicial separations and divorces are increasing with the subsequent risk for the child to remain alone with only one parent, generally the mother. The presence of a single parent notwithstanding it remains of paramount importance that the psychological development of the child may be supported by maternal as well as paternal figure. The discussion elicits the entral role of father's figure, and the concept of 'the Third', for the individuation process of the child and his mental development. These concepts are discussed through some clinical cases illustrations.