Le « Soi territorial » et le suicide des agriculteurs : la solitude en un lieu inhabitable

Objective

This study presents a reflection on the inhabitation of a place and the constitution of a territorial Self,’ in the context of ‘country’ life and work. The hypothesis is then put forward of a possible ‘psychopathology of (de-)territorialization,’ according to which a ‘non-place,’ generator of meaninglessness, may be involved in a suicidal dynamics specifically linked to the territorial dimension of the Self and the impossible inhabitation of a place.

Method

The clinical and psychopathological aspects are examined from the perspective of the link between certain ‘traditional farmers’ and the place where they live, with regard to the reciprocal imprint between psyche and territory.

Results

This exploratory study will provide guidance for clinical research into the suffering of farmers who fall outside the scope of commonly identified ‘psycho-social disorders.’

Discussion

The limitations and impasses induced by dissociative or melancholic processes are related either to a failure of Presence, compromising the construction of a habitable world, i.e. one that can be territorialized, or to the hostility of a world that is resistant to the dynamics of a territorialization process, and therefore unfit to allow us to dwell in it.

Conclusion

These considerations open up an original perspective for qualitative research aimed at understanding the relationships between alteration of the territorial foundations of the Self and suicidal intentionality.