Transmission dans la famille : transmission du nom,mythe familial et construction de l’identité

In this article, the authors have tried to describe some clinical elements, linked to the designation of identity to each individual by their very name. As the name is given to the individual by others, an essential element of the identity of each person is immediately written through transmission and human interactivity. The child, indeed, will gradually learn during its early development to recognise its name as a representation of its own identity. The transmission of a family name, in the past systematically the father's name, is today more open. In France, for instance, the law of 4th March 2002 concerning the application of a family name has given parents new possibilities of choice in the naming of their children. A clinical case is evoked regarding the use of this law to appease a family conflict. However, the surname plays a role in the transmission between generations but it is only one part of this process, amongst the ever-renewed construction, for each generation, of the family myths. These myths also contribute to the choice of the first names, even the nicknames of the child. The investment of one's name for each individual is influenced by the interweaving of the experiences of family life and the construction of the family myth. A clinical case shows the difficulty that can result, in adoption, from changing the myth references, one of which being the change in name.