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Whereas Freud and his circle of influence consider the « drive for ascendancy » from a strictly psychoanalytical perspective, Robert Pagès, without denying that perspective, puts the notion at the heart of social psychology ; he promotes articles and symposia on this theme. Although he does not always avoid lexical exuberance, he adds an extensive mental range to it that is most stimulating. At the same time, he conducts experiments, many of which converge with clinical results, in particular on the impact of relational training.