Gouder De Beauregard, Sophie

Loïc: From resistance to desistance - 2025.


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This article explores the role of resistance in the process of desistance through a clinical vignette involving Loïc, an adolescent, supported by the Groupados team at SOS Enfants ULB. Loïc is an adolescent who sexually abused his siblings. Faced with rigid defense mechanisms and a dysfunctional family environment, we analyze how, on one hand, Loïc overcomes the resistance that prevents his transition into adolescence, and, on the other hand, how he uses an act of resistance to detach himself from his environment, embark on a path toward autonomy, and resume a more positive trajectory. This development was made possible by the Groupados care system, which is based on a multidisciplinary and integrated approach. We show how this resistance, while it may hinder the construction of identity, becomes a lever for transformation, initiating the process of desistance and marking a departure from delinquency. The article highlights the importance of a therapeutic approach that combines individual care, family support, and social support to promote the transition from a negative to a positive identity.