Odysseus & Telemachus; Alcinous & Nausicaa: The Bond Between Generations

Abstract

This contribution proposes a rereading of the Odyssey through systemic epistemology, focusing on the recognition processes that underpin family and intergenerational bonds. The analysis focuses on two paradigmatic pairs: Nausicaa and Alcinous, representing a harmonious transition from adolescence to adulthood through mutual recognition; Odysseus and Telemachus, whose encounter occurs in a situation of undecidability and requires a more complex process of internal and external recognition. The systemic relational perspective allows us to overcome linear causality, highlighting how generational bonds simultaneously connect and distinguish, valuing both reciprocity and the dimension of gratuitous gift. The essay integrates theoretical reflection with a clinical case (Lucio) that illustrates how processes of misrecognition can hinder identity development and how the recovery of internal recognition, through dimensions that transcend rationality, can liberate creative resources and personal vitality.