This book offers a comparative study of the major schools of psychoanalysis by exploring their historical development, their differences and similarities, and the underlying assumptions made by each. Encompassing the expertise of colleagues from different schools of psychoanalytic thought, each chapter explores a particular perspective, defining specific theoretical assumptions, theories of etiology, and implications for technique, as well as providing each author’s view on the historical development of key psychoanalytic concepts. With contributions from leading authors in the field, and covering both historical and international schools, the book provides an enlightening account that will prove essential to psychoanalytic practitioners and students of psychoanalysis and the history of medicine.
The notion of an unconscious mental life has been subject to debate for over a century. Psychodynamic practitioners generally understand clients' consciously experienced symptoms to reflect conflict within an unconscious realm; cognitive psychologists, on the other hand, doubt the validity of this psychodynamic understanding of unconscious processes. This innovative volume attempts to bridge the theoretical gulf between the two approaches by providing objective evidence for unconscious conflict in psychopathology. Integrating psychodynamic, cognitive, and neurophysiological methods, the authors have developed an experimental model using brain wave measurements that can differentiate types of unconscious processes. Meticulously researched and clearly written, the volume provides a unique synthesis of clinical and experimental findings and blazes a new pathway for the study of brain-mind interaction. Following an introduction that outlines the organization of the volume, the authors review the theoretical contexts of psychoanalysis, cognitive psychology, and psychophysiology. The research protocols are then elaborated in sections written both for specialists and for newcomers to each discipline. Chapters describe how psychoanalytically guided clinical assessment of patients leads to hypotheses about the unconscious conflict underlying a symptom, such as phobia. These hypotheses are then used to select words that will be presented subliminally, a method currently employed by cognitive psychologists to investigate unconscious aspects of perception. A new form of signal analysis is applied to obtain brain responses to the subliminal stimuli, providing an objective measurement of dynamicallyunconscious processes. Three detailed case presentations illustrate the methodological material and help bring the findings to life. Exploring the concept of an unconscious mental life in its full depth, this groundbreaking study sheds new light on the connections between psychological and neurophysiological processes. It will inform a broad interdisciplinary audience including readers in cognitive psychology, psychoanalysis, and neuropsychology.
Generation is both an introduction to and a comparative study of contemporary psychoanalytic clinical theory. It provides the reader with a comprehensive overview of how new ways of thinking about the psychoanalytic process have evolved and are still in development today. Jean White presents a detailed study of contemporary Independent, Lacanian and post-Kleinian theory, set within the wider context of the international expansion of psychoanalysis. Contemporary clinical practice is discussed in relation to concepts of psychopathology, transference and countertransference and innovations in technique. Each school’s explicit and implicit models of psychic growth and their view of the aims of the psychoanalytic process are explored. Written in clear, accessible language and interwoven throughout with clinical vignettes, Generation provides an invaluable initiation into the work of notoriously difficult authors such as Lacan and Bion. This stimulating presentation of contemporary psychoanalytic theory will be of great interest to psychoanalytic psychotherapists, psychodynamic counsellors and psychoanalysts of all theoretical orientations.
Psychoanalysis really should not exist today. Until a few years ago, most of the evidence suggested that its time was drawing to a close, and yet psychoanalysis demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of criticism, alongside significant resurgence over the course of the last years. In "Conservative and Radical Perspectives on Psychoanalytic Knowledge: The Fascinated and the Disenchanted" psychoanalyst and philosopher Aner Govrin describes the mechanisms of sociology within the psychoanalytic community which have enabled it to withstand the hostility levelled at it and to flourish as an intellectual and pragmatic endeavour. He defends the most criticized aspect of psychoanalysis: the fascination of analysts with their theories. Govrin demonstrates that fascination is a common phenomenon in science and shows its role in the evolution of psychoanalysis. Govrin argues that throughout its history, psychoanalysis has successfully embraced an amalgam of what he has defined and termed "fascinated" and "troubled communities." A "fascinated community" is a group that embraces a psychoanalytic theory (such as Bion's, Klein's, Winnicott s) as one embraces truth. A "troubled community" is one that is not satisfied with the state of psychoanalytic knowledge and seeks to generate a fundamental change that does not square with existing traditions (such as new psychoanalytic schools, scientifically troubled communities and the relational approach). It is this amalgam and the continuous tension between these two groups that are responsible for psychoanalysis' rich and varied development and for its ability to adapt to a changing world. Clinical vignettes from the work of Robert Stolorow, Betty Joseph, Antonino Ferro and Michael Eigen illustrate the dynamic by which psychoanalytic knowledge is formed. "Conservative and Radical Perspectives on Psychoanalytic Knowledge" will be of interest to psychoanalysts, psychotherapists and philosophers alike.
Psychoanalysis and Ethics: The Necessity of Perspective is an attempt to look deeply into the relationship between psychoanalysis and ethics, and in particular into the failure of traditional psychoanalytic thinking to recognise the foundational character of ethical values. In recent years, partly because of the climate crisis, the need for an "ethical turn" in our thinking has been recognised with increasing urgency. Using different historical lenses, and with special reference to the thought of the philosopher Emmanuel Levinas and pioneering American psychoanalysts such as Hans Loewald and Stephen Mitchell, the author discusses the perspectives needed in addition to those of science if the facts of "psychic reality" are to be more adequately recognised. In particular, this book emphasises the importance of a coherent account of the role of ethics in shaping the development both of the individual and of society. Psychoanalysis and Ethics is essential reading for those concerned for the importance of ethics in psychoanalytic practice and theory, and more widely for those seeking to understand the place of ethics and religion in psychological development.
This book compiles the papers presented at an International Conference, "Pluralism of Sciences: The Psychoanalytic Method between Clinical, Conceptual and Empirical Research" in 2002. It provides the variety and diversity of psychoanalytic research cultures in different psychoanalytic societies.
Violence is all around us; yet, despite its widespread prevalence, we remain unclear about its causes. In this book Felicity de Zulueta - begins by defining "violence" as distinct from "aggression", and then attempts to trace its origins, highlighting the polarization between those who believe mankind to be innately violent and those who see violence as the outcome of man's life experiences. As a result of her investigations, the author suggests that the current high level of violence may well be linked to the effects of childhood and adult trauma which appear to be far more widespread than has hitherto been acknowledged. These findings are relevant to understanding why "normal" people can become violent in certain conditions. This is a second edition and has been fully updated. A new chapter on terrorism has been added.
Leadership has never been more important – and divisive – than it is today. The idea and discourse of the leader remains a critical factor in organizational and societal performance, but there is evident tension between the persistent focus on the critical importance of individual leaders and the increasing emphasis on collective leadership. The Routledge Companion to Leadership provides a survey of the contentious and dynamic discipline of leadership. This collection covers key themes in the field, including advances in leadership theory, leadership in a range of contexts and geographies, leadership failure, leadership process, and leadership development. Topics range from micro studies to wider political analyses of leadership, taking in unusual but important aspects such as portrayals of leadership in architecture, media, and science fiction. Contributions from 61 internationally renowned authors from 16 countries make available the full range of perspectives, approaches, and insights on the idea of leadership. Providing both a social sciences and a psychological approach, these go beyond common themes to offer diverse perspectives on such topics as emotion and leadership, portrayals of leadership. This volume situates leadership debates and evidence within contemporary leadership crises, while ensuring that the explorations of the issues are of enduring relevance. With wide and critical coverage of the key topics and potent contextualization of themes in current events, The Routledge Companion to Leadership is the ideal resource for graduate study in leadership.
This book should be read by everyone who wants to understand special education today. New Perspectives in Special Education opens the door to the fascinating and vitally important world of theory that informs contemporary special education. It examines theoretical and philosophical orientations such as ‘positivism’, ‘poststructuralism’ and ‘hermeneutics’, relating these to contemporary global views of special education. Offering a refreshingly balanced view across a broad range of debates, this topical text guides the reader through the main theoretical and philosophical positions that may be held with regard to special education, and critically examines positions that often go unrecognised and unquestioned by practitioners and academics alike. It helps the reader to engage with and question the positions taken by themselves and others, by providing thinking points and suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter. Perspectives covered include: Positivism and empiricism Phenomenology and hermeneutics Historical materialism and critical theory Holism and constructivism Structuralism and post structuralism Pragmatism and symbolic interactionism Psychoanalysis Postmodernism and historical epistemology Anyone wishing to gain a fuller understanding of special education should not be without this stimulating and much needed text.
