Metapsychology for Contemporary Psychoanalysis

Mind, World, and Self

Nonfiction, Health & Well Being, Psychology, Psychoanalysis, Mental Health
Cover of the book Metapsychology for Contemporary Psychoanalysis by Richard Sembera, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Richard Sembera ISBN: 9781315278872
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: April 28, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Richard Sembera
ISBN: 9781315278872
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: April 28, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Metapsychology for Contemporary Psychoanalysis is a complete revision of the theoretical underpinnings of psychoanalysis and psychodynamic psychotherapy. It seeks to replace the traditional drive–defence model of Freudian tradition with an information processing model of the mind. This book argues that the central human need is for self-knowledge, and that drives are best understood as means towards this end.

Richard Sembera begins with a close reading of Freud’s own metapsychological writings, isolating the many unresolved difficulties and inconsistencies which continue to burden psychoanalytical theory today. By returning to the actual observable clinical phenomena in the analytic situation, it is shown that an alternative interpretation is possible that eliminates the theoretical difficulties in question. In the analytic situation, Sembera argues that clinicians do not in fact see individuals struggling against the expression of biological drives, rather they observe individuals struggling to clarify their experience of themselves in the presence of the analyst and put this experience into words. When this process is formalized and expressed in theoretical terms, it is found to consist of three distinct aspects: objectification, imagination, and symbolization. This process as a whole—ascent towards the other, relationship with the other, disclosure of self in the light of the other—is termed the dialectical structure of the self. It is conceptualized as the main accomplishment of the core mental process, the process of contextualization.

This work is distinguished from other attempts at theoretical revision by its fundamental commitment to coherence and clarity as well as its determination to challenge accepted psychoanalytic dogma. It argues for the complete irrelevance of biology and neuroscience to the psychoanalytic enterprise and rejects the theory of drives in its entirety. Instead it affirms the centrality of the traumatic response to mental functioning, emphasises the social matrix in which drives are embedded, re-examines the concepts of free will, accountability, and responsibility, and concludes with an attempt to understand waking life as a creative product analogous to the lucid dream. 

Drawing on major psychoanalytic thinkers including Bollas and Benjamin, and current philosophy of mind, this book provides readers with a clear, updated model of metapsychology. Metapsychology for Contemporary Psychoanalysis will appeal to psychoanalysts and psychotherapists, as well as philosophy scholars and anyone with an interest in the philosophy of psychoanalysis.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Metapsychology for Contemporary Psychoanalysis is a complete revision of the theoretical underpinnings of psychoanalysis and psychodynamic psychotherapy. It seeks to replace the traditional drive–defence model of Freudian tradition with an information processing model of the mind. This book argues that the central human need is for self-knowledge, and that drives are best understood as means towards this end.

Richard Sembera begins with a close reading of Freud’s own metapsychological writings, isolating the many unresolved difficulties and inconsistencies which continue to burden psychoanalytical theory today. By returning to the actual observable clinical phenomena in the analytic situation, it is shown that an alternative interpretation is possible that eliminates the theoretical difficulties in question. In the analytic situation, Sembera argues that clinicians do not in fact see individuals struggling against the expression of biological drives, rather they observe individuals struggling to clarify their experience of themselves in the presence of the analyst and put this experience into words. When this process is formalized and expressed in theoretical terms, it is found to consist of three distinct aspects: objectification, imagination, and symbolization. This process as a whole—ascent towards the other, relationship with the other, disclosure of self in the light of the other—is termed the dialectical structure of the self. It is conceptualized as the main accomplishment of the core mental process, the process of contextualization.

This work is distinguished from other attempts at theoretical revision by its fundamental commitment to coherence and clarity as well as its determination to challenge accepted psychoanalytic dogma. It argues for the complete irrelevance of biology and neuroscience to the psychoanalytic enterprise and rejects the theory of drives in its entirety. Instead it affirms the centrality of the traumatic response to mental functioning, emphasises the social matrix in which drives are embedded, re-examines the concepts of free will, accountability, and responsibility, and concludes with an attempt to understand waking life as a creative product analogous to the lucid dream. 

Drawing on major psychoanalytic thinkers including Bollas and Benjamin, and current philosophy of mind, this book provides readers with a clear, updated model of metapsychology. Metapsychology for Contemporary Psychoanalysis will appeal to psychoanalysts and psychotherapists, as well as philosophy scholars and anyone with an interest in the philosophy of psychoanalysis.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book The Division of Labour in Economics by Richard Sembera
Cover of the book Estimation of M-equation Linear Models Subject to a Constraint on the Endogenous Variables by Richard Sembera
Cover of the book Modernization and the Crisis of Development in Africa by Richard Sembera
Cover of the book Systems Theories for Psychotherapists by Richard Sembera
Cover of the book From Id to Intersubjectivity by Richard Sembera
Cover of the book Organizations, Communication, and Health by Richard Sembera
Cover of the book Personality Research, Methods, and Theory by Richard Sembera
Cover of the book Disability Definitions, Diagnoses, and Practice Implications by Richard Sembera
Cover of the book Digital Technologies and Learning in Physical Education by Richard Sembera
Cover of the book Public Opinion and the International Use of Force by Richard Sembera
Cover of the book The Madness Of Women by Richard Sembera
Cover of the book The Complete Editor by Richard Sembera
Cover of the book Scientists' Impact on Decision-making by Richard Sembera
Cover of the book Post-2015 UN Development by Richard Sembera
Cover of the book Consciousness, Language, and Self by Richard Sembera
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy