Wish-fulfilment in Philosophy and Psychoanalysis

The tyranny of desire

Nonfiction, Health & Well Being, Psychology, Psychoanalysis, Clinical Psychology, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy
Cover of the book Wish-fulfilment in Philosophy and Psychoanalysis by Tamas Pataki, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Tamas Pataki ISBN: 9781135903756
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: April 24, 2014
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Tamas Pataki
ISBN: 9781135903756
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: April 24, 2014
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Wish-fulfilment as a singular means of satisfying ineluctable desire is a pivotal concept in classical psychoanalysis. Freud argued that it was the thread that united dreams, daydreams, phantasy, omnipotent thinking, neurotic and some psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions, art, myth, and religious illusions. The concept's theoretical exploration has been largely neglected within psychoanalysis since, but contemporary philosophers have recognised it as providing an explanatory model for much of the kind of irrational behaviour so problematic for psychiatry, social psychology and the philosophy of mind.

 

Although critically neglected in contemporary psychological and psychoanalytic thought, the concept remains clinically fundamental, under different labels: it encompasses the processes of omnipotent phantasy, symbolic or substitutive satisfaction, actualisation in transference and acting out, symptom formation and defenses such as projective identification. Wish-fulfilment can be shown to be a specifically psychoanalytic compartment of a common-sense psychological theory of action that illuminates not just clinical material but also the paradoxes of irrationality – such as weakness of will and self-deception – that preoccupy philosophers.

 

The first half of this book develops a comprehensive and novel theory of wish-fulfilment, explores its radical implications for the structure of mind, and locates it against the backdrop of both contemporary psychoanalytic and philosophical thought. In the second half, the book applies the theory to illuminate important features of self-deception and delusion, religion, insanity defences, creative writing and the exclusion of mind and intention in the biological drift of modern psychiatry.

 

The book will be essential to philosophers of mind, psychoanalysts, psychiatrists, psychologists, social theorists, and students in these disciplines; as well as readers interested in understanding how the mind works in mental illness, self-deception, religion, and creative writing.

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

Wish-fulfilment as a singular means of satisfying ineluctable desire is a pivotal concept in classical psychoanalysis. Freud argued that it was the thread that united dreams, daydreams, phantasy, omnipotent thinking, neurotic and some psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions, art, myth, and religious illusions. The concept's theoretical exploration has been largely neglected within psychoanalysis since, but contemporary philosophers have recognised it as providing an explanatory model for much of the kind of irrational behaviour so problematic for psychiatry, social psychology and the philosophy of mind.

 

Although critically neglected in contemporary psychological and psychoanalytic thought, the concept remains clinically fundamental, under different labels: it encompasses the processes of omnipotent phantasy, symbolic or substitutive satisfaction, actualisation in transference and acting out, symptom formation and defenses such as projective identification. Wish-fulfilment can be shown to be a specifically psychoanalytic compartment of a common-sense psychological theory of action that illuminates not just clinical material but also the paradoxes of irrationality – such as weakness of will and self-deception – that preoccupy philosophers.

 

The first half of this book develops a comprehensive and novel theory of wish-fulfilment, explores its radical implications for the structure of mind, and locates it against the backdrop of both contemporary psychoanalytic and philosophical thought. In the second half, the book applies the theory to illuminate important features of self-deception and delusion, religion, insanity defences, creative writing and the exclusion of mind and intention in the biological drift of modern psychiatry.

 

The book will be essential to philosophers of mind, psychoanalysts, psychiatrists, psychologists, social theorists, and students in these disciplines; as well as readers interested in understanding how the mind works in mental illness, self-deception, religion, and creative writing.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book A History of Europe by Tamas Pataki
Cover of the book Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Together by Tamas Pataki
Cover of the book Recognizing Transsexuals by Tamas Pataki
Cover of the book Spatializing Law by Tamas Pataki
Cover of the book Take One Building : Interdisciplinary Research Perspectives of the Seattle Central Library by Tamas Pataki
Cover of the book Starting School (Routledge Revivals) by Tamas Pataki
Cover of the book The Routledge Handbook of Evolution and Philosophy by Tamas Pataki
Cover of the book Corporate Sustainability by Tamas Pataki
Cover of the book International Trade and Business Law Review by Tamas Pataki
Cover of the book Acting It Out by Tamas Pataki
Cover of the book Truth and Religious Belief: Philosophical Reflections on Philosophy of Religion by Tamas Pataki
Cover of the book Integrated Design and Delivery Solutions by Tamas Pataki
Cover of the book The Existential Leader by Tamas Pataki
Cover of the book Psychodynamic Interventions in Pregnancy and Infancy by Tamas Pataki
Cover of the book An Introduction to Marriage and Family Therapy by Tamas Pataki
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