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Oedipal Situation (oedipal + situation)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Psychology100%

Selected Abstracts

Symbolic conceptions: the idea of the third

THE JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2007
Warren Colman
Abstract:, The idea of the third which appears in Jung's concepts of the transcendent function and the coniunctio also occurs in several psychoanalytic theories concerning the emergence of reflective and symbolic thought in childhood development (defined here as the development of ,imaginal capacity'). Noting the way this process is often conceived in terms of the metaphor of sexual intercourse leading to ,conception', this paper suggests that such images need to be understood as symbolic conceptions of the meaning-making functions of the human mind. This leads to a different view of psychoanalytic theories that attempt to account for the development of imaginal capacity in terms of the Oedipus complex. It is suggested that a) these functions must be operative in the mind before the Oedipal situation can become meaningful and b) that psychoanalytic theories are themselves symbolic conceptions which, like mythological narratives, seek to communicate and comprehend psychic reality through imaginal forms. Translations of Abstract L'idée du tiers exprimée dans les concepts jungiens de fonction transcendante et de coniunctio est également présente dans plusieurs théories psychanalytiques traitant de l'émergence d'une pensée réflexive et symbolique chez l'enfant (ici définie comme le développement de sa ,capacité imaginale,). A partir du constat que ce processus apparaît souvent sous la forme métaphorique de l'acte sexuel menant à la ,conception,, cet article propose une compréhension de ces images en termes de conceptions symboliques des fonctions sémiotiques de l'esprit humain. Ceci nous amène à envisager différemment les théories psychanalytiques qui tentent de rendre compte du développement de la capacité imaginale en termes de complexe d',dipe. J'avance, d'une part, l'idée que ces fonctions doivent être opérationnelles dans le psychisme pour que la situation oedipienne puisse prendre tout son sens et, d'autre part, que les théories psychanalytiques sont elles-mêmes des conceptions symboliques qui, tout comme les récits mythologiques, visent à communiquer et à appréhender la réalité psychique à travers des formes imaginales. Die Idee des Dritten, die in Jungs Konzepten der transzendenten Funktion und der coniunctio entwickelt wird, gibt es auch in einigen psychoanalytischen Theorien, die sich mit der Entstehung des reflektiven und symbolischen Denkens in der Entwicklung des Kindes befassen (hier definiert als die Entwicklung der, imaginalen Kapazität'). Es wird beschrieben, wie der Weg dieses Prozesses oft in Form der Metapher vom Geschlechtsverkehr verstanden wird, der zur, Konzeption' (Empfängnis) führt. In dieser Arbeit wird die Ansicht vertreten, dass solche Vorstellungen als symbolische Konzeptionen der sinnstiftenden Funktionen des menschlichen Bewusstseins verstanden werden müssen. Dies führt zu einer anderen Sicht auf psychoanalytische Theorien, die versuchen, die Entwicklung der imaginalen Kapazität mithilfe des Ödipuskomplexes zu begründen. Es wird vorgeschlagen, dass a) diese Funktionen im Bewusstsein bereits wirksam sein müssen, bevor die ödipale Situation bedeutsam werden kann, und dass b) psychoanalytische Theorien an sich symbolische Konzeptionen sind, die, wie mythologische Narrative, versuchen, die psychische Realität durch imaginale Formen zu vermitteln und verstehen. L'idea del terzo che compare nei concetti junghiani di funzione trascendente e di coniunctio compare anche in molte teorie psicoanalitiche che riguardano l'emergere del pensiero simbolico e riflessivo nello sviluppo del bambino (definito qui come lo sviluppo delle ,capacità immaginali'). Considerando il modo in cui tale processo viene spesso concepito in termini di rapporti sessuali che conducono al ,concepimento', questo scritto propone che tali immagini debbano essere considerate come concezioni simboliche delle funzioni creatrici di significato della mente umana. Ciò porta a una diversa visione delle teorie psicoanalitiche che tentano di spiegare lo sviluppo della capacità immaginale in termini di complesso Edipico. Si ipotizza che a) tali funzioni siano operative nella mente prima che la situazione Edipica possa divenire significativa e che b) le teorie psicoanalitiche siano esse stesse concezioni simboliche che, quanto le narrazioni mitologiche, cercano di comunicare e comprendere la realtà psichica attraverso forme immaginali. La idea del tercero que surge del concepto de Jung sobre la Función trascendente y la coniunctio también aparece en varias teorías psicoanalíticas concernientes con la emergencia de los pensamientos simbólico y reflexivo en el desarrollo infantil (el cual es definido aquí cómo el desarrollo de ,la capacidad imaginal'). Apreciando la manera cómo frecuentemente es concebido en términos de la metáfora del acto sexual que conduce a la ,concepción', este trabajo sugiere que tales imágenes deben ser entendidas como concepciones simbólicas de la función de dar-sentido de la mente humana. Ello conduce a una visión diferente de las teorías psicoanalíticas que tratan de explicar el desarrollo de la capacidad imaginal sólo en términos del Complejo de Edipo. Se sugiere que a) estas funciones deben estar operativas en la mente antes de que la situación Edípica pueda ser significativa y b) que las teorías psicoanalíticas son en sí mismas concepciones simbólicas, que, cómo las narrativas mitológicas, buscan comunicar y comprender la realidad psíquica a través de formas imaginales. [source]

A bit of prose about poetry

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED PSYCHOANALYTIC STUDIES, Issue 2 2008
Salman Akhtar
Abstract This brief communication delineates 10 outstanding characteristics of poetry. These include poetry's expression of preverbal experience, blending of primary and secondary processes, musical use of words, enhancement of mentalization, reduction of mental pain, cathexis of links and bonds, manifestation of culture, synthesis of neurophysiology, acceptance of the oedipal situation, and its location in the transitional realm. The paper then moves on to deconstruct the form of its message thus far and in the process sheds further light on the "work" of writing poetry. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Grievance: The underlying oedipal configuration

THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOANALYSIS, Issue 4 2008
Michael Feldman
In this paper the author describes some of the clinical features encountered in patients who seem to ,nurture' a persistent grievance. He gives clinical examples, and discusses the nature of the powerful underlying dynamics. He suggests that contained within the patient's grievance is a set of phantasies that constitute the expression of his fear and hatred of reality, particularly the reality of the oedipal situation, the child's relationship to the creative parental couple, which Money-Kyrle (1968, 1971) has characterised as an essential element of ,the facts of life'. The phantasies the patient has evolved serve to protect him from envy and jealousy, anxiety and guilt. The primitive oedipal phantasies on which the grievance rests also contribute to the excitement and gratification that are characteristic of the grievance. The analysis of the underlying state of mind helps to account for the persistent grip the grievance has on the patient, and the way this interferes with development. [source]

Creativity and oedipal fantasy in Austen's Emma: ,An ingenious and animating suspicion'

THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOANALYSIS, Issue 4 2003
Margaret Ann Fitzpatrick Hanly
Austen's Emma is one of the great novels of the Western tradition. In this paper the author explores the meaning of Emma's ,ingenious and animating suspicion' that Jane Fairfax seduced her best friend's husband, Mr Dixon. The interpretation that a psychoanalytic understanding makes possible shows how this suspicion represents an oedipal fantasy projected on to Miss Fairfax. Further exploration demonstrates how the fantasy is linked both to Emma's systematic unkindness to Jane Fairfax and to Emma's famous insult to Jane's aunt, Miss Bates. Emma's suspicion projects an oedipal fantasy with its incestuous impulses on to her rival and satisfies an envious aggression at the same time. The author's purpose in this paper is to bring to light through psychoanalytic understanding Austen's dramatisation of the complexity and creativity of the oedipal situation. In addition to the regression in oedipal fantasy, the primary process also functions with a progressive quality that expands and enriches the ego, a double movement described in Keats's ,negative capability', which has been elaborated by Bion. The primal-scene fantasies are often brought alive in the analytic transference. These situations and painful emotions are dramatically portrayed through Austen's genius as vehicles for change. A sudden integration follows a phase of disorganization: ,It darted through her with the speed of an arrow. Mr Knightley must marry no-one but herself'. Emma, who is Austen's ,imaginist', moves from the projected fantasy of the sad love triangle through envy aggression and the narcissistic blows of self-doubt and loss of love to moments of illumination and connection. [source]