Reconsidering Self and Identity Through a Dialogue Between Neuroscience and Psychoanalytic Theory

The terms self and identity have figured prominently in psychological and psychoanalytic writings despite a lack of consistent definitions. Whereas most attempts to clarify the terms have been in the context of a particular theoretical model such as ego psychology, self-psychology, or object relations theory, these clarifications were limited to that particular frame of reference. This paper presents evidence from the dynamic systems models of neuroscience as a foundation to inform psychoanalytic theory toward a clarification of these terms. The neuroscience data supports a distinction between self and identity relative to right hemisphere, reflexive, nonlinguistic experience and left hemisphere, reflective, linguistically mediated experience. A parallel between the empirical study of consciousness in terms of ownership, agency, unity, and continuity is also made with contemporary psychoanalytic concepts and their relationship to self and identity. Additionally, the article offers suggestions for a mutually informing dialogue between psychoanalysis and neuroscience in the hopes of promoting interdisciplinary research.     

关系自我和集体自我在自我建构中的层级关系

三重自我建构认为,自我包含三个方面：个体自我,关系自我和集体自我。个体自我的核心地位已经得到诸多研究的证实,但关系自我和集体自我的层级关系还缺乏定论。越重要的自我,与积极信息的联系越紧密,以达到维持自尊、抵御自我威胁的目的。因此,采用内隐联想范式（IAT）验证对两种自我的积极联想,并对比两者积极联想程度以确定其层级关系。结果发现,相比非自我信息,被试对关系自我和集体自我均存在内隐的积极联想,从内隐的层面证实了关系自我和集体自我的存在。相比关系自我,被试对集体自我存在更强的积极联结,自我建构中的集体自我在内隐层面占据更为重要的位置。     

Using Relational Cultural Theory as a Pedagogical Approach for Counselor Education

ABSTRACT

In the article the authors will discuss core concepts of RCT in greater detail while relating these concepts to the counselor education classroom setting. There are many aspects of the counseling process that are open-ended due to the necessity of counselors needing to be responsive to the client’s needs in the moment. It is the assertion of the authors that using RCT in the classroom as a pedagogical framework may be beneficial to the growth of CITs. Through creating and maintaining an environment that supports growth fostering relationships, mutual empathy, authenticity, recognition and healing of disconnection, identification of central relational paradoxes, and processing relational images can all lead to developing relational competence in the CITs who will become the next generation of counselors. Additionally, the authors provide examples of the core concepts in action that are grounded in their experiences, blending RCT into their instructional delivery in their course.     

A Relational Theory of the Visible

Axiomathes - On the basis of previous studies in relational biology and the phenomenological calculus, in my contribution I outline the mathematical foundations of biological perception generally,...     

The Relational Genesis of Community: Self–Other Dialogue

Of late, there is increasing interest in the dialogical foundations of the self and community. Indeed, dialogical theory points to the embeddedness of community in self–other relations. This article proposes a dialogical approach to community that draws upon four key themes of discourse: the sociality of the self, the realm of interindividual relations, the constructive role of social representations, and the emergent properties of collective action. The ‘between’ constitutes a valuable concept for theorizing fundamental processes of relational existence and responsive meaning‐making, including the co‐constitution of community. In the process of coming into dialogic relation with one another, individuals construct meanings, experiences, and actions that profoundly shape both selfhood and community. Thus conceived, community is founded on dialogic interaction and intersubjective representation, thereby becoming the conscious object of reflection and action. The intention here is to theorize the relational genesis and continued transformation of community through self–other dialogue. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Object-Relations Theory: A Dialogue with Donald B. Rinsley

Object-relations (O-R) theory expands traditional psychoanalytic thinking beyond psychiatric hospitals and “patients.” This approach focuses on emotional development that leads to normal or disturbed behavior. O-R theory is presented here to acquaint counselors with its basic concepts, its practical applications, and its impact on current psychological thought.     

The Normative Structure of Adjudicative Dialogue

Resolution-oriented dialogue has a normative structure that is largely subject to theoretical explication. This paper develops a simple model that sheds light on how moves in a reason-giving game alter the distribution of discursive commitments and entitlements. By clarifying the practice of deontic scorekeeping, we can enhance our collective capacity to resolve conflicts dialogically.     

The Symbiotic Survival Pattern: A Relational Theory of Schizophrenia

A theoretical formulation regarding schizophrenia and family functioning is presented that attempts to integrate individual and systems approaches. Despite these approaches dealing with phenomena at different levels, they interact, modify, and determine each other. A review of the literature in both psychoanalytic and family theory served as background and foundation. The symbiotic survival pattern found in families with a schizophrenic member is a mutually controlling system of interaction in which each individual feels responsible for the self-esteem and survival of the other. This involves at least three people, two of whom are expected to act out introjected images for the third. A paradigm of intrapsychic introjects, as well as an illustrative method of describing their use in family transactions, is developed.     

The Relational Structure of Human Dignity

This article argues that received accounts of the concept of human dignity face more difficulties than has been appreciated, when explaining the connection between human dignity and the duty of respect that dignity is supposed to generate. It also argues that a novel, relational, account has the adequate structure to explain such connection.     

The Self in Post-Freudian Psychoanalytic Theory

This article relates a theory of the duplex self constituted by consciousness and experienced as I and me to the various post-Freudian interpretations of the self.     

The Virtue of Dialogue,Dialogue as Virtue in Plato's Protagoras

Abstract

This article interprets Plato's Protagoras as a defense, against the claim of the sophists to possess a skill of teaching virtue, of Socrates’ claim in the Apology (38a) that the greatest good for a human being is examining oneself and others every day with regard to virtue. Attention to the often-neglected complex series of prologues as well as the dispute about method at the dialogue's center shows both the erotic and the dialogical character of Socratic virtue. Specifically, human virtue turns out to be a process of becoming as opposed to being good that can be carried out only in constant dialogue with others. In this context, the ‘science of measurement’ Socrates describes on behalf of Protagoras and the other sophists is exposed for what it is: a delusion that continues to exert its power over us today on account of the recurrent human wish to possess a skill or technique that could save us by guaranteeing the goodness and happiness of our lives.     

The Self as Social Construction

The paper begins with the articulation of key assumptions central to contemporary constructionist scholarship. This is followed by an analysis of the issues in the social construction of the self. To this end several major lines of inquiry along with their socio-political implications are brought into focus. Finally, an alternative to traditional conceptions of self, one that emerges distinctly from social constructionist theory is presented.     

New Foundations for a Relational Theory of Theory-revision

AGM-theory, named after its founders Carlos Alchourrón, Peter Gärdenfors and David Makinson, is the leading contemporary paradigm in the theory of belief-revision. The theory is reformulated here so as to deal with the central relational notions ‘J is a contraction of K with respect to A’ and ‘J is a revision of K with respect to A’. The new theory is based on a principal-case analysis of the domains of definition of the three main kinds of theory-change (expansion, contraction and revision). The new theory is stated by means of introduction and elimination rules for the relational notions. In this new setting one can re-examine the relationship between contraction and revision, using the appropriate versions of the so-called Levi and Harper identities. Among the positive results are the following. One can derive the extensionality of contraction and revision, rather than merely postulating it. Moreover, one can demonstrate the existence of revision-functions satisfying a principle of monotonicity. The full set of AGM-postulates for revision-functions allow for completely bizarre revisions. This motivates a Principle of Minimal Bloating, which needs to be stated as a separate postulate for revision. Moreover, contractions obtained in the usual way from the bizarre revisions, by using the Harper identity, satisfy Recovery. This provides a new reason (in addition to several others already adduced in the literature) for thinking that the contraction postulate of Recovery fails to capture the Principle of Minimal Mutilation. So the search is still on for a proper explication of the notion of minimal mutilation, to do service in both the theory of contraction and the theory of revision. The new relational formulation of AGM-theory, based on principal-case analysis, shares with the original, functional form of AGM-theory the idealizing assumption that the belief-sets of rational agents are to be modelled as consistent, logically closed sets of sentences. The upshot of the results presented here is that the new relational theory does a better job of making important matters clear than does the original functional theory. A new setting has been provided within which one can profitably address two pressing questions for AGM-theory: (1) how is the notion of minimal mutilation (by both contractions and revisions) best analyzed? and (2) how is one to rule out unnecessary bloating by revisions?     

Towards a Relational Affective Theory of personality disorder

This paper introduces a Relational Affective Formulation of severe narcissistic and borderline disorders. The formulation is grounded in psychoanalytic and neuroscientific theory, clinical observation and therapeutic work with hospitalised patients. It provides a conceptual framework for psychodynamic psychiatrists, therapists and psychosocial practitioners working in teams. Paying particular attention to the central place of affect, projective and introjective processes, claustro-agoraphobic phenomena, regression and the place of both deficits and dynamic defences in the failure of symbolisation, the case is made that this framework is suited to therapeutic work with patients who are highly suicidal and complex. The application of this formulation to service design and treatment pathways is described along with a summary of the body of psychoanalytic thinking which contributed to its development. The formulation is the cornerstone of a practice guide currently under development.     

Music as Thinking/Thinking as Music: A Dialogue with Mukund Lath

International Journal of Hindu Studies - This article offers a dialogue with Mukund Lath. It is comprised of three parts: Part One introduces Lath’s body of work. The second and third parts...     

Dialogue with a Bishop

Pastoral Psychology -