Is the Self other to the self? Why does the numinosum feel like another? The relevance of Matte Blanco to our understanding of the unconscious

Using Ignacio Matte Blanco’s approach to the unconscious, this paper attempts to explain why the experience of the Self or the unconscious, for example in dreams, is difficult for the ego to understand. Matte Blanco believes that the logic of the unconscious is radically different from the logic of consciousness. The unconscious uses processes that Matte Blanco refers to as symmetry and generalization. Symmetry means that the converse of any relationship is identical to it, so that asymmetrical relationships are treated as if they were symmetrical. Generalization means that the unconscious treats any object as belonging to a larger class of objects that is a subset of an even larger class which is in turn a subset of a wider class ad infinitum. Hence Matte Blanco’s idea of the unconscious as infinite sets. These unconscious mechanisms, combined with the possibility that the unconscious has more dimensions than consciousness, contribute to the difficulty of understanding dreams, and help to explain why the Self is experienced as other to the ego.     

Jungian approach to human aggression with special emphasis on war

Cross-cultural and interdisciplinary agreement as to the universality of aggressive behavior and warfare is compatible with Jung's [(1959): “The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Vol 9, Part I, Para 3.” London: Routledge] theory of archetypes functioning as components of the human collective unconscious. Jungian formulations involve a phylogenetic view of psychic phenomena since archetypes are conceived as neuropsychic entities which evolved through natural selection. It is argued that the banding together of young males for the purpose of aggressive pursuits such as hunting, intergroup conflict, and warfare is a biologically transmitted propensity mediated by archetypal structures in the human brain-psyche. Universally apparent patterns of affiliative and hostile behaviors are linked to Chance's [(1988): “Social Fabrics of the Mind.” London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates] hedonic and agonic modes and seen as later ontological expressions of archetypal structures responsible in childhood for formation of bonds of attachment to familiars and avoidance and wariness of strangers. Erikson's [(1984): Yale Review 73(4): 481–486] concept of pseudospeciation is associated with Jung's concept of shadow projection to elucidate the phenomena of patriotism, xenophobia, national paranoia, Lorenz's [(1966): “On Aggression.” London: Methuen & Co.] “militant enthusiasm,” propaganda, and mobilization for war. Finally, it is argued that peace between nations can be promoted through conscious awareness of archetypally determined patterns of intergroup conflict and a collective resolve not to pseudospeciate our neighbors. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Perceptual consciousness plays no epistemic role

It is often assumed that perceptual experience provides evidence about the external world. But much perception can occur unconsciously, as in cases of masked priming or blindsight. Does unconscious perception provide evidence as well? Many theorists maintain that it cannot, holding that perceptual experience provides evidence in virtue of its conscious character. Against such views, I challenge here both the necessity and, perhaps more controversially, the sufficiency of consciousness for perception to provide evidence about the external world. In addition to motivating and defending the idea that unconscious perception can and does often provide evidence, I observe that whether or not perceptual phenomenology is relevant to the evidentiary status of perception depends on the nature of consciousness. And I argue that a well‐supported theory of consciousness—higher‐order thought theory—invites a striking conclusion: that perceptual phenomenology is not on its own sufficient to provide for evidence of the external world.     

序列语义的类别一致性关系能否进行无意识整合？

阈下语义之间能否进行整合,最近的研究给出了不同的结果。当多个阈下语义词语同时呈现时显示出无意识语义整合效应,但是当序列呈现时没有观察到无意识整合效应。本研究在保留同时呈现方法优点（不同空间呈现位置）的情况下研究了序列呈现的不同汉字词语之间能否产生无意识语义类别关系整合。在实验1中,两个相同或不同类别的词语作为阈下启动刺激先后在两侧呈现,且第一个词语消失后第二词语马上出现,结果显示出无意识语义类别整合效应。实验2延长了两个阈下启动词语之间的时间间隔,结果未发现无意识语义类别整合效应。另外,实验3进一步排除了实验1中第一个启动词语的视觉残留,结果也未观察到显著的无意识语义类别整合效应,说明实验1中观察到的无意识整合效应是视觉残留所致。综合三个实验结果表明,两个阈下词语之间的语义类别一致性关系只有在同时呈现这种特殊条件下才能进行无意识整合加工,说明了短时间维度对于无意识语义关系整合的重要性。     

Self-regulation of commitment to reduce cigarette consumption: Mental contrasting of future with reality

The model of fantasy realisation (Oettingen, 2000 Oettingen, G. 2000. Expectancy effects on behavior depend on self-regulatory thought. Social Cognition, 18: 101–129. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) specifies mental contrasting of a positive future with negative reality as a strategy that creates strong goal commitments. We propose that fantasies about a positive and negative future produce strong goal commitments when contrasted with the respective reality. The present study supports this hypothesis in the area of reducing cigarette consumption. Mental contrasting of a positive future with negative reality as well as mental contrasting of a negative future with positive reality led to taking immediate action when participants had high expectations of success. Results indicate that both fantasies about a positive future and a negative future can be used to commit to goals that benefit health and prevent disease.     

Understanding and Treatment of Narcissistic Personality Disturbances

The author discusses how sexuality on the one hand develops and changes during childhood, but on the other hand, holds onto the old residues of different, earlier phases. In adult sexuality, there always remain enigmatic, regressive, even borderline emotions and feelings from earlier experiences. These residues make sexuality incomprehensible and primitive, but also offer possibilities for dreams, fantasies and creativity later in life. Autoerotic fantasies, object fantasies, enigmatic knowledge, sexuality fantasies and creative thinking are realised via these developmental residues.     

Psychological Determinants of Optimism Regarding Consequences of the War

Gazing behavior of 10 three-month-old twin infants (five male and five female) and their mothers during play, bottle feeding, and spoon feeding activities were analyzed. Video-tape equipment was used in the home; data were gathered as naturalistically as possible. Mothers looked at infants for a greater percentage of the total time and for longer durations than infants looked at mothers. A consistency-activation personality theory in which mothers are highly motivated to gaze at infants, but infants seek visual interest by looking away from mother, is suggested to interpret the findings. Both looking and not-looking gazes and mean and median measures of central tendency were shown to be helpful and necessary for the gazing analysis.     

Perversion – structure or organization?

Abstract

This paper aims to discuss perversion, its implications in the clinical setting, and some of the key concepts around it. First, the etymology of the words “perversion”, “structure”, and “organization” is analyzed. Next follows a discussion on the sexual organization of instincts – from the Unconscious to the Oedipus complex in Freud and Lacan – setting the ground for a disavowal-based theory of perversion. An instructive approach has been chosen so as better to organize the various points presented.

Laender NR et al. Perversion – Struktur oder Organisation?

Der Aufsatz diskutiert die Perversion, ihre Auswirkungen im klinischen Setting und einige Schlüsselkonzepte. Zuerst wird die Herkunft der Wörter Perversion, Struktur und Organisation analysiert. Dann folgt eine Diskussion über die Organisation der Sexualität bzw. der Instinkte – vom Unbewussten bis zum Ödipuskomplex bei Freud und Lacan – wodurch eine Theorie der Perversion auf der Basis von Ablehnung begründet wird. Ein instruktiver Zugang, bei dem die verschiedenen Punkte von Interesse gut strukturiert sind, wurde gewählt.

Laender NR et al . Perversion – organización o estructura?

Este trabajo intenta discutir la perversión, sus implicaciones en la clínica y algunos de los conceptos clave alrededor de la perversión.

Primero, es analizada la etimología de las palabras Perversión, Estructura y Organización. Despúes sigue una discusión sobre la organización sexual de los instintos- desde lo Inconsciente hasta el complejo de Edipo en Freud y Lacan- planteando las bases para una teoría de la negación-desaprobación de la perversión.

Para organizar mejor los varios aspectos presentados se escogió una aproximación instructiva.     

无意识冲突的发生机制：基于Stroop范式的探讨

无意识信息对人们的行为有着十分重要的影响,它不仅能触发相对低级的认知功能而且也能触发冲突控制等相对高级的认知功能。尽管已有研究从行为和认知神经研究两个方面强有力地证实了无意识冲突的存在,但对无意识冲突是源自中枢加工产生的语义冲突还是晚期动作选择中产生的反应冲突存在激烈的争议。本研究采用分离语义冲突和反应冲突的实验逻辑在Stroop掩蔽启动任务中探讨了无意识冲突的机制。结果发现,无意识Stroop效应中既包含语义冲突又包含反应冲突。这说明无意识冲突可能由语义冲突和反应冲突共同构成。实验结果也进一步支持了无意识刺激可以加工到语义水平的观点。     

《周易》对探索潜意识启示

隐喻是一种语言现象,也是一种认知方式。《周易》是一套复杂的隐喻认知系统,“象”与“理”都是认识事物的思维方式。潜意识通过心理表征以隐喻的方式呈现,精神分析师借助隐喻方法来分析潜意识。将潜意识的呈现形式(如梦、口误等)理解为某种“象”,把“象”作为表征潜意识的符号与工具,通过“观象、取象、辨象、立象、尽意”这个认知过程,实现对“理”(潜意识)的理解。通过“象思维”来探索潜意识对中国人来说具有文化上亲和性,克服精神分析中的“无结构性”与“语言的限制”。