This book provides a long-overdue view of the relationship of psychoanalysis to culture. Uniquely positioned to bridge the gap that exists between clinical and academic psychoanalytic studies, it is dedicated to the work of Hanna Segal. With contributions from leading international psychoanalysts, philosophers and sociologists. Through her numerous books and papers in learned journals, Hanna Segal has made contributions that have profoundly influenced contemporary psychoanalytic thinking. This influence extends far beyond the world of psychoanalysis per se: her work on aesthetics and symbolism and her contributions to political and social theory have made an important impact on the academic world in general. In this book, David Bell provides an extensive introduction and theoretical background to the field, situating psychoanalysis itself in contemporary culture. In the following chapters, outstanding academics and psychoanalysts demonstrate how psychoanalytic ideas inform their own disciplines and interests, encompassing philosophy, sociology, literature, film and the life cycle. The book shows the relevance of psychoanalysis beyond the consulting room to the understanding of human affairs in general. It is particularly fitting that this book is in the Tavistock Clinic Series, given the Tavistock’s long tradition of engagement with the arts and with social theory. ‘Both in her clinical work and in her applied work Segal has, implicitly, defended an objectivist, that is a philosophically “realist”, position... these themes are richly articulated, illustrated and expanded in this excellent collection.’ - Otto F. Kernberg, MD, from his Foreword Contributors: David Bell, Ronald Britton, Michael Feldman, León Grinberg, Rebeca Grinberg, Pearl King, A.A. Mason, Michael Rustin, Ignês Sodré, John Steiner and Richard Wollheim About the Editor: David Bell is a training and supervising analyst at the British Psychoanalytical Society and consultant medical psychotherapist at the Tavistock Clinic. He is well-known as a teacher of psychoanalysis and for his publications on the theory of narcissism, the work of Bion, and the psychoanalytic approach to serious mental illness. He has published jointly with Hanna Segal on the theory of narcissism. |