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- 2023 (141) (remove)
The Institut für Psychoanalyse Zürich-Kreuzlingen (IfP) was founded as a working group in 1972. Its founder Norman Elrod graduated from the Carl-Gustav-Jung-Institute in Zurich and followed a politically and philosophically reflected psychoanalysis. In addition, he was engaged in the treatment of psychotic patients. Quite a few of his co-workers worked in the Psyichiatria Democratica in Italy as well as in institutions in Germany and Switzerland, where they also contributed greatly to psychoanalytically inspired multiprofessional care for severely ill individuals, including forensic patients.
On Fromm's Virtue Ethics
(2023)
Fromm’s ethics can be viewed as a form of virtue ethics, which emphasizes the importance of developing one’s true self and reducing one's false self. By doing so, one can change their psychological state in terms of character and psychological tendencies, leading to an improved moral life and higher moral standards. While some criticisms have been raised about virtue theory, including its perceived inability to guide one on how to act properly, Fromm's virtue ethics is unique in that it does not focus on establishing universal rules for specific actions. Instead, it seeks to establish universal laws for human behavioural tendencies or trends. Through his unique social psychology, Fromm provides an in-depth analysis of the inner world of man, which can serve as a valuable guide to the general direction of human development and freedom. In addition, Fromm’s virtue ethics also highlights the importance of social relationships and the impact they have on our moral development. He argues that our relationships with others can have a profound effect on our psychological state and our ability to live virtuously. Overall, Fromm’s virtue ethics provides a unique perspective on human development and morality. By focusing on the development of one’s true self and the importance of social relationships, his approach offers a valuable guide to living a fulfilling and virtuous life.
Begrüßung
(2023)
[Chinese abstract not available] Starting from Fromm’s >freedom< theoretical system and based on Marx’s definition of the proletariat, Alice and Laura in >The Blind Assassin< are divided into proletarians objectified by the bourgeoisie. In the capitalist free market economy, Alice, as a representative of the proletariat, shifted her attitude towards freedom from >avoidance< to >pursuit<. Analyze the reasons for her self-awareness from passive avoidance to active pursuit of freedom in the context of the times, and come to the conclusion that in order to escape freedom, she tends towards authority and attachment. Although she can gain a sense of belonging, it also means the extinction of herself. Only by actively pursuing freedom can she truly achieve individual independence and integrity, and shape a healthy life. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 1/2024]
Alienation is described as encompassing individual psychological states and types of social relationships. In the context of this study, individuals experience profound feelings of disconnection and estrangement (Kalekin-Fishman, 1998). The objective of this research was to elucidate the diverse causes of alienation depicted in the novel >The Boy in the Striped Pajamas<. Analyzing the reasons for alienation in this literary work could provide deeper insights into how war and human atrocities impact an individual's mental well-being. It also contributed to a more comprehensive understanding of the theme of alienation in literary research. The research employed a literature study approach with a psychological perspective, drawing on Erich Fromm's concept of alienation. The primary data source for this study was the novel >The Boy in the Striped Pajamas< by John Boyne, focusing on character dialogues and the author's narration within the story units. The novel, published on 5 January 2006, consists of 216 pages. To analyze the data, the researcher collected, reviewed, identified, organized, and drew conclusions from the gathered information. The findings of this research reveal various causes of alienation present in the characters of Bruno and Shmuel in the novel. These causes included alienation arising from interactions with other people, alienation resulting from societal factors, and alienation stemming from internal struggles within themselves. The exploration of these aspects shed light on the complex psychological impacts of alienation amidst the backdrop of war and its atrocities in the narrative of >The Boy in the Striped Pajamas<.
Attempting a metapsychology for tele-copresence (https://doi.org/10.1080/0803706X.2023.2210794)
(2023)
The concepts of immersion and digital presence have been widely used in the human–computer interaction and virtual environment research fields and have been particularly valuable when it comes to a better understanding of tele-therapy, tele-analysis, and other forms of tele-linking. Using a metapsychological perspective, we will attempt a psychoanalytic interpretation of these phenomena. We will conceptualize them as hypnoid states that reflect a compromise between internal and external conditions, including specific defensive mechanisms and psychic dynamics. This conceptualization will be applied to the tele-analytic situation and other relevant fields of application.
Politics, psychoanalysis, and large group identity (https://doi.org/10.1080/0803706X.2023.2234682)
(2023)
Since Freud's contributions, psychoanalysis has devoted attention to group phenomena in the field of politics. Volkan and Kernberg stand out today for providing conceptual tools for analyzing political reality. Politicians' work has historically included a share of group manipulation, but today a strong trend towards populism is emerging from the right and the left. This offers a unique opportunity to examine in detail how leaders often promote primitive group dynamics, close to borderline personality organizations. The war in Ukraine offers an opportunity for a psychoanalytic exploration of unconscious conflicts. Some leaders' biographies and actions may offer clues, as well as group phenomena that express the need to protect a valuable identity. The current situation has generated an identity crisis in Europe and beyond. Autocratic tendencies have become stronger and we have lost leaders who sustained a more adult, less primitive European identity. The possible solutions lie in the abandonment of infantile maximalist positions and the adoption of a painful, frustrating, slow – and healthy – integrative attitude, perceiving nuances and shades of gray, both in our own group and in that which we consider Other. Psychoanalysis has the responsibility to put its knowledge at the service of society, also in politics.
To understand contemporary forms of social organization it is not enough to know the geopolitics that currently pertain; it is also necessary to enter the field of micropolitics and, particularly, the affections and sensibility modes that sustain the construction of social ties. In this field, psychoanalysis provides fundamental contributions to understand both the possibilities of adherence to forms of government and sociability, and as well as the construction of emancipation projects that aim to transform them. Different affections and sensibility modes will differently build social and political life. In distinguishing the language of passion from the language of tenderness, Ferenczi did not intend to have a political discussion, but we can use these notions to think about the current possibilities of political coexistence. Tenderness is the child's form of sensitivity, but also that of relationships of solidarity through dispossession. In this sense, the language of tenderness refers to the notion of vulnerability theorized by Judith Butler. It is not about defending a puerility or naivety, but a force of non-violence that, when affirmed, creates the possibility of a less unequal, fairer political coexistence, especially in countries immersed in a culture of hate such as Brazil.
The societal changes of the last century, especially in the aftermath of World War II, have led thinkers to imagine philosophical anthropology centered on the concept of hope. From very different perspectives, authors such as Ernst Bloch, Erich Fromm, and Hannah Arendt understood that hope is deeply connected with the condition and destiny of humanity. Various sociologists have developed concepts closely linked with hope: action, social change, utopia, revolution, emancipation, innovation, and trust. However, a coherent and systematic analysis is yet to emerge. Taking up the threads of this rich but fragmented reflection, this paper intends to outline the traits of a >sociology of hope< as a tool for critically interpreting today’s society and the processes of change crisscrossing it, starting from some crucial questions: Who are the actors and historical bearers of hope? What are the main socio-historical forms of hope? What social, political, and cultural conditions favors the emergence and strengthening of this disposition? What are the effects and consequences on personal and social life?
This article, based on the author’s keynote speech at the first International Conference on Critical and Radical Humanist Work and Organizational Psychology at the University of Innsbruck, draws on radical humanist theorizing on human productivity and the >pathology of normalcy< in demon-strating the importance of the contribution of Erich Fromm as a basis for Critical Psychology . The sociologist and psychoanalyst Erich Fromm (1900-1980) developed a social psychological method, the special significance of which is that it explicitly captures unconscious motivations and impulses. This makes it possible to identify strivings and behaviors, as well as common values and thought patterns, which, from a humanistic perspective, represent socially patterned mental >defects<. Based on Fromm’s concept of social character, what is perceived as >normal< and >reasonable< in a given society can be exposed as a potential >pathology of normalcy<. After briefly outlining major con-cerns of the project of Critical Psychology, Erich Fromm's social-psychoanalytical approach is in-troduced. The following sections are dedicated to the significance of character formation for ex-plaining social behavior, social repression and socially patterned defects. Next, some indications will be given regarding the meaning of human productivity according to Erich Fromm. Subsequently, the pathogenic impacts of social character orientations will be illustrated based on the exemplary types of the authoritarian and the contemporary marketing social character. The article concludes with a short summary of Erich Fromm’s contribution to Critical Psychology.