Suchergebnisse

Contends that object relations theory has simply reformulated Sigmund Freud's conceptualization of the self; specifically, rather than perceiving the self within biological terms, contemporary object relations theorists analyze the self within interpersonal relations. Two principal difficulties with object relations theory are identified: (1) the tendency to attribute various cognitive & judgmental states to infants prior to their linguistic development, & (2) the misuse of the term "object" to refer to the fantasmatic aspects of infants' consciousness. Therefore, rather than transforming Freud's notion of the self, current object relations theorists account for bourgeois family relations that developed during late capitalism. It is asserted that object relations theory fails to acknowledge that parents both respond to & produce infants' needs through the parents' consumption of material goods. Object relations theorists' assertion that individuals are capable of knowing themselves through introspective analysis is challenged. It is concluded that the social & the personal are inextricably linked & that object relations theorists need to recognize this connection. J. W. Parker

In our post-9/11 environment, our sense of relative security and stability as privileged subjects living in the heart of Empire has been profoundly shaken. Hollander explores the forces that have brought us to this critical juncture, analyzing the role played by the neoliberal economic paradigm and conservative political agenda that emerged in the West over the past four decades with devastating consequences for the hemisphere's citizens. Narrative testimonies of progressive U.S. and Latin American psychoanalysts illuminate the psychological meanings of living under authoritarian political con.