1st Edition

Tradition, Change, Creativity Repercussions of the New Diaspora on aspects of British Psychoanalysis

By Riccardo Steiner Copyright 2000
    376 Pages
    by Routledge

    376 Pages
    by Routledge

    A companion volume to It is a New Kind of Diaspora. Taking up where that book leaves off, it traces some of the consequences of the emigration of German and Austrian psychoanalysts to London, particularly in the context of the British Psycho-Analytical Society's "Controversial Discussions". The first part of the book, "Tradition and Change" traces some general issues related to the Discussions, in particular drawing on documentary sources from the Archives of the British Psycho-Analytical Society. The second part focuses on one crucial issue in the Discussions - the differing interpretations formulated about the psychic life of babies during the first six months of life. Throughout this section, and the rest of the book, the author constantly stresses the larger social and political contexts within which psychoanalysis exists. The last part examines the legacy of the Discussions in the work of one of the most distinguished Kleinian analysts, Hanna Segal, and in particular her work on creativity and aesthetics.

    Preface -- Tradition and change -- The Freud–Klein Controversial Discussions (1941–1945) -- Issues emerging from the Freud–Klein Controversies: Vienna/London -- Introduction -- Clinical, theoretical, and epistemological themes -- The Viennese psychoanalytic baby -- Sigmund Freud: a child of his own age -- The complex psychoanalytic parenthood of Melanie Klein's "London" baby -- An ideal nursery and a commitment of empathic relatives -- The emergence of the indigenous (British) psychoanalytic baby -- Conclusion -- Cultural context and applied psychoanalysis -- Hanna Segal's approach to creativity and aesthetics

    Biography

    Steiner, Riccardo