Neuropsychoanalysis: A Contemporary Introduction by GeorgeNorthoff. Published by Routledge, Abingdon, 2023; 168 pp, £19.99 paperback.
Annie Pesskin
British Journal of Psychotherapy September 19, 2023 DOI: 10.1111/bjp.12871 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key findings | Argues that neuropsychoanalysis can illuminate how neural activity transforms into psychic activity, with the book's main takeaway being that while certain brain parts underpin specific functions, the excerpt cuts off before fully stating the conclusion. |
Abstract
Georg Northoff is a philosopher, psychiatrist and neuroscientist working at the University of Ottawa in Canada. This, his most recent book, contributes to the now two-decade-old interdisciplinary attempt called neuropsychoanalysis to understand how neural activity in the brain transforms into psychic activity. Divided into nine chapters with titles inherently intriguing to psychoanalytic thinking such as ‘Self and narcissism’, ‘Dreams, depression and schizophrenia’, ‘Attachment and trauma’, and ‘Conscious and unconscious’, the book's main takeaway is that while it is true that certain parts of the brain certainly underpin specific functions (e. g.