Matte Blanco’s thought and epistemological pluralism in psychoanalysis
The International Journal of Psychoanalysis February 21, 2011 DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-8315.2011.00381.x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 15 |
| Key points | The author argues that Matte Blanco's distinction between the symmetrical and asymmetrical modes of psychic functioning offers a way to understand psychoanalytic pluralism: a single psychical fact can be represented by multiple, non-contradictory conscious accounts, including those from different theoretical schools. The author further proposes that affective longings for 'oceanic feelings' of fusion with a unifying theory contribute to analysts' tendency to exclude one another. |
Abstract
It can be seen that, although psychoanalytic pluralism is widespread, there is still a spirit of intolerance among the different theoretical schools. Matte Blanco's work allows us to think about these questions in a fresh way. Direct psychic experience, felt to be an indivisible whole, is characterized by the symmetrical mode (close to the unconscious) and projects itself in a multiple and decondensed manner on to the asymmetrical mode (consciousness, thought). Thus, psychical facts (for example, what the patient says and feels during the session) can be accounted for by multiple conscious representations which, however, are not mutually contradictory (e.g. in different theoretical approaches). Affective factors linked to the hope of reviving 'oceanic feelings' of fusion with a unified and unifying theory of the subject-analyst are also explored insofar as they lead to the tendency of analysts to exclude one another.