2008 Handbooks

This unit is open to psychology and philosophy students. It will explore the relevance of psychoanalytic theory to both cultural issues and psychological concerns. Cultural issues addressed include political power, femininity, charisma and cults. At a more individual level we explore some implications of psychoanalytic theory and practice for affective experience, memory, creative process, our relationships to others as well as for certain forms of psychopathology. The course moves from a foundation in Freud (the nature of unconscious processes, drives and affects, morality & defence) to cover an array of post-Freudian perspectives, including Lacan, object relations theory, self-psychology, and relational psychoanalysis. Tensions between different genres of psychoanalysis are considered by addressing different assumptions made concerning embodiment, emotions and relations to others in human development.