Treating individual without changing the world? Some reflections about the relation between politics and analysis

Journal title STUDI JUNGHIANI
Author/s Paolo Severino
Publishing Year 2020 Issue 2020/52 Language Italian
Pages 17 P. 97-113 File size 0 KB
DOI 10.3280/jun52-2020oa9535
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The author reflects upon the complex connection between depth psychology and politics and upon how this connection has an inevitable influence on the relationship between analyst and patient, in different forms. Political meanings of this relationship, and, more generally, of depth therapy are analyzed, expanding on the contributions of several authors like Jung, Neumann, Hillman, Samuels, Bollas and, in anextra-analytic field Illich. In particular, different core themes are developed as follows: Analysis as the space of resistance and of differentiation from group psychology; Importance of focusing on politics in an analytic relationship; Democracy as a metaphor for the mind and for the analysis in itself; Analytic therapy as a space for the development of the individual’s sense of agency; Relationship between the ethical function of therapy and political behaviors; Political meaning of individuation process. Finally, the author wonders about possible political and social elements of “counter-productivity” related to depth therapy, and, at the same time, highlights analysis qualifying aspects that should be enhanced for their intrinsic cultural impact on society, especially in comparison with other forms of therapies.

Keywords: Depth Psychology, Politics, Analytic Relationship, Ethics, Agency, Counter-productivity

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Paolo Severino, Curare l’individuo senza cambiare il mondo? Alcune riflessioni sulla relazione tra analisi e politica in "STUDI JUNGHIANI" 52/2020, pp 97-113, DOI: 10.3280/jun52-2020oa9535