The relation between inner and outer worlds

Journal title PSICOTERAPIA E SCIENZE UMANE
Author/s Morris N. Eagle
Publishing Year 2019 Issue 2019/2
Language Italian Pages 28 P. 213-240 File size 112 KB
DOI 10.3280/PU2019-002002
DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation click here

Below, you can see the article first page

If you want to buy this article in PDF format, you can do it, following the instructions to buy download credits

Article preview

FrancoAngeli is member of Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), a not-for-profit association which run the CrossRef service enabling links to and from online scholarly content.

Abstract. The relationship between inner and outer worlds is explored. A wide range of experiences, including realistic perception and aesthetic experiences, can be understood as transitional phenomena as described by Donald W. Winnicott, in the sense that they are characterized by resonance between inner structures and external inputs. Winnicott suggested that one should refrain from insisting on a one-sided answer to the question of whether one has created the experience or finds it present in external reality. It is also argued that both certain forms of psychopathology as well as certain philosophical positions entail a one-sided "solution" to the tension between inner and outer worlds. Finally, it is suggested that psychoanalytic theories need to resist the temptation to offer a one-sided answer, and to this regard the approaches of Roy Schafer, Donald Spence, and Richard Geha, that are based on the construction of narratives, are critically discussed. Psychoanalytic theories need to live with the tension, and try to find ways to integrate these two realms of existence. (This paper was read on May 6, 1994, as Erikson Lecture at the Austen Riggs Center of Stockbridge, Massachusetts).

Keywords: Inner and outer worlds; Constructivism; Reality principle; Winnicott; Transitional experience

  1. Black M. (1967). Review of A.R. Couch’s “Explanation and human action”. American Journal of Psychology, 80, 4: 655-656. DOI: 10.2307/1421209
  2. Bowlby J. (1969). Attachment and Loss. Vol. 1: Attachment. London: Hogarth Press (2nd edition: New York: Basic Books, 1982) (trad. it.: Attaccamento e perdita. Vol. 1: L’attaccamento alla madre. Torino: Boringhieri, 1972 [1a ediz.], 1989 [2a ediz.]).
  3. Bowlby J. (1988). A Secure Base. London: Routledge (trad. it.: Una base sicura. Milano: Raffaello Cortina, 1989).
  4. Braine M.D.S. & Shanks B.L. (1965). The conservation of a shape property and a proposal about the origin of the conservations. Canadian Journal of Psychology, 19, 3: 197-207.
  5. Campbell D.T. (1987). Evolutionary epistemology. In: Radnitzky G. & Bartley W.W. III, editors, Evolutionary Epistemology, Rationality, and the Sociology of Knowledge. La Salle, IL: Open Court, 1987, pp. 47-66.
  6. Campbell D.T. (1990). Levels of organizations, downward causation, and selection-theory approach of evolutionary epistemology. In: Greenberg G. & Tobach E., editors, Theories of the Evolution of Knowing: The T.C. Schneirla Conferences Series, Volume 4 (New York: Psychology Press, 1990, pp. 18-41). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, 1990, pp. 1-17.
  7. Dear S.P., Simmons J.A. & Fritz J. (1993). A possible neuronal basis for representation of acoustic scenes in auditory cortex of the big brown bat. Nature, 364, 6438: 620-623.
  8. Eagle M.N. (1984a). Recent Developments in Psychoanalysis. A Critical Evaluation. New York: McGraw-Hill (ristampa: Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1987) (trad. it.: La psicoanalisi contemporanea. Bari: Laterza, 1988). Ediz. Internet del cap. 11 (ediz. orig. cap. 12): “Carenze di sviluppo e conflitto dinamico”: -- www.priory.com/ital/documig8.htm.
  9. Eagle M.N. (1984b). Psychoanalysis and “narrative truth”: A reply to Spence. Psychoanalysis and Contemporary Thought, 7, 4: 629-640.
  10. Eagle M.N. (1985). Benjamin B. Rubinstein: Contributions to the structure of psychoanalytic theory. In: Reppen J., editor, Beyond Freud: A Study of Modern Psychoanalytic Theorists. Hillsdale, NJ: Analytic Press, 1985, cap. 4, pp. 83-108.
  11. Erikson E.H. (1950). Childhood and Society. New York: Norton (trad. it.: Infanzia e società. Roma: Armando, 1963).
  12. Erikson E.H. (1959). Identity and the Life Cycle (Psychological Issues, 1). New York: International Universities Press (trad. it.: I cicli della vita. Continuità e mutamenti. Roma: Armando, 1984).
  13. Fairbairn W.R.D. (1952). Psychoanalytic Studies of the Personality. London: Tavistock (trad. it.: Studi psicoanalitici sulla personalità. Torino: Boringhieri, 1970, 1992).
  14. Fonagy P., Steele M., Steele H., Leigh T., Kennedy R., Mattoon G. & Target M. (1995). Attachment, the reflective self, and borderline states: The predictive specificity of the Adult Attachment Interview and pathological emotional development. In: Goldberg S., Muir R. & Kerr J., editors, Attachment Theory: Social, Developmental and Clinical Perspectives. New York: Analytic Press, 1995, pp. 233-278.
  15. Forguson L. & Gopnick A. (1988). The ontogeny of common sense. In: Astington J.W., Harris P.L. & Olson D.R., editors, Developing Theories of Mind. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press, 1988, pp. 226-243.
  16. Franks P. (2003). From Kant to post-Kantian idealism: German idealism. Aristotelian Society Supplementary Volume, 76, 1: 229-246. DOI: 10.1111/1467-8349.00097
  17. Freud S. (1899 [1900]). L’interpretazione dei sogni. Opere, 3. Torino: Boringhieri, 1966.
  18. Freud S. (1914). Introduzione al narcisismo. Opere, 7: 441-472. Torino: Boringhieri, 1975.
  19. Freud S. (1915). Pulsioni e loro destini. Opere, 8: 13-35. Torino: Boringhieri, 1976.
  20. Geha R.E. (1984). On psychoanalytic history and the “real” story of fictitious lives. International Forum for Psychoanalysis, 1, 3/4: 221-291 (vedi anche: Geha R.E. & Spence D.P., On Psychoanalytic History and the “Real” Story of Fictitious Lives. Hillsdale, NJ: Analytic Press, 1984).
  21. Geha R.E. (1993). Transferred fictions. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 3, 2: 209-243. DOI: 10.1080/10481889309538970
  22. Gergen (1985). Social Constructionist Inquiry: Context and Implications. In: Gergen K.J. & Davis K.M., editors, The Social Construction of the Person. New York: Springer, 1985, ch. 1, pp. 3-18
  23. Gill M.M. (1976). Metapsychology is not psychology. In: Gill M.M. & Holzman P.S., editors, Psychology versus Metapsychology. Psychoanalytic Essays in Memory of George S. Klein. New York: International Universities Press, 1976, pp. 71-105 (trad. it.: La metapsicologia non è psicologia. In: Fabozzi P. & Ortu F., a cura di, Al di là della metapsicologia. Problemi e soluzioni della psicoanalisi statunitense. Roma: Il Pensiero Scientifico, 1996, pp. 185-211).
  24. Grünbaum A. (1984). The Foundations of Psyhoanalysis. A Philosophical Critique. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press (trad. it.: I fondamenti della psicoanalisi. Milano: Il Saggiatore, 1988).
  25. Habermas J. (1968). Erkenntnis und Interesse. Frankfurt a.M.: Suhrkamp (trad. it.: Conoscenza e interesse. Bari: Laterza, 1970).
  26. Hartmann H. (1937). Ich-Psychologie und Anpassungsproblem. Internationale Zeitschr für Psychoanalyse, 1939, 24: 62-135 (trad. inglese: Ego Psychology and the Problem of Adaptation. New York: International Universities Press, 1958; trad. it.: Psicologia dell’Io e problema dell’adattamento. Torino: Boringhieri, 1966).
  27. Hartmann H. (1964). Essays on Ego Psychology. New York: International Universities Press (trad. it.: Saggi sulla Psicologia dell’Io. Torino: Boringhieri, 1976).
  28. Hartmann H., Kris E. & Loewenstein R. (1964). Papers on Psychoanalytic Psychology. New York: International Universities Press (trad. it.: Scritti di psicologia psicoanalitica. Torino: Boringhieri, 1978).
  29. Hintikka J. (1962). Cogito, ergo sum: Inference or performance? Philosophical Review, 71, 1: 3-32 (trad. it.: Cogito, ergo sum: inferenza o performance? In: Gori G., a cura di, Cartesio. Milano: ISEDI, 1977, pp. 143-178. -- Edizione su Internet: www.sciacchitano.it/Pensatori% 20epistemici/Cartesio/inferenza%20o%20performance.pdf).
  30. Holt R.R., Kächele H. & Vattimo G. (1994). Psicoanalisi ed ermeneutica. A cura di Paolo Migone (Atti del convegno tenuto a Bologna il 5 giugno 1994). Chieti: Métis, 1995.
  31. Hume D. (1748). An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. London: A. Millar (trad. it.: Ricerche sull’intelletto umano e sui principii della morale. Bari: Laterza, 1910).
  32. Klein G.S. (1976). Psychoanalytic Theory: An Exploration of Essentials. New York: International Universities Press (trad. it.: Teoria psicoanalitica. Milano: Raffaello Cortina, 1993; trad. it. in versione ridotta del cap. 3: Le due teorie freudiane della sessualità. In: Casonato M., a cura di, Psicologia dinamica. Vol. 1: Freud. Torino: Bollati Boringhieri, 1992, pp. 92-124).
  33. Mahler M.S., in collaboration with Manuel Furer (1968). On Human Symbiosis and the Vicissitudes of Individuation. Vol. I: Infantile Psychosis. New York: International Universities Press (trad. it.: Le psicosi infantili. Torino: Boringhieri, 1972).
  34. Main M. (1983). Exploration, play, and cognitive functioning related to infant-mother attachment. Infant Behavior and Development, 6, 2/3: 167-174. DOI: 10.1016/S0163-6383(83)80024-1
  35. Main M. (1991). Metacognitive knowledge, metacognitive monitoring, and singular (coherent) vs. multiple (incoherent) model of attachment: findings and directions for future research. In: Parkes C.M., Stevenson-Hinde J. & Marris P., editors, Attachment Across the Life Cycle. London: Routledge, 1991, pp. 127-159.
  36. Main M. & Goldwyn R. (1998). Adult Attachment Scoring and Classification System (Unpublished Manual). Berkeley, CA: University of California at Berkeley.
  37. Miller S.C. (1962). Ego-autonomy in sensory deprivation, isolation, and stress. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 43, 1: 1-20.
  38. Musil R. (1930-33). Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften. Berlin: Rowohlt (trad. it.: L’uomo senza qualità. Torino: Einaudi, 1956, 1958, 1962).
  39. Nagel T. (1974). What is it like to be a bat? The Philosophical Review, 83, 4: 435-450.
  40. Nehamas A. (1985). Nietzsche: Life as Literature. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press (trad. it.: Nietzsche: la vita come letteratura. Roma: Armando, 1989).
  41. Passman R.H. & Longeway K.P. (1982). The role of vision in maternal attachment: Giving 2-year-olds a photograph of their mother during separation. Developmental Psychology, 18 4: 530-533. DOI: 10.1037/0012-1649.18.4.530
  42. Passman R.H. & Weisberg P. (1975). Mothers and blankets as agents for promoting play and exploration by young children in a novel environment: The effects of social and nonsocial attachment objects. Developmental Psychology, 11, 2: 170-177.
  43. Piaget J. (1964). Six études de psychologie. Genève: Gonthier (trad. it.: Lo sviluppo mentale del bambino e altri studi di psicologia. Torino: Einaudi, 1964).
  44. Popper K. (1987). Campbell on the evolutionary theory of knowledge. In: Radnitzky G. & Bartley W.W. III, editors, Evolutionary Epistemology, Rationality, and the Sociology of Knowledge. La Salle, IL: Open Court, 1987, pp. 115-120.
  45. Rapaport D. (1951). The autonomy of the ego. Bulletin of Menninger Clinic, 15, 4: 113-123. Anche in: The Collected Papers of David Rapaport. Gill M.M., editor. New York: Basic Books, 1967, ch. 31, pp. 357-367 (trad. it.: L’autonomia dell’Io. In: Il modello concettuale della psicoanalisi. Scritti 1942-1960. Nota introduttiva di Enzo Codignola e Pier Francesco Galli. A cura di Marianna Bolko ed Enzo Codignola. Milano: Feltrinelli, 1977, cap. X, pp. 206-217).
  46. Rorty R. (1979). Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press (trad. it.: La filosofia e lo specchio della natura. Nota introduttiva di Diego Marconi & Gianni Vattimo. Milano: Bompiani, 1986).
  47. Rubinstein B.B. (1952-83 [1997]). Psychoanalysis and the Philosophy of Science. Collected Papers of Benjamin B. Rubinstein. Edited and annotated by Robert R. Holt (Psychological Issues, 62/63). Madison, CT: International Universities Press, 1997 (trad. it. del cap. 12: Il problema della conferma in psicoanalisi clinica [1980]. Psicoterapia e Scienze Umane, 1994, XXVIII, 1: 29-48).
  48. Rycroft C. (1968). A Critical Dictionary of Psychoanalysis. New York: Basic Books (trad. it.: Dizionario critico di psicoanalisi. Roma: Astrolabio, 1970).
  49. Sass L.A. (1992). The epic of disbelief: The postmodern turn in contemporary psychoanalysis. In: Kvale S., editor, Psychology and Postmodernism. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1992, pp. 166-182.
  50. Schafer R. (1976). A New Language for Psychoanalysis. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
  51. Schafer R. (1992). Retelling a Life. Narration and Dialogue in Psychoanalysis. New York: Basic Books (trad. it.: Rinarrare una vita. Narrazione e dialogo in psicoanalisi. Roma: Fioriti, 1999).
  52. Sechehaye M.H. (1950). Journal d’une schizophrène. Paris: PUF (trad. it.: Diario di una schizofrenica. Presentazione di Cesare L. Musatti. Firenze: Giunti Barbera, 1955). Si veda anche il film di Nelo Risi del 1968 Diario di una schizofrenica.
  53. Seuss G., Grossman K.E. & Sroufe L.A. (1992). Effects of infant attachment to mother and father on quality of adaptation in preschool: From dyadic to individual organization of self. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 15, 1: 43-65. DOI: 10.1177/016502549201500103
  54. Spence D.P. (1982). Narrative Truth and Historical Truth. Meaning and Interpretation in Psychoanalysis. New York: Norton (trad. it.: Verità narrativa e verità storica. Firenze: Martinelli, 1987).
  55. Sullivan H.S. (1942). Leadership, mobilization, and post-war change. In: The Fusion of Psychiatry and Social Science. New York: Norton, 1964, pp. 149-176.
  56. Vattimo G. (1985). La fine della modernità. Milano: Garzanti (trad. it.: The End of Modernity: Nihilism and Hermeneutics in Postmodern Culture. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press, 1988).
  57. Winnicott D.W. (1951). Transitional objects and transitional phenomena: A study of the first not-me possession. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 1953, 34, 2: 89-97. Anche in: Collected Papers. Through Pediatrics to Psychoanalysis. New York: Basic Books, 1958, pp. 229-242 (trad. it.: Oggetti transizionali e fenomeni transizionali. In: Dalla pediatria alla psicoanalisi. Scritti scelti. Firenze: Martinelli, 1975, cap. XVIII, pp. 275-290. Anche in: Playing and Reality. London: Tavistock, 1971, pp. 1-25; trad. it.: Gioco e realtà. Roma: Armando, 1974, cap. 1, pp. 23-60. Anche in: Psicoanalisi dello sviluppo: brani scelti. A cura di Adele Nunziante Cesàro e Valentina Boursier. Roma: Armando, 2004, pp. 59-83).
  58. Winnicott D.W. (1957). The capacity to be alone. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 1958, 39, 5: 416-420. Anche in: Winnicott, 1957-63 [1965], pp. 29-36 (trad. it.: La capacità di essere solo, pp. 29-39).
  59. Winnicott D.W. (1957-63 [1965]). The Maturational Process and the Facilitating Environment. New York: International Universities Press, 1965 (trad. it.: Sviluppo affettivo e ambiente. Studi sulla teoria dello sviluppo affettivo. Roma: Armando, 1970, 1974).
  60. Winnicott D.W. (1960). The theory of the parent-infant relationship. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 41: 585-595. Anche in: Winnicott, 1957-63 [1965], pp. 37-55 (trad. it.: La teoria del rapporto infante-genitore, pp. 41-66).

Morris N. Eagle, Il rapporto tra mondo interno e mondo esterno in "PSICOTERAPIA E SCIENZE UMANE" 2/2019, pp 213-240, DOI: 10.3280/PU2019-002002