Psychoanalytic Theory Lectures

Programme Of Public Lectures available in PDF format.

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The plan in this first term is to attend to the central goals of psychoanalysis and to pose questions, the answers to which we hope will emerge in the course of the three year programme.

In this term we attempt to understand Freud, the Man : his background, his cultural outlook, the problems which he was trying to solve and his first formulations.

In this term we hope to capitalise upon our understanding of that great breakthrough that enabled Freud to see the meaning behind dreams, the symbolic function of the symptoms and infantile sexuality. We believe that if this is understood then the building blocks of his later conceptualisations can be understood.

4th Semester - Year 1

In the first year of lectures we considered psycho-analysis from its beginnings. Freud, who was the founder of psychoanalysis, concentrated his attentions mostly upon neurosis. He thought that psychosis and narcissistic disorders could not be treated by psychoanalysis. However, this outlook changed with some of Freud’s followers. As nearly all patients who seek psycho-analysis today have at least psychotic mechanisms operating we concentrate this year entirely upon psychosis. We believe that if students get a good grasp of psychosis it will help them a great deal in their clinical practice.

This term will be devoted entirely to Bion who developed a theory of psychotic functioning and of mental functioning which was central to his clinical understanding. Lectures given by Joan and Neville Symington.

In this third year of open lectures we are concentrating in the first term on infancy. There is an enormous amount of literature on this subject and we cannot even begin to summarise it. However, the works of Margaret Mahler, Mrs. Bick, John Bowlby and Frances Tustin are being highlighted and therefore any acquaintance with their writings will be valuable.

In the second term we are concentrating on pathological conditions. The literature on borderline and schizoid patients is again extensive. The schizoid condition was a special interest of Fairbairn in the fourth term of 1998 but Henri Rey, a contemporary psychoanalyst, has written with penetrating insight and humane understanding of these patients. Herbert Rosenfeld’s papers will be valuable for borderline patients but participants may also want to refer to the works of Otto Kernberg and John Steiner. Edward Glover wrote a book on criminal psychopathy and Hyatt Williams has written papers on the subject more recently.

In the third term we have concentrated on psychoanalysis in the States. Familiarity with the authors being discussed during that term will obviously enrich your understanding.

In the last term we consider the wider perspective of psychoanalysis in the context of culture.