Free Association as the Foundation of the Psychoanalytic Method and Psychoanalysis as a Historical Science

Lothane, Henry Zvi

doi:10.1080/07351690.2018.1480225

Cited by 20 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Data were collected at two time points in Ella's breast cancer trajectory: shortly after diagnosis and primary surgery (T1) and one year later (T2), as she transitioned into survivorship. At T1, she was invited to engage in a form of expressive writing (EW) (Pennebaker, 1997) that encouraged free associations (Lothane, 2018) on emotional aspects of breast cancer. This premised on the understanding that breast cancer involves a distressing emotional experience that may be ameliorated by being expressed and symbolised (Gripsrud et al, 2016;Gripsrud et al, 2014).…”

Section: Main Methods For Data Creationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mothering Death: A Psychosocial Interpretation of Breast Cancer Biography

Gripsrud¹

2021

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In this article I take as my point of departure a puzzle presented by a woman who had an apparently ‘bizarre’ reaction to a breast cancer diagnosis. In the clinic, she had exclaimed: “I would rather die than lose the breast!”. My aim is to unpack layers in this woman’s embodied and enculturated experience, with a view towards developing a psychosocial interpretation of breast cancer biography. The single case on which the present study is based, was extracted from a larger longitudinal data set which allowed me to follow ‘Ella’s’ transition from diagnosis to survivorship. I relied on five sources of data to unfold the case: two participant-generated texts (expressive writing and a Breast Biography), two interviews, and my own field notes. The two texts that Ella wrote provided a participant-led frame for depth-hermeneutic group interpretation sessions, the first of which, synergistically, produced a scenic voicing of latent content in the sub-text of Ella’s expressive writing: the fantasy of mothering death. This subsequently became a lead for my further interpretation of the case, and for methodological reflections on the value of shared thinking in qualitative data interpretation. Crucially, and with some bearing on the current healthcare context, this interpretive study sheds light on what goes on beneath the surface of an apparently ‘irrational’ and ‘recalcitrant’ patient, evidenced by Ella’s entry into what I call a ‘vortex of suffering’. Findings point towards her suffering as an expression of a psychosocial reality, against the backdrop of hope and ideals contained within a psychosocial imaginary that revolves around biomedical cure and reparation. Keywords: breast cancer biography; the breast; psychosocial studies; depth-hermeneutics; vortex of suffering; psychosocial reality

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Section: Main Methods For Data Creationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mothering Death: A Psychosocial Interpretation of Breast Cancer Biography

Gripsrud¹

2021

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“…This shared and primary associativity becomes the breeding ground necessary for the emergence of a "moment of meeting" (Stern, 2004) during which both clinician and patient feel that a step has been made toward maturation and symbolization processes. Some yet unmetabolized experiences will then "blister" (boursoufler) the patient's free association and behaviors in the psychoanalytic setting in order to be shared and recognized (Roussillon, 2012;Lothane, 2018). The patient may act out -the Freudian agieren -what remains unelaborated from previous sufferings and pathological relationships.…”

Section: Origins Of Free Association In Psychoanalytic Therapies and mentioning

confidence: 99%

Entropy, Free Energy, and Symbolization: Free Association at the Intersection of Psychoanalysis and Neuroscience

Rabeyron¹,

Massicotte²

2020

Front. Psychol.

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Both a method of therapy and an exploration of psychic reality, free association is a fundamental element of psychoanalytical practices that refers to the way a patient is asked to describe what comes spontaneously to mind in the therapeutic setting. This paper examines the role of free association from the point of view of psychoanalysis and neuroscience in order to improve our understanding of therapeutic effects induced by psychoanalytic therapies and psychoanalysis. In this regard, we first propose a global overview of the historical origins of the concept of free association in psychoanalysis and examine how Freud established its principles. Then, from Freud's distinction between primary and secondary processes, we proceed to compare the psychoanalytic model with research originating from cognitive psychology and neuroscience. The notions of entropy and free energy appear particularly relevant at the intersection of these different domains. Finally, we propose the notion of symbolizing transmodality to describe certain specificities of symbolization processes within free association and we summarize the main functions of free association in psychoanalytic practices.

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“…The second step in the process includes free association and a free‐write reflection prompt. Free association is meant to access the subconscious and to access the streams of thought related to an experience (Lothane, ). As students engage in the guided imagery and the process involving free association and reflection, philosophy statement development, step three, should organically develop.…”

Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Developing Family Science Professionals: Towards a Reflexive Process through Student's Development of a Philosophy Statement

Martin-Cuellar

Jaquish²

2020

Family & Consum Sci Res J

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Development of a philosophy statement for family science prompts students to reflect and critically examine their why in relation to their work with families. Such reflexivity orients students toward a specific professional career and may also help them identify within that career as they grow professionally by acknowledging beliefs and values that brought them into the work. This article presents (i) a philosophy statement development process for family science students and (ii) feedback from students enrolled in a family studies field experience class about their engagement in the process. Four themes emerged from 20 student reflections. The themes were as follows: being overwhelmed, challenged to think deeper, designated reflection time, and collective class process.

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Free Association as the Foundation of the Psychoanalytic Method and Psychoanalysis as a Historical Science

Cited by 20 publications

References 29 publications

Mothering Death: A Psychosocial Interpretation of Breast Cancer Biography

Mothering Death: A Psychosocial Interpretation of Breast Cancer Biography

Entropy, Free Energy, and Symbolization: Free Association at the Intersection of Psychoanalysis and Neuroscience

Developing Family Science Professionals: Towards a Reflexive Process through Student's Development of a Philosophy Statement

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