This thesis introduces and explores Jacques Lacan's controversial topologisation of psychoanalysis and attempts to establish whether or not it was necessary, successful or important by providing readings of texts that have been largely ignored by the Anglo-American reception of Lacan (such as ‘L'étourdit' and Seminar XXII). In Part I, Lacan's efforts to present the topological architecture of the real, the symbolic and the imaginary are introduced as inextricably linked with less hermetic topics such as his concerns regarding the future of (institutional) psychoanalysis and his own legacy. Two particular figures (the infinite straight line and the knot) are looked at as exemplifying some of the theoretical impasses that Lacan hoped the writing of topological structure would formalise rather than resolve. Part II explains the purpose of each of the figures of Lacan's ‘surface' topology (the Möbius strip, the torus and the cross-cap). In Part III, his ‘topological turn' is given context by being examined alongside some of the more well-known and well-regarded elements of the Lacanian bricolage such as linguistics and logic. The role topology played in the ‘return to Freud' is also examined and some key principles of topological reading and interpretation are established. The question of how the shift from an unconscious ‘structured like a language' to an unconscious that is structured topologically (and thus not entirely reducible to linguistic mechanisms) might affect psychoanalytic literary criticism is addressed in Part IV. The thesis concludes in Part V by returning to some of the issues and questions raised in Part I, concentrating particularly on the validity and consequences of Lacan's provocative contention that, with the Borromean knot, he produced writings that ‘support a real.' We will also see how it is that with these nodal writings Lacan finally distinguished psychoanalysis from science, philosophy and religion.

Esse trabalho visa propor uma leitura semiótica, que busque auxiliar a compreensão acerca do conceito de sublimação na obra freudiana. Dentre os destinos pulsionais, a sublimação é um processo cercado por muitas apreensões, pois foi amplamente citado pelo pai da psicanálise, mas não sistematizado em cada um de seus movimentos. Para tal empreitada, pretende utilizarse, como metodologia teórica de leitura, das mais recentes pesquisas da Semiótica Tensiva, que trazem para o palco de discussões a presença da afetividade no processo de significação. Desta forma, este trabalho busca colaborar no entendimento da composição do sujeito, visto como resultado de um processo discursivo, ao mesmo tempo em que procura comprovar a validade da visada semiótica para com os textos provindos dos mais diferentes campos de estudo. Além disto, utilizouse também da análise do conceito de sublimação na obra fílmica Cisne Negro (Black Swan, EUA, 2010), dirigido por Darren Aronofsky, e da comparação entre o processo sublimatório e o recalcamento, destino pulsional estudado por Freud em cada um de seus pormenores. / This work aims to propose a semiotic reading that seeks to increase an understanding about the concept of sublimation, in Freud\'s whole work. Among the instinctual destinations, sublimation is a process surrounded by many apprehensions because it was widely quoted by the father of psychoanalysis, but not systematized in each of his movements. For this venture, it intends to be used as a theoretical methodology for reading the latest research Tensive Semiotics, they bring to the stage of discussions the presence of affectivity in the signification process. This way, the present work seeks to deepening our understanding of the of the subject composition, seen as a result of a discursive process , while seeking to prove the validity of the already viewed semiotic texts stemmed from different fields of study . In addition, we also used analysis of the concept of sublimation work in the movie Black Swan (2010) , directed by Darren Aronofsky, and the comparison between the sublimating process and repression, instinctual destination studied by Freud in each of its details.

Esse trabalho visa propor uma leitura semiótica, que busque auxiliar a compreensão acerca do conceito de sublimação na obra freudiana. Dentre os destinos pulsionais, a sublimação é um processo cercado por muitas apreensões, pois foi amplamente citado pelo pai da psicanálise, mas não sistematizado em cada um de seus movimentos. Para tal empreitada, pretende utilizarse, como metodologia teórica de leitura, das mais recentes pesquisas da Semiótica Tensiva, que trazem para o palco de discussões a presença da afetividade no processo de significação. Desta forma, este trabalho busca colaborar no entendimento da composição do sujeito, visto como resultado de um processo discursivo, ao mesmo tempo em que procura comprovar a validade da visada semiótica para com os textos provindos dos mais diferentes campos de estudo. Além disto, utilizouse também da análise do conceito de sublimação na obra fílmica Cisne Negro (Black Swan, EUA, 2010), dirigido por Darren Aronofsky, e da comparação entre o processo sublimatório e o recalcamento, destino pulsional estudado por Freud em cada um de seus pormenores. / This work aims to propose a semiotic reading that seeks to increase an understanding about the concept of sublimation, in Freud\'s whole work. Among the instinctual destinations, sublimation is a process surrounded by many apprehensions because it was widely quoted by the father of psychoanalysis, but not systematized in each of his movements. For this venture, it intends to be used as a theoretical methodology for reading the latest research Tensive Semiotics, they bring to the stage of discussions the presence of affectivity in the signification process. This way, the present work seeks to deepening our understanding of the of the subject composition, seen as a result of a discursive process , while seeking to prove the validity of the already viewed semiotic texts stemmed from different fields of study . In addition, we also used analysis of the concept of sublimation work in the movie Black Swan (2010) , directed by Darren Aronofsky, and the comparison between the sublimating process and repression, instinctual destination studied by Freud in each of its details.

This thesis critically examines some of the plays of the playwright, screenwriter and poet, Harold Pinter, in order to argue, first of all, that he was a writer of psychological realism, and that his oeuvre can, in the main, be defined as a body of psycho-political works. My essential contention is that Pinter’s defining interest in power relations, coupled with his dedication to exploring how psychological ‘realities’ shape these said relations, implies that he is a playwright, who generally wrote psycho-political works. In the main body of the thesis, I then offer eight close readings of Pinter’s plays, which are essentially informed, in their respective ways, by theories drawn from the post-Freudian school of thought, most notably Winnicottian object-relations theory (indeed, the common feature of these otherwise disparate theories are that they all explore how the self is constituted and/or influenced by its relationship with the other). Whilst there were a number of themes that could have been selected, my decision to focus on the themes of authoritarianism, territoriality and of patriarchy was not arbitrary. Apart from an appeal to quantitative considerations (i.e., that these themes recur again and again at different stages of Pinter’s career), my main reason for including them is that they are defining features of power relationships in general. For example, if one construes power as ‘power-over’ others, then a psycho-political exploration of power necessitates that the malignant form of authority (i.e., authoritarianism) be examined; likewise, if sexual politics involves, as Pinter, for one, contends, power reified as the possession of a particular sex (i.e., patriarchy), then again this suggests that this theme is of central importance in the psycho-political taxonomy of power. The final part of the thesis explains how the three central themes can be considered to be inter-related in general and in Pinter’s work in particular. Furthermore, the thesis conclusion also provides several possible criticisms of Pinter’s psycho-political approach to power (e.g., a social materialist position contends that ‘psychologising’ power relations obscures the central importance of how distal powers construct oppressive political relationships).

Ao ingressar no trabalho em um hospital universitário, através de um concurso público, experimentei o quão necessária, mas também o quão problemática, é toda nomeação. Porque acredito na necessidade de participação e nas possibilidades de invenção na gestão pública e na clínica psicanalítica, reconstituíram-se perguntas sobre quais aproximações são possíveis entre estes campos. Como a escuta clínica instrumentaliza para o trabalho na instituição? O encontro com a psicanálise, a literatura e os estudos utópicos, enquanto ferramentas ópticas, possibilitou a problematização das inquietações sentidas, produzindo uma experiência compartilhável. A leitura de Thomas Bernhard foi importante re-curso de pesquisa, operando um giro no discurso: da vivência do hospital como um não lugar (u-topos) à um lugar que condensa muitos lugares da cultura (heterotopia). Neste percurso pode-se perceber como a psicanálise e a literatura podem contribuir no campo das instituições. Ao se inscreverem como uma possibilidade de leitura dos discursos correntes, como uma ética (pautada na escuta de singularidades), permitem a análise das relações, das histórias construídas, dos silêncios e repetições, bem como da implicação de cada um na sustentação destas. / When I started to work at a university hospital, through a public tender, I have experienced how necessary, and how problematic, it is any nomination. Since I believe in the need for participating and in the possibilities of invention in the public administration and in the psychoanalytic clinic, questions were reconstructed on which approaches are possible between these fields. How the clinical listening does provide the tools to work in the institution? The encounter with psychoanalysis, literature and utopian studies, while optical tools, allowed the questioning of felt concerns, producing a shareable experience. Reading Thomas Bernhard was an important re-search, operating a twist in the speech: from experiencing the hospital as a non-place (u-topos) to a place that condenses many places of culture (heterotopia). In this course, one can see how psychoanalysis and literature can contribute in the field of institutions. When registering as a possibility for reading the current discourse, as an ethic (based on listening of singularities), allow the analysis of the relationship, the stories built, the silences and repetitions, as well as the implication of each one in order to support it.

Submitted in partial fulfillment of a degree of Master of Arts by Coursework and Research Report at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa 1998 / A combination of written and interview protocols were collected from 4 participants, two men aged 27 and 29, and two women, 24 and 28. The participants responded to questions about their understanding and use of sexual fantasy, giving concrete examples. The data were analysed qualitatively using the phenomenological themes of Space, Time and Being. These themes demonstrated the value of examining sexual fantasy experience as a unique lived experience. The data were then discussed in light of this and also with reference to previous research. The data collected for this study demonstrate the unique way in which fantasy exists in interaction with its fantasiser. It also highlights the change between the fantasy and the retrospective experience of fantasy. / MT2017

Abstract not available

Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 1997. Graduate Programme in Social and Political Thought. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 380-412). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNQ99163

This thesis examines the relationship between human sexuality and “the mystical” in the work of Jeffrey J. Kripal. I claim that Kripal presents a nondualistic understanding of the relationship between human sexuality and “the mystical” that contests the conventional distinction between body and “soul.” In particular, Kripal’s two central concepts – “the erotic” and “the enlightenment of the body” – suggest that embodiment shapes our understanding of “the mystical.” By demonstrating the psychoanalytic, hermeneutical, and comparative significance of the relationship between human sexuality and “the mystical,” Kripal’s model calls attention to the crucial role that body, gender, and sexual orientation play in both the historical and contemporary study of mysticism. The point of my research is to show that Kripal’s approach signals a new way of studying “the mystical” in terms of “mystical humanism,” which draws on both Eastern and Western philosophies to construct a critical, non-reductive appreciation for the transformative and ultimately emancipatory potential of certain mystical states of consciousness.

This thesis examines the relationship between human sexuality and “the mystical” in the work of Jeffrey J. Kripal. I claim that Kripal presents a nondualistic understanding of the relationship between human sexuality and “the mystical” that contests the conventional distinction between body and “soul.” In particular, Kripal’s two central concepts – “the erotic” and “the enlightenment of the body” – suggest that embodiment shapes our understanding of “the mystical.” By demonstrating the psychoanalytic, hermeneutical, and comparative significance of the relationship between human sexuality and “the mystical,” Kripal’s model calls attention to the crucial role that body, gender, and sexual orientation play in both the historical and contemporary study of mysticism. The point of my research is to show that Kripal’s approach signals a new way of studying “the mystical” in terms of “mystical humanism,” which draws on both Eastern and Western philosophies to construct a critical, non-reductive appreciation for the transformative and ultimately emancipatory potential of certain mystical states of consciousness.