Thesis (Ph. D.)--Auburn University, 2008. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 102-122).

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2002. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / This research was formulated within the framework of psychoanalytic theory and deals with the grammatical structure of primary-processing thinking investigated in a particular stae of weakened ego controls (alcohol intoxication). In line with Freud's and Rapaport's formulations on cognitive processes, two types of thinking are differentiated: Primary-process thinking (ideation) and secondary-process thinking (thought). Ideation is characterized as autistic, egocentric, and affect-laden. It is oriented to the immediate present, and does not consider past experiences or future possibilites. It lacks spatial, temporal, and causal organization, does not concern itself with the relations of time and space, and fails to make a definite estimation or evaluation of events and external reality. It is undifferentiated, diffuse, and vague. Since it abides by the laws of syncretic mechanisms, it manifests itself in symbolic forms and when expressed in speech, it is fragmented and disorganized. According to psychoanalytic theory, the primary thought processes can be observed in states of weakened ego controls, such as dreams, psychosis or sometimes neurosis [TRUNCATED]

The research question was stirred by observations that the set-up of the clinical situation seems to contain elements that have a deep impact on the patient. I found that the clinical situation shows important similarities to the space for play that children negotiate when they want to immerse themselves in mutual phantasy play. Consequently, one overall purpose of the present study is to explore the psychoanalytic situation as a play situation with the help of two clinical vignettes.In the first part, I give a picture of my understanding of Freud’s reasons for shaping his clinical situation as he did. A critical scrutiny of Freud’s case of the Rat Man gave us keys to an understanding of the clinical method’s contradictoriness.A tentative hypothesis was framed that the set-up of psychoanalysis’s clinical situation induces an ambiguity about different levels of reality, the purpose being to create a space in the course of the analysis in which this confusion can be analyzed and comprehended. This work on the ambiguity of the reality links psychoanalysis with the intimate and spontaneous interaction that characterizes children’s social phantasy play. The investigation came to the conclusion that there exists a conspicuous equivalence between the two situations. The issue of what connects the universal play situation of children on the one hand, with the specific psychoanalytic situation on the other, makes a point of departure from which to approach and investigate the field of inquiry.The theory is that a ‘play’ with factual and illusory asymmetry generates a field of tension that serves as a sounding board from the moment of psychoanalysis's introductory negotiations until its ending. A third area is created that supports a mutual explorative space that in its turn makes a bridge between outer and inner reality and between now and the past. In such a context the phenomenon of play becomes a transformational concept.The conclusion is that psychoanalysis organizes a clinical situation that speaks to a profound and universal human need and that it is understood as an analogy of the play situation of children.

De nos jours, dans le monde arabe et plus particulièrement en Arabie saoudite, la prise en charge de l’autisme constitue un sujet pour lequel l’intérêt va croissant, suscitant de nombreux débats chez les spécialistes qui se soucient de proposer des méthodes thérapeutiques appropriées. Dans ce contexte, nos objectifs de recherche ont été définis à l’occasion d’une expérience clinique menée auprès d’enfants autistes saoudiens. En effet, nous nous sommes interrogés sur l’intérêt d’une prise en charge psychanalytique de ces enfants autistes, issus et vivant dans la société saoudienne. Partant de là, deux voies de réflexion se sont imposées prenant naissance dans un fil conducteur commun, à savoir : la tentative de croisement de l’anthropologie et du domaine de l’autisme tel qu’envisagé par la psychanalyse. Pour ce faire, nous avons cerné les évolutions profondes ayant marqué jusqu’à nos jours, la compréhension mais aussi la prise en charge de l’autisme. Précisons que pour porter un regard de nature anthropologique sur le trouble de l’autisme en Arabie saoudite, nous avons dû établir un rapprochement analogique entre l’autisme culturel et l’autisme pathologique, en prenant en considération les caractéristiques socio-culturelles de la société saoudienne. En effet, un tel angle d’approche a été rendu nécessaire du fait que dans la société saoudienne, les pratiques thérapeutiques liées à l’autisme oscillent toujours entre remèdes traditionnels et méthodes psychothérapeutiques, lesquelles se bornent encore à la démarche comportementaliste. Au-delà, nous sommes partis de l’hypothèse selon laquelle la prise en charge de l’autisme fondée sur l’approche psychanalytique multidimensionnelle pouvait s’avérer bénéfique pour les enfants autistes saoudiens. De là, pour valider cette hypothèse, une étude empirique a été menée ayant mobilisé différents outils à la fois conceptuels et cliniques, dont notamment une étude de cas. / Today, in the Arab world and particularly in Saudi Arabia, there is widespread interest in the treatment for autism and consequently this subject engenders numerous debates involving specialists wishing to offer appropriate therapeutic treatment methods. Within this context, our research objectives were developed during a clinical experience carried out with autistic Saudi children. And we duly questioned the interest of a psychoanalytic monitoring of these autistic children, born and living in the Saudi society. Starting from this, two paths of reflection were imposed, both having a common thread. An attempt to connect anthropology and the field of autism by applying a psychoanalytic approach. To do this, we firstly identified the profound changes which have been brought about up to the present day and have marked not only our understanding but also the monitoring of autism. In order to be able to obtain an anthropological view of the Autistic spectrum Disorder in Saudi Arabia, we made an analogical rapprochement between cultural autism and pathological autism bearing in mind the socio-cultural characteristics of Saudi society. Indeed, such an approach was necessary because in Saudi society, the therapeutic practices linked to autism forever oscillate between traditional remedies and psychotherapeutic methods, which are still limited to the behaviourist approach. Consequently, we began with the hypothesis that autism monitoring based on the multidimensional psychoanalytic approach could prove beneficial to autistic children in Saudi Arabia. And so, to confirm this theory an empirical study was carried out involving various conceptual and clinical tools, including a case study.

A literature review indicated that psychopathological symptomology must be considered within the social context of the patient. Recent research has suggested that the psychopathological symptoms of the psychotic patient function on a covert level of communication as a strategy to control the threat of interpersonal intimacy. The present investigation similarly examined the interpersonal function of another class of patient symptomology, somatic symptoms. It was hypothesized that somatic symptom verbalizations of psychiatric outpatients also can serve as covert messages to avoid the risk of interpersonal intimacy. Results indicated that only the high-somatic-symptom patients significantly increased their symptom verbalizations in response to demand. When the interviewer modeled impersonal self-disclosures, both groups showed a low rate of somatic verbalizations. The groups did not differ. When the interviewer modeled personal self-disclosures, both patient groups significantly increased their psychological symptom verbalizations compared to their counterparts in the impersonal condition. In addition, low somatic symptom patients under the demand for personal disclosure showed significantly less avoidance behavior than any other group. No differences were found among the experimental groups in terms of self-disclosure level. The results clearly lend support to Haley's (1963) intimacy-avoidance corollary; that is, symptoms of non-psychotic patients function as covert messages that avoid the formation of intimate interpersonal relationships by redefining the reciprocal role available to participants. In view of these findings, several cross-study comparisons were made. In addition, directions for future research were suggested.

Tom Cruise was one of the most financially successful stars of the 1980s and 1990s and remains an important Hollywood player. In his time at Paramount, he negotiated new deals which redefined how stars earned revenue from their films. Yet little substantial study has been made of him or his persona. Cruise came to prominence in the 1980s, an epoch which redefined the terms of masculinity, moving away from a particular martial ideal following American defeat in Vietnam. His persona addresses the consequent anxieties surrounding these significant social changes. In addition to this, his image can be understood within a psychoanalytic framework to be offering a 'compromise formation' to the difficulties of psychosexual development. Cruise appears to offers a challenge to the father, but in reality recedes from Oedipal threat. Chapter One examines the nascent Cruise star persona and its development across his films. The chapter provides a historical overview and contextualisation of the persona. Chapter Two explores how the persona offers a 'performative' model of masculinity based on a heroic martial ideal, as well as his positioning as an object of spectacle and the onscreen homoerotic relationships he enjoys. Chapter Three looks at the star's association with the racial 'other' and preoccupation with male friendships at the expense of heterosexual romance. Objectification through spectacle, which black characters and Cruise share in his films, indicate a symbolic shared powerlessness within the hegemony. Chapter Four argues that this lack of status is characterised by Cruise's struggle against male authority figures, which represent both corporate America and the punishing father. This relays the trauma of Oedipal struggle, which Cruise attempts to evade. Chapter Five looks in further depth at the Cruise persona's preoccupation with male bonds and lack of interest in women, both indicative of a regression from the phallic to the earlier anal/cannibalistic psycho-sexual stage, as he is unable to overcome the symbolic father . The thesis concludes by suggesting Cruise's persona is a compromise: it presents a triumphant young man who in reality is oppressed by patriarchal forces. This compromise is premised on youth and is threatened as Cruise ages, exaggerated by social changes within America. Biologically and socially, Cruise's persona is no longer tenable.

This thesis explores the emotional responses of British servicemen's wives to the repeated relocation inherent in their lifestyles. Adopting a psycho-social perspective, it aims to achieve a deeper understanding of respondents' experiences than would be possible through utilising either a sociological or psychological perspective alone.

This essay argued the importance of literary theory in the classroom. As a teacher, it is possible to achieve the empathetic goals of the English curriculum and Judith A. Langer’s ambition of literate thinking by using poetry and literary theory in school. The essay demonstrated this with a Lacanian reading of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poems “To a Skylark” and “Ode to the West Wind.” The analysis focused on readable and unreadable aspects of the poems. The readable aspects centred on the role of the Imaginary in “To a Skylark” and the representation of the fragmented body in “Ode to the West Wind.” Furthermore, the unreadable elements of the poetry demonstrated the discrepancy between the performative and declarative dimensions and the role of the pathetic fallacy in the signifying chain. Finally, this essay argued that, although all aspects of psychoanalytic literary theory should not be used in the classroom, elements of Lacanian thought can be used to combat the prevalence of individualism in Swedish upper secondary schools.