by Piet Vanclooster | Vol 19 (4) 2001
This article reexamines Binswanger’s construction of the manic form of Being-in-the-world as formulated in his Über Ideenflucht (1933). On the one hand, we confront Binswanger’s phenomenological approach of the flight of ideas inspired by Heidegger’s thinking with the classic natural scientific approach of that time. We discuss the way in which both approaches differ radically from one another and we probe deeper into Binswanger’s criticism of Kraepelin, one of the most important representatives of the natural scientifically oriented psychiatry. On the other hand, we connect Binswanger’s analysis of the manic form of Being-in-the-world as a particular way in which the manic subject relates to language, other and time with some propositions from Lacan’s teaching on psychosis.
by David Van Bunder | Vol 19 (1/2) 2001
This paper begins by outlining the debate at the beginning of the twentieth century between structuralist and functionalist psychology. We examine some of the consequences of emphasizing either the functional or the structural properties of the mental apparatus. The functional explanation finds its most extreme example in Watson’s behaviorism. Then we examine Freud’s notion of the mental apparatus. We find that in the metapsychology of 1915 Freud gives priority to a structural explanation of mental phenomena, while in the metapsychology of 1923 he constructs the mental apparatus as being divided into functional units.
by Elsbeth Greven | Vol 23 (1) 2005
The author describes from a publisher’s point of view the history of the Dutch Freud-publications in the twentieth century. The focus is on several publishers who pub¬lished the work of Freud for the Dutch market, or who took the initiative to do so, like S.C. van Doesburgh, De Wereldbibliotheek, De Bezige Bij and Uitgeverij Boom. The author clarifies how these publishers held key positions in the network of translators, edi¬tors, journalists and professionals like psychoanalysts. Three periods can be distinguished in the history of the Dutch Freud-publications: 1912-WW I, the introduction of Freud; WW I-1950, the popularization of Freud; and 1960-1990, the canonization and criticism of Freud. Several publications of Freud and their critical reception are described, to show how an author like Freud has found his way into the Netherlands, and how several players on the market contributed to this. Also, the new scientific edition of Freud (Works), ar¬ranged chronologically and being prepared now by Boom Publishers, is introduced. Is there a future for Freud in the Netherlands and Flanders in the twenty-first century?
by Mai Wegener | Vol 23 (2) 2005
The author explores Fechner’s understanding of the unconscious and in doing so emphasises the ambivalence of his conceptualisation, i.e., the scientific and the spiritu¬alistic side of his thinking. The Elemente der Psychophysik (1860) form the central, al¬though not the only, reference: texts such as Das Büchlein vom Leben nach dem Tode (1836) and the posthumously published report on his illness will also be discussed. Fur¬ther, in order to compare and highlight Fechner’s own conception of the unconscious other ideas about the unconscious from the same period (Carus, Helmholtz, von Hartman) will be considered. The Fechnerian “unconscious” is actually conceived as a state of sleep or as a state of unconsciousness. Put into the cosmic context, Fechner’s unconscious levels the finality of death. The difference between Freud’s and Fechner’s notion of the uncon¬scious becomes obvious and is delineated on the basis of a close reading of Freud’s reference to Fechner’s “other scene”.
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by Ingrid Jans | Vol 23 (2) 2005
Based on his clinical work with patients experiencing severe aphasia, the author asks questions of both a scientific and existential nature. That language plays a role in thinking seems to be a commonly accepted proposition, but the nature and extent of that role are difficult to define. It is also generally suggested that people are distinguished from animals through their use of language, and that to be human is ‘to be a linguistic being’. This article explores the implications of these propositions for patients with severe language impairments and with very limited communication possibilities. How, and to what extent, do disturbed language processes play a role in the consciousness, feelings of identity and ‘being human’ of these patients? Some answers to these questions are sought in the linguistics of de Saussure, Freud’s theories of language considered in light of recent cognitive neuroscientific insights, and Lacan’s ideas concerning language and the subject.
