International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies最新文献

Based on the assumption in recent research that Adolf Hitler only developed an eliminatory anti-Semitism with the announcement of the Versailles peace terms in 1919, the article examines the question of which psychological mechanisms were at work. It is a commonplace that the Treaty of Versailles was a “traumatic” experience for Hitler and many Germans. Was it also “traumatic” in the clinical sense of the term? If so, why and in what specific form did the historical event have a traumatizing effect? The phenomenon of Nachträglichkeit (deferred action) offers one possible explanation: Fears and feelings of guilt associated with the peace conditions and, above all, the “Schmachparagraphen” of the Treaty of Versailles reactivated traumas from early childhood, which only now experienced their full pathological effect. The approach pursued here offers a way out of the dilemma of determinism, as it emphasizes the fundamental openness of historical developments and analyses the interplay between individual psychopathology and key historical events.

The international literature on workplace experiences of lesbian and gay (LG) people evidences how these workers are affected by heteronormative pressures and segregation policies. It also establishes that many experience discrimination and microaggressions in the workplace as having an impact on psychological health and job and life satisfaction. To investigate the workplace experiences of LG individuals, a total of 24 in-depth interviews were conducted with 6 Italian cisgender lesbian women and 6 Italian cisgender gay men, based on the principles of the Free Association Narrative Interview Method. Through the analysis of the interview accounts, four major themes were identified: (a) double discrimination, particularly the prejudice related to the intersection of homophobia and sexism for lesbian women; (b) outness and sexual orientation disclosure having a beneficial effect on job satisfaction and satisfaction in personal relationships, alongside an awareness and/or expectation of experiences of discrimination; (c) the negative role of heterosexism, stigma, together with the presence of microaggressions; and (d) horizontal relationships as protective factors from the effects of stigma on well-being and job and life satisfaction. The study findings further evidence aspects of the international research literature in further supporting a need to implement interventions aimed at addressing the effects of stigma, discrimination, and heterosexism on LG workers and promoting well-being at work. The study findings also highlight the role of government and companies in implementing and perfectioning workplace antidiscrimination, diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, practices, and legislation.

In times of extreme polarization, can democracy function? How do we grasp the divisions surrounding us? Does psychoanalysis have anything to offer? The practice of democracy depends on groups and individuals productively engaging with each other around complex issues that are often based in conflicting historical narratives. These are frequently too deeply embedded in group identities to be addressed directly without activating polemical divisions that shut down any potential for negotiation or resolution. The authors describe a psychoanalytically-informed, relational approach to bringing groups together in discourse toward concrete ends through defined projects that can provide a focused holding environment. This, in turn, can foster the interpersonal and inter-group relating essential for working with difference and democratically addressing broader issues within those participating groups. The authors describe ways polarized groups can inhibit the freedom of their members and enjoin them to act undemocratically, the complexities involved in freeing the individual to act both as a member of the group and as a self, and the liberating effects of crossing boundaries between polarized positions. They explore what can occur when suppressed or closely-guarded narratives are shared among groups that don't normally interact with each other, conditions that they have found favor such interchanges, and the unexpected material that can emerge. Using Christopher Bollas' conception of the transformational object, they also explore intersections between individual and group motivations that may either foster or inhibit the work of a project. They conclude with reflections on gauging the efficacy and outcomes of democratically-oriented relational projects pursued within a psychoanalytic frame.

Consciousness remains one of the great unresolved mysteries of contemporary science. The attempt to translate qualitative experiences, such as pain and psychological suffering, into semiological systems—whether inspired by physicalism or idealism—risks excluding the very essence of what they seek to reduce. This challenge necessitates the inclusion of subjectivity within reductionist doctrines, fostering dialog among various disciplines concerned with mental phenomena. This article reviews the different conceptualizations of consciousness in Freud's work and argues that there is a remarkable synergy between the psychoanalytic perspective and some key principles underlying neuroscientific models of mental experience.

Forensic crime fiction has traditionally emphasized procedural investigation, yet the psychological toll on professionals within these narratives remains underexplored. This study examines trauma, gender, and professional identity in Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta trilogy—Postmortem (1990), Cruel and Unusual (1993), and The Body Farm (1994). Employing a qualitative textual analysis, the research integrates Judith Herman's trauma theory with Freudian psychoanalytic concepts and feminist critique to interrogate the protagonist's psychological complexity. Findings indicate that Dr. Kay Scarpetta embodies a trauma-laden forensic culture where occupational stress, repeated exposure to violence, and institutional sexism intersect to shape her professional and personal identity. Scarpetta exhibits core features of complex PTSD—including hypervigilance, dissociation, and emotional numbing—while deploying strategic coping mechanisms such as professional detachment, repetitive engagement with trauma, and ethical action as resilience. Gendered power dynamics further compound her trauma, necessitating a fluid negotiation between traditionally “masculine” professional authority and “feminine” empathy. This study positions Scarpetta as a literary case study, illustrating the embodied and narrative dimensions of occupational trauma and offering a nuanced model of resilience within male-dominated environments. The research contributes to interdisciplinary discussions on trauma narratives, gendered occupational stress, and the representation of female professionals in high-stakes domains.

Conventional trauma recovery models rooted in Euro-American clinical paradigms often emphasize individualism, verbal disclosure, and cognitive insight, overlooking the unconscious, relational, and embodied dimensions of trauma within collectivist, honor-based societies. This paper introduces the SHARE Model of Trauma Recovery, a culturally situated psychoanalytic framework grounded in five interlinked domains: Silence, Honor, Attachment, Relational Trauma, and Embodied Memory. Drawing on object relations theory, relational psychoanalysis, feminist postcolonial critique, and somatic psychoanalytic approaches, the SHARE Model repositions trauma as a culturally encoded, intergenerational phenomenon sustained through familial dynamics, shame-bound silence, and collective repression. In settings where speaking is dangerous and honor is socially constitutive, silence may function as both defense and survival. The model proposes culturally attuned psychoanalytic interventions that engage somatic memory, non-verbal communication, and transgenerational transmission of trauma. With clinical implications for therapeutic work in Pakistan and comparable sociocultural contexts, the SHARE Model offers an innovative contribution to contemporary psychoanalytic thought reframing trauma recovery as a relational and culturally mediated process.

The Vetala Panchavimshati, an ancient collection of tales from India, can be read as a trauma narrative, with hatred, murder, and death transmitted through multiple generations. Death permeates the tales that take place in a charnel ground and feature a man's consciousness sealed up in a corpse. The original meaning of the tales can be read as a profound philosophical meditation on impermanence, or as a Hindu householder's life. In this essay, I will interpret the tales as a commentary on the psychoanalytic ideas about the death instinct. Freud's version of the death instinct and the elaborations of Melanie Klein and Andre Green are reviewed. Two of the tales in the collection illustrate both the theories of Klein and Green. It is proposed that the death instinct as aggression and the death instinct as subjective deadening are complementary forms of expression of a basic way of the negative.