International Journal of Psychoanalysis and Education: Subject, Action & Society

The Algorithm: Mind of a Virtual Era

Anna Aragno — 2023-12-30

As soon as something implicit intrudes consciousness human thought undergoes a radical change. The introduction of any new tool or code brings a shift in cognition; every micro-step layering new semiotic forms within each macroevolutionary-stage has buttressed a new semantic leap. Our mechanization of everyday life and the tech-systems we interact with are impacting communication, cultural norms and values, market-aesthetics, and economics, in societies at large.

Undergirded by a survey of the role and significance of tools in human evolution, this study arrives at what is already a well-entrenched new era: the digital, screen-mediated age. Revolutionized by the algorithm, introduced by computers, this age is dominated by the addictive quality of instant contact, unlimited information, virtual gaming, and titillating service-forms, all at our finger tips.

Aside from the interpersonal impact on the new humans growing up with devices in hand, how does this disembodied, digital code-form through which our interactions are mediated condition human cognition? How does its seductive efficiency interfere with how we relate, feel, assign meanings, think? Rooted in macro-evolutionary and psychoanalytic principles, this paper examines the algorithm itself and takes a sweeping interdisciplinary approach to the developmental, psychosocial, and cognitive implications for the human mind/brain as it interacts with its technological extension.

The Loss of Symbolic Capacity

Derick Vergne — 2023-12-30

Although the history of psychoanalysis had its origins in the study of hysteria, as observed by Freud and its association with traumatic events in the women he was treating, its intrapsychic sequelae and behavioral manifestations remain elusive and often challenging to treat. In this article, I intend to present ways in which the effects of trauma in general, but more so the pervasive impacts of incestual trauma, could be understood from the point of view of a deficit in symbolizing capacity and the accompanying shifts in the economy of libidinal forces that perpetuate the reenactment of experiences for which the patient at a conscious level will seek help, but will unconsciously strive to refuse it. Some of the associated treatment difficulties will be mentioned, emphasizing sadomasochistic maneuvers employed by patients, with accompanying countertransferential responses by the analyst. Some examples of technical approaches to managing difficult clinical impasses from the author's clinical experience will be presented. I also offer the concept of the Fear Position as a psychic maneuver that some traumatized patients show, which represents a challenge to developing a symbolizing capacity without which healing from trauma is impossible.

Transgender and Gender Diverse Identities in Psychoanalysis: A Critical Overview from Past to Current Perspectives

Fabrizio Mezza — 2023-12-30

In recent decades, research on gender incongruence has shifted from a pathologizing perspective to a more complex approach, research on gender incongruence has shifted from a pathologizing perspective to a more complex approach that recognizes the diversity of gender identities and experiences. This paradigm shift, exemplified by the removal of Gender Incongruence from psychiatric disorders in ICD-11, has impacted psychoanalytic theory and clinical practice, which have traditionally been rooted in etiopathological and reparative perspectives. Psychoanalysis now focuses on understanding transgender and gender diverse experiences, emphasizing individuals’ subjectivity and addressing the challenges this people face in their developmental trajectories, including gender dysphoria and environmental responses to their gender incongruence, by adopting an “affirmative approach” to gender experience. This manuscript first traces the transformation of the scientific approach to transgenderism in contemporary medical-psychiatric discourse, highlighting the shift from pathologization to recognition of the normative nature of gender diversity that has been driven by political, social, and cultural movements. In a second section, the manuscript examines the evolution of psychoanalytic thinking about transgenderism, beginning with classical perspectives and ending with recent contributions, recognizing that much in the field is still evolving.

Epistemology of the Unplaceable in Psychoanalysis: toward a Clinical Practice of Condition for Young Adolescents

Giorgia Tiscini — 2023-12-30

In France, the term unplaceable [incasable] belongs to the field of child protection. It seeks to place [caser] those subjects who present certain characteristics, among which is violence. This is an epistemological paradox, placing the unplaceable, which we will investigate through the case study of Pierre, who demonstrates the core of what we might otherwise call the unclassifiable unplaceable. Starting from binary logic and the imperative for violence, our objective is to propose a clinical practice of the condition, based on a psychoanalytic perspective. This approach is particularly pertinent for those subjects who, unable to subjectify themselves, desubjectify through violence and acting out.

Violence, trafficking and migration: post-traumatic disorder and the chronicisation of evil

Annamaria Fantauzzi — 2023-12-30

This article addresses the issue of human trafficking and smuggling, particularly of migrant women forced into prostitution in Italy. It analyses, through ethnographic research using the device of narrative medicine, the victims' somatic and psychological experience and malaise. Firstly, it explores the difference between trafficking and trafficking and the forms of violence to which most migrant women are forced; secondly, it focuses on post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic forms of mental illness.