Features
- Cover Type: Hard Cover with 217 pages
- Published by: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.
- Edition: 1st Edition May 1997
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0880484985
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0880484985
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Book Dimensions:
9.2 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
- Weighs: 1.2 pounds
Product Description
Can a worthwhile exchange be set up between the seemingly opposing viewpoints of psychoanalytic therapy and cognitive science? Stein and the other contributing authors of Cognitive Science and the Unconscious say yes. In fact, it is their contention that such an interchange of theory and methodÂcombining the theoretical clarity and empirical rigor of cognitive science with the richness and complexity of clinical workÂholds the promise of enriching both disciplines. The concept of unconsciousness, as variously conceived by psychoanalysis (ÂThe UnconsciousÂ) and cognitive science (Âunconscious processingÂ), is the reference point of this dialogue. Written by a distinguished group of researchers and clinicians, this volume looks at those aspects of the unconscious mind most relevant to the psychiatric practitioner, including unconscious processing of affective and traumatic experience, unconscious mechanisms in dissociative states and disorders, and cognitive approaches to dreaming and repression. Although cognitive psychology forms the backbone of the book, many of the chapters illuminate relevant work from the fields of artificial intelligence, linguistics, and biology.
About The Author
Dan J. Stein, M.B., is Director of Research in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Stellenbosch, Tygerberg, South Africa.
Reader ReviewsAnyone interested in the brain, the mind and consciousness has probably tried to make sense of all the different theories to see if there is any way in which they can be made to fit together, or alternatively to see whether the physical, psychological and social domains are necessarily discrete perspectives that cannot really be mapped onto each other. As an example, can we reconcile psychoanalytic therapy and cognitive science? The authors of this book certainly think so and they have marshaled impressive evidence to prove the point. Not only do they think that a rapprochement is possible, they go further and suggest that a combination of the theoretical clarity and scientific rigor of cognitive psychology with the richness and complexity of psychoanalysis may enrich both. Many experts in psychology and brain sciences still hold that psychoanalysis is an unscientific meta-theory that should be discarded, but others worry that this may mean throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Yes, some psychoanalytic theories have not withstood the test of time, but others have, and there are some ongoing efforts to find some common ground between them and cognitive psychology and the brain sciences. The center point of this book is a largely successful attempt to examine the notion of unconsciousness, conceived as "The Unconscious" by different schools of psychoanalysis, and "unconscious processing" as envisioned by cognitive psychology. The editor of the book Dan J. Stein, who is Director of Research in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Stellenboch in Tygerberg, South Africa, and he has assembled an impressive array of talent. The book is divided into nine chapters: Foreword: Howard S. Kurtzman 1 Introduction: Cognitive Science and the Unconscious: Dan J. Stein 2 Psychoanalytic and Cognitive Conceptions of the Unconscious: Joel Weinberger and Joshua Weiss 3 Conscious and Unconscious Memory: A Model of Functional Amnesia: Marylene Cloitre 4 How Unconscious Metaphorical Thought Shapes Dreams: George Lakoff 5 What Neural Network Studies Suggest Regarding the Boundary Between Conscious and Unconscious Mental Processes: Ralph Hoffman 6 Rethinking Repression: Dan J. Stein and Jeffrey E. Young 7 Dissociated Cognition and Disintegrated Experience: David Spiegel and David Li 8 Cognitive Psychodynamics: The Clinical Use of States, Person Schemas, and Defensive Control Process Theories: Mardi J. Horowitz The authors are all researchers and/or clinicians, and the chapters focus on issues that may inform clinical practice, including unconscious processing of emotional and traumatic experiences, the role of unconscious mechanisms in dissociative states and some contemporary cognitive approaches to dreaming and repression. For anyone interested in psychology as an academic subject or for those undergoing psychotherapy, this book is full of interesting insights. It is certainly not going to be the last word, but it will light a path for clinicians and researchers to follow. Highly recommended. Richard G. Petty, MD, author of Healing, Meaning and Purpose: The Magical Power of the Emerging Laws of Life
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