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Experiences in K and -K.

John A Schneider1

  • 12340 Ward St, Suite 106, Berkeley, CA 94705, USA. drjaschneider@yahoo.com

The International Journal of Psycho-Analysis
|August 13, 2005
PubMed
Summary

This study expands on Bion's concepts of K (knowing) and -K (not knowing), revealing that -K can serve crucial psychological survival functions beyond envy, even protecting psychic continuity.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychoanalysis
  • Psychological theory

Background:

  • Explores Wilfred Bion's psychoanalytic concepts of K (knowing) and -K (not knowing).
  • Examines the relationship between the drive for truth (K) and psychic survival (-K).

Observation:

  • Investigates manifestations of -K not solely driven by envy, challenging its purely pathological view.
  • Analyzes -K as a psychological process that can communicate fears of catastrophic consequences from knowing.
  • Discusses how -K can protect an individual's sense of being and continuity.

Findings:

  • The need to know (K) can conflict with the need for psychic survival (-K), particularly when truth is perceived as destructive.
  • Illustrates this conflict through the Oedipus myth and clinical case studies.
  • Presents a case of severe psychic disturbance where 'not knowing' was essential for survival, leading to psychic obliteration of the analyst via negative hallucination.

Implications:

  • Suggests -K has adaptive functions, serving as a defense mechanism against overwhelming psychic threats.
  • Highlights the complex interplay between truth, knowledge, and psychic self-preservation in clinical practice.
  • Offers new perspectives on understanding and treating patients with profound difficulties in confronting reality.

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