Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2026
26:41
Perspectives on Neuroscience
Published on: July 31, 2007
'Caesura' as Bion's discourse on method
1Piazza A. Botta 1, Pavia 27100, Italy. gcivitarese@venus.it
The International Journal of Psycho-Analysis
|January 8, 2009
Summary
Wilfred Bion
Area of Science:
- Psychoanalytic theory
- Philosophy of science
Background:
- Wilfred Bion's work 'Caesura' offers a complex framework for understanding psychoanalytic discourse.
- The text draws parallels between Bion's concepts and Descartes's 'Discourse on Method'.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore Bion's concept of 'transcending the caesura' as a method of inquiry.
- To deconstruct binary oppositions within psychoanalytic thought.
- To examine the shift from a semiotic to an aesthetic paradigm in psychoanalysis.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of Bion's 'Caesura' and its relation to Cartesian methodical doubt.
- Deconstruction of binary concepts using reversible perspectives.
- Illustration of clinical implications through antithetical concepts like censorship and caesura.
Main Results:
- Bion's method destabilizes conceptual oppositions, fostering creative tension and new thought.
- Psychoanalytic discourse can transition from a paradigm based on evidence to one centered on emotional experience.
- This shift represents a move towards a 'science of at-one-ment'.
Conclusions:
- Bion's 'Caesura' provides a radical framework for psychoanalytic thought, akin to a Kuhnian revolution.
- The technique of transcending caesuras leads to a more dynamic and less dichotomous understanding of psychoanalytic concepts.
- This approach has significant clinical implications for psychoanalytic practice.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Cognitivism
Cognitive psychology emerged as a significant field in the mid-20th century. It focused on understanding humans' internal mental processes. This approach emphasizes how people perceive, remember, think, and solve problems—elements critical to human cognition.
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process information is...
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process information is...
02:40The Scientific Method
Research is what makes the difference between facts and opinions. Facts are observable realities, and opinions are personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may or may not be accurate. In the scientific community, facts can be established only using evidence collected through empirical research.
01:32The Scientific Method
The scientific method is a detailed, empirical problem-solving process used by biologists and other scientists. This iterative approach involves formulating a question based on observation, developing a testable potential explanation for the observation (called a hypothesis), making and testing predictions based on the hypothesis, and using the findings to create new hypotheses and predictions.Generally, predictions are tested using carefully-designed experiments. Based on the outcome of these...
03:50The Scientific Method
Chemistry is an empirical science. Scientists often pose questions to understand the chemistry in everyday life and seek answers to these questions. To achieve this, scientists follow a definitive series of steps that together make up the Scientific Method. This approach involves making observations, asking questions, building a hypothesis, conducting experiments, analyzing results, and forming a conclusion.
01:23Methods of Documentation V: CBE
Charting by Exception, or CBE, is a method of documentation used in healthcare, particularly in nursing, that focuses on documenting only significant or abnormal findings rather than recording every detail. This approach aims to streamline the documentation process, improve efficiency, and ensure that healthcare providers can quickly identify deviations from normalcy in patient assessments.
In CBE, healthcare professionals establish predefined standards of practice that define what constitutes...
In CBE, healthcare professionals establish predefined standards of practice that define what constitutes...
01:18The Scientific Method in Nursing Process
The scientific method provides the foundation for any research. It is the most reliable and objective of all forms of gaining knowledge and guides in applying research-based evidence in practice and conducting future research.
When using research findings to change practice, one must understand the process used to guide a study. The scientific method is a systematic, step-by-step process that supports the data's validity, reliability, and generalizability. As a result, findings can be safely...
When using research findings to change practice, one must understand the process used to guide a study. The scientific method is a systematic, step-by-step process that supports the data's validity, reliability, and generalizability. As a result, findings can be safely...