Psychoanalysis and politics: historicising subjectivity.

Area of Science:

• Psychoanalytic Theory
• Social Sciences
• Modernity Studies

Background:

• Contemporary discussions on subjectivity and modernity lack historical grounding.
• Existing theories offer divergent views on the relationship between historical context and individual subjectivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To ground psychoanalytic theory in historical context.
• To critically evaluate ahistorical claims about psychological needs.
• To explore the connection between psychoanalysis and progressive politics.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of three theoretical frameworks: Elisabeth Young-Bruehl's, institutionalised individualisation theorists, and Foucaultian governmentality studies.
• Examination of the historical development of subjectivity in the West.
• Discourse analysis of psychoanalytic theory in relation to historical and political contexts.

Main Results:

• Psychoanalytic theory, while a product of its time, can serve as a counter-discourse.
• A thirty-year history in the West of rejecting dependency and denying interdependence significantly impacts subjectivity.
• Understanding historical context is crucial for assessing psychoanalytic claims about psychological well-being.

Conclusions:

• Psychoanalysis must engage with history to remain relevant and politically effective.
• Ahistorical approaches to psychological needs are insufficient for understanding human thriving.
• The repudiation of dependency and denial of interdependence in recent Western history have profound effects on contemporary subjectivity.