The Googled and Googling Analyst

Area of Science:

• Psychoanalysis
• Philosophy
• Digital Culture Studies

Background:

• Envy dynamics are complex within psychoanalytic practice.
• The digital age presents unique challenges to analytic identity and professional distinctions.
• Kierkegaard's philosophical concepts offer novel frameworks for understanding psychological phenomena.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply Kierkegaard's concept of leveling to understand envy in psychoanalytic work.
• To explore how the digital age influences analytic identity and fosters homogenization.
• To introduce the "digital reality principle" and discuss charisma as a counterforce.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis applying Kierkegaardian philosophy.
• Illustration through two clinical vignettes of psychoanalytic practice.
• Exploration of the impact of technoculture on psychoanalytic identity.

Main Results:

• Leveling dynamics, particularly in the digital age, can lead to a "hatred of thinking" and envious responses to distinction.
• The "digital reality principle" conceptualizes a retreat into sameness, eroding analytic distinctions.
• Internalized leveling can act as a defense mechanism, reinforcing homogenization among analysts.

Conclusions:

• Kierkegaard's leveling concept provides a valuable lens for analyzing envy and homogenization in psychoanalysis.
• The digital environment exacerbates tendencies toward sameness, impacting analytic identity.
• Charisma is proposed as a potential avenue for resisting homogenization and preserving distinction.