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Gratitude, freedom and refusal.
Jonathan Lear1,2,3
1Distinguished Service Professor, Committee on Social Thought, The University of Chicago.
The International Journal of Psycho-Analysis
|April 24, 2024
Summary
This paper explores gratitude's psychoanalytic significance, examining its historical roots and ethical meanings. It highlights gratitude as crucial for human flourishing, contrasting with the focus on envy in prior research.
Area of Science:
- Psychoanalysis
- Psychology
- Philosophy
Background:
- Melanie Klein's "Envy and Gratitude" (1957) positioned gratitude against suffering but primarily spurred envy research.
- Contemporary understanding of gratitude is influenced by historical and philosophical traditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore gratitude as a fundamental psychoanalytic concept.
- To investigate the historical, philosophical, social, and ethical dimensions of gratitude.
- To determine gratitude's psychic significance and role in human flourishing.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of historical and philosophical texts.
- Psychoanalytic theory analysis.
- Exploration of social and ethical implications.
Main Results:
- Gratitude, despite its foundational role, has been under-researched compared to envy.
- Historical and philosophical traditions implicitly shape current views on gratitude.
- Gratitude possesses significant psychoanalytic and ethical dimensions.
Conclusions:
- Gratitude is a vital component of psychic well-being and human flourishing.
- Further psychoanalytic research into gratitude is warranted.
- Understanding gratitude's multifaceted significance is key to psychological health.
Keywords:
Affects/affective disordersFreudian theorycontemporary Kleiniansethicshistory of psychoanalysisphilosophyMore Related Videos
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