Internet discussion review 'The unconscious and psychosis: some considerations on the psychoanalytic theory of psychosis' by Franco De Masi

• Published in: Key Papers on Borderline Disorders pp. 143 - 160
• Main Author: Roberts, Denise Cullington
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 2002
• Edition: 1
• Subjects: DSM Diagnostic Category; Thick Skinned Narcissism; Contact Barrier; Psychotic Individual; Preconscious Conscious System; Unaware Consciousness; Stable Mental Representations; Communicative Semi-permeability; Psychotic Patients; Confers; IJP; Imaginary Twin; Unconscious Thing Presentation; Unfelt Feelings; Delusional Jealousy; Kleinian Phantasies; Psychotic Dreams; Central Phobic Position; Pop Star; Underlying Drive; Non-interpretive Interventions; Thin Skinned Narcissist; Unconscious Affect; Bion's Conception
• ISBN: 1855752743; 9781855752740
• DOI: 10.4324/9780429476426-7

Franco De Masi points out that S. Freud understood that psychosis involved a different level of disturbance of the unconscious. De Masi goes on to contrast the different techniques that emerge from different conceptions of the unconscious, making the point that all techniques may be important at different moments in an analysis, but that it is important at any moment to know 'which unconscious to address'. He argues that there are different definitions of the unconscious in various psychoanalytic theories; that they are separate and reflect different clinical situations, describe different functions of the mind and determine different clinical techniques. Giuseppe Squitieri appreciated De Masi's distinction between emotional and dynamic unconscious as gathering and organising 'a bulk of intuitions and data that come from psychoanalytical research'. Maria Ponsi endorsed Perlow's view of discriminating interpretive and non-interpretive interventions instead of psychoanalysis proper and psychoanalytic expressive versus supportive psychotherapy.