Psychoanalysis Is Not Just About Sublimation

2min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

Thete te popular understanding of the prodian understanding of sublimation has to do with very high brow endeavors, such as writing books. And i always tell my students that that's just the tip of the iceberg that very few people actually deal with. There their existential crises, thogh, they lackor whatever you want to call it, in those ways. I mean, there therare all kinds of ways in which can fill your life.

Neuroscience has given us great insights into how our brains work. But there is still room for purely humanistic disciplines to help us think through our thoughts and emotions, not to mention the meaning of our lives. Mari Ruti is a professor of English literature, with expertise in critical theory, gender studies, and psychoanalysis, especially the work of French theorist Jacques Lacan. We talk about the psychological drive that is motivated by what Lacan calls “lack,” which is related to “desire.” We use this as a way to think about such essential human experiences as mourning, creativity, and love. (We don’t talk about love enough here on the podcast.)

Support Mindscape on Patreon.

Mari Ruti received her Ph.D. in comparative literature from Harvard University. She is currently a Distinguished Professor of critical theory and gender and sexuality studies at the University of Toronto. She is the co-editor of the Psychoanalytic Horizons book series for Bloomsbury.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.