Between Us: A Psychotherapy Podcast Episode 60: Recognition, In Real Life
12 snips
Oct 1, 2025 
Jessica Benjamin, a renowned psychoanalyst and feminist theorist, discusses her radical upbringing and the formation of recognition theory. She proposes that societal issues arise from entangled conformity and domination. Benjamin critiques traditional gender roles and emphasizes the need for mutual recognition in relationships. Her discussions traverse various themes, from Oedipal dynamics to the politics of acknowledgement, advocating for a transformative feminist framework that moves beyond rigid binaries.
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Recognition as Shared Subjectivity
- Recognition means seeing the other as a separate subject with similar needs and feelings.
- Holding sameness and difference together enables tolerance and a public sphere of negotiation.
Recognition Is Developmental Background
- Recognition is present throughout development, not just a phase; it underlies all human relating.
- Mutual recognition requires children to see caregivers as separate subjects, enabling true connection.
Cut Off, Then Recognized
- Jessica recounts being cut off by her Freudian analyst and hearing him say, "you were in my way."
- That brief procedural exchange felt like mutual recognition and was experienced as liberating.
