1Dime Radio

Psychoanalysis vs Modern Therapy

Nov 2, 2023

Andrew Flores, a Lacanian psychoanalysis specialist, critiques modern therapy as functioning as ideology for capitalism. He discusses the limitations of therapy culture, contrasts psychoanalytic therapy with mainstream psychology, explores the concept of law in relation to subjectivity, highlights the importance of jokes and the unconscious in psychoanalysis, and critiques therapism. The difference between psychoanalysis and modern therapy is discussed, emphasizing the aim of psychoanalysis to understand the truth of the individual.

01:48:26

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Episode guests

Andrew Flores

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Psychoanalysis delves into the unconscious, transference, and the death drive, aiming to uncover hidden desires and repressed traumas.

Modern therapy oversimplifies human experiences and reinforces the status quo, while psychoanalysis challenges conventional notions of the self and explores the deeper layers of the psyche.

The death drive in psychoanalysis represents the desire for self-destruction and the pursuit of unattainable pleasure, challenging mainstream psychology's idea of achieving satisfaction.

Psychoanalysis examines personal history to uncover unconscious desires, focusing on the present moment and the construction of the past in the present.

Deep dives

The Three Registers: Imaginary, Symbolic, and Real

The podcast episode explores the three registers in Lacanian psychoanalysis: the imaginary, the symbolic, and the real. The imaginary is the realm of images and narcissism, where the ego and ego ideal are formed. The symbolic refers to the realm of language and law, where social structures and the unconscious are shaped. The real is the elusive and traumatic dimension that resists symbolization and always returns. These distinct registers play a crucial role in understanding subjectivity, desire, and the functioning of psychoanalysis.

Introduction

3min

Introduction and Exploration

23min

Mainstream Psychology vs. Psychoanalysis

25min

Subjectivity and the Law

11min

The Importance of Jokes and Critique of Therapies

28min

Critique of Therapism and the Importance of Societal Structure in Psychoanalysis

6min

Exploring Further Resources and Recommendations

2min

Psychoanalysis vs. Modern Therapy

7min

Lengthy discussion on the complexity of psychoanalysis and therapy practices

3min

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In this episode of 1Dime Radio, Tony (aka 1Dime) is joined by the autodidact psychoanalysis wizard Andrew Flores to discuss how certain assumptions of modern therapy, pop psychology, and mainstream psychology differ from Psychoanalysis, particularly Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalytic theory and practice.

My guest, Andrew Flores (also known as “The Big Sig”, and part of the Young Žižekians collective called “The Vanishing Mediators”), has an essay titled “Therapism, Psychoanalysis, and Ideology” featured in the new book Underground Theory Vol 1 (featuring Slavoj Zizek, Alenka Zupancic, and a bunch of nobodies, like myself! In his article, Andrew argues that much modern therapy functions as “ideology” for contemporary capitalism, and he critiques popular psychology figures such as Jordan Peterson, Gabor Mate, and Phil Stutz, Jonah Hill's therapist, popularized in Jonah Hill's latest Netflix documentary titled "Stutz" , which is about the life and psycho-therapeutic techniques of Jonah Hill's therapist, Phil Stutz. In his talk with Theory Underground, Andrew has an illuminating critique of Phil Stutz as the embodiment of popular therapy today from a Lacanian psychoanalytic perspective.

In this episode, Andrew and I discuss the limitations and misconceptions associated with contemporary therapy practices, also known as “therapism”, while contrasting it against the intricate theories of psychoanalytic therapy developed by Sigmund Freud and further elaborated upon by Jacques Lacan. He delves into the societal manifestation of therapism, critiquing figures in pop psychology, and key concepts of psychoanalysis such as the death drive, trauma and the role of sexual repression in personal problems. Andrew talks about the pervasive issues of the overly simplistic approach of many psychological therapies currently championed in the mainstream and emphasizes the significance of the unconscious, language and desire in psychoanalysis.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and Guest Presentation

01:27 Modern Therapy and Pop Psychology

06:30 Psychoanalysis and its Importance

08:41 The Death Drive

11:42 Psychoanalysis vs Mainstream Psychology

17:30 Modern Therapy Culture

24:20 Critique of Popular Psychology Figures

29:15 The Unconscious

34:43 The Importance of Language in Psychoanalysis

39:06 The Real in Lacanian Psychoanalysis

44:31 The Ego, Ideal Ego, Ego Ideal

48:48 Desire vs Drive

54:41 Trauma in Modern Therapy

01:05:30 The Symbolic Order

01:09:59 Lack

01:15:23 “Repression” in Psychoanalysis

01:19:38 The Death Drive

01:25:37 Identification with the Symptom

01:30:26 “Law” and Prohibition

01:40:37 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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1Dime Radio

Psychoanalysis vs Modern Therapy

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

The Three Registers: Imaginary, Symbolic, and Real

The Importance of Psychoanalysis

The Critique of Modern Therapy

The Death Drive and the Real

Psychoanalysis as a Tool for Constructing Personal History

The Super Ego and Therapy as Ideology

Psychoanalysis and the Death Drive

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts