New Books in Critical Theory Mary Edwards, "Sartre’s Existential Psychoanalysis: Knowing Others" (Bloomsbury, 2022)
Nov 23, 2025
In this discussion, Mary Edwards, a Philosophy lecturer at Cardiff University, explores the lesser-known aspects of Jean-Paul Sartre's work. She delves into Sartre’s views on the self, the intersection of existentialism and psychoanalysis, and how understanding others can reveal deeper truths about ourselves. Edwards discusses Sartre's `Look` concept, where external perceptions offer insights often missed by self-reflection. She also highlights Sartre’s unique method of grasping individual identities, especially through his examination of Gustave Flaubert and the implications for therapeutic practice.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Freedom Is Socially Situated
- Sartre's later work makes individual freedom intelligible only when embedded in social forces and history.
- Mary Edwards argues this synthesis of existentialism, Marxism and psychoanalysis deepens his account of human freedom.
The Self As Adaptive Fiction
- For Sartre the ego is a useful fiction that shields us from vertigo but can block authentic self-development.
- Edwards uses the example of the terrified bride to show how self-conceptions constrain freedom.
Shame Reveals The Social Self
- Shame, for Sartre, is the revelation that you appear as an object for another and thus a distinctive social structure of consciousness.
- This triangular consciousness shows we can be limited by how others see us, which produces negative emotion and constraint.
