April 08, 2003
The Classical Origin of Psychoanalysis
Ancient templates: The classical origins of psychoanalysis
Buckley, Peter
American Journal of Psychotherapy. Vol 55(4), 2001, pp. 451-459
Abstract
This article discusses the classical origins of psychoanalysis. B. Simon (1978) demonstrated the presence of 3 main models of mind in ancient Greece, elements of which remain in contemporary psychotherapeutic and psychiatric practice. The first of these conceptual models Simon labeled the poetic (mainly Homeric), in which there is no clear idea of mental structure and mental illness is viewed as something 'sent' by wrathful gods from outside the individual. The second model is the Hippocratic, the comparatively unmodified ancestor of the current biomedical model. The third model, and the one germane to this essay, is the Platonic or philosophical model. The radical revolution of 18th century romanticism provided the forum for object relations theory in psychoanalysis through its emphasis on individual subjectivity, the centrality of emotional experience, and the potential transmuting power of the relationship between self and object. The classical ego-psychological model of psychoanalysis, like so much of our intellectual worldview has its origins in the extraordinary innovations and advances in human thought that the ancient Greeks wrought.
Posted by Dienekes at April 8, 2003 01:18 AM | PermaLinkI would like to bring to your attention that dream analysis, one of the psychological models equiped by Freud was presaged by an Ancient Egyptian model.
One of the most famous dream records of the Egyptian era is the "Chester Beatty" Papyrus, which was inscribed around 1350 BCE. It came from Thebes (Southern Egypt) and contained references to +/- 200 dreams, many of which date from an earlier period.
The three modes of intrepretation employed in the papyrus are the detection of hidden associations, the use of opposties, and the use of verbal or visual puns (free association).
The Nubian-Egypt psychological models fall within the African paradigm for soul and psychic phenomena. Psychological concepts presented in the AmDuat, and egyptian spirituality in general have genetic relations with larger Nilotic African beleifs regarding the soul, dreams, and mental health.
The amduat is a text which describes the souls nocturnal journey into the underworld/unconscious. The amduat is a psychological treatise regarding archetypes and unconscious activity described via Egyptian symbolism. The oldest known example of the text comes from Southern Egypt during the New Kingdom. The text was extremely popular and was still in use during the Greek and Roman occupation of Egypt. It was one of the most popular spiritual texts written on Greco-Roman coffins.
The Hippocratic, and Platonic models probably did not develop in a vacuum...
Posted by: Din at November 27, 2003 12:42 PM