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Charlotte's Reviews > The Examined Life
The Examined Life
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** spoiler alert **
I picked this up because I thought it would speak to my interest in how we construct narratives in order to interact with the world and place ourselves within reality. And psychoanalysis is a funny one for looking at that kind of thing. It always gives me the heebie-jeebies a bit as it seems to put the psychoanalyst in a similar position to a priest - he who is somehow qualified and able to reach into what is necessarily unknown (the subconscious or, in the case of the priest, the word of god) and interpret it for us mere mortals. This puts the analyst in a position of power that I'm often uncomfortable with when what they're supposed to be doing is normally to liberate someone who is deeply troubled and particularly vulnerable psychologically.
Plus, psychoanalysis relies on being done very regularly over a very long period of time: a suspiciously lucrative job for an analyst..
I met the author this summer and he absolutely blew me away with his warmth, goofy enthusiasm and attentiveness, making me think that perhaps psychoanalysis isn't all that bad after all. And so I thought I'd get off my suspicious high horse and read his book.
AND?!?! I hear you ask.
Well, it was alright. I found it frustrating at points in its lack of direction when Grosz seems to withhold a real critique of what's going on with the patient. Some of the things that he had to say after telling a patient's story didn't really seem that helpful to me. More like general statements.
But some were helpful. For example, his thoughts on grief and our culture of closure; 'the false hope that we can deaden our living grief'.
And then on the other end of the wafty-critique spectrum, sometimes he would make assumptions about a patient's subconscious workings that I thought were absurd and even potentially harmful.
What was interesting overall was that people do go to analysis, people do need psychological help sometimes and rules for providing this kind of help are always is a bit mysterious and arbitrary. One thing Stephen definitely did do was listen and 'be present' - a paid-for pal who's not connected to people's lives. A lens through which they can look at themselves in order to sort out their problems.
I am currently arguing in my dissertation that this can be done in other ways though, ways that are less pricey and less riskily submissive.
I picked this up because I thought it would speak to my interest in how we construct narratives in order to interact with the world and place ourselves within reality. And psychoanalysis is a funny one for looking at that kind of thing. It always gives me the heebie-jeebies a bit as it seems to put the psychoanalyst in a similar position to a priest - he who is somehow qualified and able to reach into what is necessarily unknown (the subconscious or, in the case of the priest, the word of god) and interpret it for us mere mortals. This puts the analyst in a position of power that I'm often uncomfortable with when what they're supposed to be doing is normally to liberate someone who is deeply troubled and particularly vulnerable psychologically.
Plus, psychoanalysis relies on being done very regularly over a very long period of time: a suspiciously lucrative job for an analyst..
I met the author this summer and he absolutely blew me away with his warmth, goofy enthusiasm and attentiveness, making me think that perhaps psychoanalysis isn't all that bad after all. And so I thought I'd get off my suspicious high horse and read his book.
AND?!?! I hear you ask.
Well, it was alright. I found it frustrating at points in its lack of direction when Grosz seems to withhold a real critique of what's going on with the patient. Some of the things that he had to say after telling a patient's story didn't really seem that helpful to me. More like general statements.
But some were helpful. For example, his thoughts on grief and our culture of closure; 'the false hope that we can deaden our living grief'.
And then on the other end of the wafty-critique spectrum, sometimes he would make assumptions about a patient's subconscious workings that I thought were absurd and even potentially harmful.
What was interesting overall was that people do go to analysis, people do need psychological help sometimes and rules for providing this kind of help are always is a bit mysterious and arbitrary. One thing Stephen definitely did do was listen and 'be present' - a paid-for pal who's not connected to people's lives. A lens through which they can look at themselves in order to sort out their problems.
I am currently arguing in my dissertation that this can be done in other ways though, ways that are less pricey and less riskily submissive.
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September 1, 2013
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September 5, 2013
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Tyna
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Dec 21, 2013 01:16PM
Authority complex
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Haha! Excellent response.
I've not read this book yet, but I'll be wary about those risks next time I see my counsellor. I'm looking forward to your thesis re less pricier and riskier alternatives -- though I think the opportunity cost of these accessing their services has been much greater.
You'd probably like some books regarding narrative approach in psychothearpy :)
The issue of analytic authority is a real one and reflects how the field has changed from its origin in the German authoritative culture where the doctor has the last word.I found a little too much of that remaining in some of the "conclusions" -- what you referred to as "assumptions about a patient's subconscious" but I forgive this as bad writing rather than bad therapy and assume he had more reason (from the client's response when he presented his opinion) to hold to his point of view than he is shows the reader.
I fear you are actual giving psychoanalysis two stars - not the book. If true not all that fair on the author.
