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In this provocative contribution to both psychoanalytic theory and the philosophy of science, Louis Berger grapples with the nature of "consequential" theorizing, i.e., theorizing that is relevant to what transpires in clinical practice. By examining analysis as a genre of "state process formalism" - the standard format of scientific theories - Berger demonstrates why contemporary theorizing inevitably fails to explain crucial aspects of practice. His critique, in this respect, pertains both to the formal structure of psychoanalytic explanation and the technical language through which this structure gains expression. The pragmatic recommendations that issue from this critique are illustrated with respect to a number of perennial problem areas besetting analysis and cognate disciplines. In a discussion that encompases theories of affect, issues in family therapy, the nature of first-language acquisition, and the philisophical topics of free will and determinism, Berger shows that certain systems of representation (including ordinary language)<em>candescribe the psychological realm adequately, and that such systems necessarily follow modern physics in rejecting naive assumptions about the separability of theory and practice. His proposals culminate in a "nonhierarchical" conception of psychoanalytic theory that assigns a separate status to the clinically pragmatic level of theorizing. In both his critique of contemporary analysis and his reconstructive proposals, Berger fuses into a highly readable argument a fascinating range of insights culled from epistemology, linguistics, physics, logic, computer science, history, and aesthetics. More impressively still, he demonstrates how an investigation of psychoanalytic theory can serve as a vehicle for examining pervasive epistemological issues in both philosophy and the social sciences.
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PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Taylor & Francis Taylor & Francis Group http://taylorandfrancis.com
PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE What Makes a Theory Consequential For Practice?
L ou is S. B erger
ROUTLEDGE
Routledge Taylor & Francis Group
LONDON AND NEW YORK
First published 1985 by The Analytic Press Distributed solely by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Published 2018 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017 First issued in paperback 2018
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business Copyright© 1985 Taylor & Francis All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Berger, Louis S. Psychoanalytic theory and clinical relevance. Bibliography: p. Includes index. 1. Psychoanalysis-Philosophy. 2. PsychoanalysisMethodology. 3. Psychotherapy I. Title. [DNLM: 1. Psychoanalytic theory. WM 460 B496p] RC506.B38 1985 150.19'5 85-9023 ISBN 0-88163-042-X ISBN 13: 978-1-138-87213-4 (pbk) ISBN 13: 978-0-88163-042-8 (hbk)
Table ot Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ix
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
1
CHAPTER 2. LOGICAL ENTAILMENT The Spectrum of Opinion Theory and Therapy Are Closely Tied Against Entailment or Relevance The Mainstream Moderate Range The Evidence Empirical Origins of Technique Questionable Counterexamples Curative Factors Technical Progress Therapeutic Effectiveness One-Man