International Journal of Psychoanalysis and Education: Subject, Action & Society

An insecure base

Shady Dell'Amico — 2024-12-30

In this paper, we will explore the concept of love addiction, examining its manifestations and the aspects that differentiate the phenomenon from conventional falling in love. Attachment theory is an attractive model for understanding love addiction, which can highlight the impact of emotional bonds developed during childhood on adult relationships. We will, therefore, delve deeper into how the anxious-ambivalent attachment style, which in adulthood takes on the name of the insecure, worried attachment or insecure enmeshed attachment, seems to influence the propensity to love addiction. Understanding attachment theory provides a theoretical framework in which to think about the dynamics of love suffering, thus providing the conditions to increase awareness of the phenomenon's origins and contribute to the promotion of more satisfying relationships

Depth psychology, psychotherapy, and meditation

Marco Innamorati — 2024-12-30

The attitude of depth psychology toward meditation is naturally related to that toward religion. It is therefore quite natural that the Freudians initially gave it little consideration, while Jung created with active imagination a particular form of meditation. In recent times, however, mainstream psychoanalysis has modified its ideas, parallel to the introduction of mindfulness by cognitivists.

Neet generation: an educational and gender issue

Antonietta Maiorano — 2024-12-30

The persistent presence of young people in prolonged inactivity – Not in Education, Employment, or Training (hereafter Neet) – necessitates ongoing examination of the factors that contribute to this phenomenon and the reasons for its persistence.

Much discussion surrounds the conceptualizations and definitions of Neets, their geographical distribution, and the available measurements. However, equal attention must be devoted to the topic of education, as the school environment may hold the key tools for improving young people's employment prospects and mitigating the phenomenon. This consideration must account for individual characteristics that may facilitate this condition, such as gender.

Indeed, the latest national and transnational data confirm that being a woman is a predictive factor for social and labor exclusion. In general, young women are more likely to become Neets compared to young men, and this disparity is often attributed to gender-specific social expectations, family responsibilities, and workplace discrimination.

This paper aims to explore the Neet condition in relation to gender disparity and educational poverty, highlighting how the lack of educational and training opportunities significantly affects young people's inability to enter the labor market. The paper also outlines intervention strategies aimed at fostering an effective transition for young people from school to work.

COVID Generation

Gioacchino Mazzola — 2024-12-30

The COVID-19 pandemic has radically transformed social, educational, and economic life worldwide, with containment measures such as social isolation and school closures profoundly impacting relational dynamics and psychological well-being, especially among children and adolescents. Numerous studies have highlighted how the educational and social contexts were altered, with long-term implications still uncertain (Panchal et al., 2021). The school-age group, from 6 to 18 years old, is particularly vulnerable as, during this phase, the process of socialization is crucial for identity development and relational skills.

This research aims to investigate the relational modes of students in the post-pandemic context, analyzing changes in interactions with peers and teachers. Using a qualitative methodology and the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme (CCRT), the study seeks to understand how the pandemic has influenced young students' perceptions of others and their psychological adaptation.

Hänsel, Grethel and the Breadcrumbs

Angelo Pennella — 2024-12-30

The author notes the inevitable and necessary participation of the psychotherapist in the process of re-signifying the patient’s narrative. Indeed, the psychotherapist develops clinical reasoning in which several logical processes converge including deduction, induction and abduction. In understanding what is being narrated by the patient, a special role is also played by analogy, a form of reasoning whose purpose is to establish connections between different classes. The author, after defining the concept from the perspective of cognitive psychology, proposes a psychoanalytic reading by referring to Matte Blanco’s theory of the unconscious. From this perspective, analogy can be seen as the expression of a “bi-logical” mind in which unconscious logic (symmetrical) and conscious logic (asymmetrical) are integrated. The article also presents a brief clinical example.

The translating process: A paradigm of the caring relationship?

Svetoslava Urgese — 2024-12-30

This article explores the intersection between psychoanalysis and translation, emphasizing their shared quest for meaning. In a transdisciplinary perspective, the study analyzes how translation informs psychoanalytic theory and care practices. The concept of translation extends beyond language, encompassing unconscious processes and care dynamics, touches the deeply sensory-engraved experiences. The support from clinical experience and case studies helps to shed light on how translation crosses various levels of care, from an individual level to group or even collective dynamics. By analyzing how language bridges the personal and collective dimensions, the authors describe translation as a fluctuating process in therapeutic relationships, revealing the intricate power structures and transformative potential inherent in the act of interpretation. The article proposes a model that combines psychoanalysis and translation, highlighting the plurality of psychic spaces and their influence on care practices.

Exploring Discursive Absence of Colonialities in German Pedagogies: A So-ciological-Psychoanalytical Exploration

Titas Biswas — 2024-12-30

The relationship between affect, spatiality and pedagogical appropriation has in recent years received increased scholarly attention. In this article, a sociological-psychoanalytical exploration of historical praxis in German memory culture across pedagogical sites highlights the importance of absent historical discourses in determining collective understanding of memory, space, affect and subsequent ideation of empathy (or the lack of the same). Drawing primarily from Deleuzean and Lefebvrian premises, this brief reflection sheds light on the minutiae associated with selective remembrance and colonial amnesia. It examines how a fractured memory culture cross-pollinates with the inability to construct learning environments that draw upon collective mnemonic experience as multidirectional praxis, and is thus incapacitated of indulging in considerate treatment of traumatic memory as an advent point to move towards collectivised reparation.

Keywords: Pedagogy, Space, Colonial, History education, German memory culture, Reparation