Description

This book is an invitation to dialogue, created by a practising physiologist, intended for the hands of dynamically oriented theory-sensitive psychologists and physiologists. Marom guides the reader through reflections on neurophysiology, expressed with and guided by depth-psychology in mind. Neurophysiology resumes its traditional humbled stance towards matters of the psyche, and the intellectual autonomy of depth psychology is acknowledged. The author leads the reader through methodological errors that have plagued recent reductive efforts, paving the way for an alternative, relational approach. Marom guides the reader through reflections on neurophysiology, expressed with and guided by depth-psychology in mind. Neurophysiology resumes its traditional humbled stance towards matters of the psyche, and the intellectual autonomy of depth psychology is acknowledged. The author leads the reader through methodological errors that have plagued recent reductive efforts, paving the way for an alternative, relational approach. Science, Psychoanalysis, and the Brain is an invitation to a space for dialogue where reflections on neurophysiology are expressed with and guided by depth-psychology in mind; a space where neurophysiology resumes its traditional humbled stance towards matters of the psyche, and where the intellectual autonomy of depth psychology is acknowledged. The author leads the reader through the terrain of methodological errors that have plagued recent reductive approaches, paving the way for a dialogue that is based on an alternative, relational approach. Neurophysiology is discussed on a high level of abstraction, enabling a genuine analysis of the organization of the brain through its relational interactions with the world. In this dialogue, where psychology provides a theoretical framework that contributes to physiology, both parties are benefited. Neurophysiology gains important constraints and guidance in phrasing meaningful questions, psychology gains further motivation to crystalize its multifaceted concepts. Both disciplines enrich the spectrum of metaphors available to them within their own discourses. 1. A lost dialogue; 2. Scales and constraints; 3. Language relations; 4. Relational objects in psychology; 5. Reflections on relational physiology; 6. Sempiterna temptatio. 'Shimon Marom confronts the belief of his own generation of neuroscientists that complex psychological phenomena can be understood by dissecting the brain down to its simplest parts, showing why this approach should be expected to fail. He then develops a unique dialogue across the chasm that separates neurophysiology and depth psychology, offering an alternate foundation for inquiry. The work is educational without being dry because it is rich in explanatory details that clarify by building on known concepts. It is also insightful, weaving historical theories and cutting-edge science into a new way of viewing a fundamental conundrum key to the core of human experience. This beautifully written volume is no less than an intellectual tour de force.' Steve A. N. Goldstein, Senior Vice President and University Professor, Brandeis University 'This book will be a landmark for researchers in neuroscience and depth psychology, clinicians, humanists, and intellectuals in general who seek to learn, teach, or deepen their understanding of the connections between depth psychology concepts and the realism of the underlying neuronal substrates. It is a complete expos