“... and then - suddenly -memory was there ..." (Proust). On the interdisciplinary dialogue between psychoanalysis and cognitive science on memory

Authors

  • Marianne Leuzinger-Bohleber

Abstract

What can interdisciplinary memory research add to our clinical understanding of psychic functioning based on unconscious memories, fantasies and “truth”? These questions are discussed in this paper.

In a critical review of a paper published in 1986, in which we applied concepts from classical cognitive science (in particular the computer metaphor) to some sequences of a psychoanalysis, we suggest that the computer metaphor is not suited for application to the mechanisms of human memory as a biological system: In the brain there is no “box” or location where memory structures are stored and later retrieved but memory is an aspect of the whole organism. Referring to Edelman’s theory of the selection of neural groups (TSNG) memory is now conceptualized as a complex, dynamic, recategorizing and interactive process, which is always “embodied”, in other words based on actual sensory-motoric-affective experiences.

Analyzing a short sequence of a psychoanalysis with a male Borderline patient we illustrate that these new concepts can be helpful for a deeper understanding of the functioning of memory in psychoanalysis. In our view many central insights of psychoanalytical research, e.g. pointing out the relevancy of transference for therapeutic change, are supported by this interdisciplinary research.

Keywords:
Classical and Embodied Cognitive Science, memory, remembering, psychoanalysis, theory of the selection of neural groups (TSNG) (Edelman), recategorization, frame, unconscious memories, working through, therapeutic process, computer metaphor.

Author Biography

Marianne Leuzinger-Bohleber

Marianne Leuzinger-Bohleber, Univ.-Prof. Dr.phil, Professorin für Psychoanalytische Psychologie am Institut für Psychoanalyse der Universität Gesamthochschule Kassel. Forschungsschwerpunkte: klinische und empirische Forschung in der Psychoanalyse, Psychoanalyse und Cognitive Science, psychoanalytische Entwicklungspsychologie. Einige Publikationen zum Thema: Koukkou M, Leuzinger-Bohleber M, Mertens W (Hrsg) (1998) Erinnerung von Wirklichkeiten. Psychoanalyse und Neurowissenschaften im Dialog. Band 1: Bestandsaufnahme. Verlag Internationale Psychoanalyse, Stuttgart; Leuzinger-Bohleber M, Mertens W, Koukkou M (Hrsg) (1998) Erinnerung von Wirklichkeiten. Psychoanalyse und Neurowissenschaften im Dialog. Band 2: Folgerungen für die psychoanalytische Praxis. Verlag Internationale Psychoanalyse, Stuttgart; Leuzinger-Bohleber M, Pfeifer R (1998) Erinnern in der Übertragung-Vergangenheit in der Gegenwart! Psychoanalyse und Embodied Cognitive Science: ein interdisziplinärer Dialog zum Gedächtnis. Psyche 52/9-10: 884-919.

Korrespondenz: Prof. Dr. Marianne Leuzinger-Bohleber, Am Ebelfeld 1A, D-60488 Frankfurt

 

Downloads

Published

2001-04-01

How to Cite

Leuzinger-Bohleber, M. (2001). “. and then - suddenly -memory was there ." (Proust). On the interdisciplinary dialogue between psychoanalysis and cognitive science on memory. Psychotherapie-Wissenschaft, 9(2), 71–85. Retrieved from https://psychotherapie-wissenschaft.info/article/view/501

Issue

No. 2 (2001): Psychotherapie Forum 9/2 (veröffentlicht bei Springer Wien New York)

Section

Special Issue

License

This journal provides open access to its content in accordance with the basic premise that the free public availability of research benefits the exchange of knowledge throughout the world.

Authors wishing to publish in this journal agree to the following:

  1. The author/s retain/s the copyrights and consent/s to initial publication of the work in the journal under a Creative Commons Attribution licence, which allows third parties to use the work by citing the name/s of the author/s and this journal as initial publisher (in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 DE-Licence).
  1. The author/s can enter into additional contracts for the non-exclusive distribution (e.g. publish in a collection or book) of the version published in the journal, if the journal is cited as initial publisher.