Jouissance with Todd Dean, MD
“Superego”, “repetition compulsion”, “death drive”, “negative therapeutic reaction” are terms that have in common an attempt to understand how it is that people are unable to pursue their desires. Lacan added “jouissance” to this list, a concept that addresses our inability to do what we want, but which also suggests there’s something enjoyable about that failure (the root of the word is the French verb “to enjoy”). In this class, we will explore the theoretical, clinical and cultural problematics of this complicated relationship between what we wish for and what we do. In the process, we will see how this dynamic informs the nature of what we call “reality”, and how the broader culture influences the development of the individual’s jouissance. We hope to be able to make clear why Braunstein considers the study of jouissance absolutely central to the study of psychoanalysis.
Dates: Tuesdays Oct 19, 26, Nov 2, 9, & 16 at 7 p.m. / Price: $225 / Level: Advanced / Audience: Mental Health Professionals / Virtual via Zoom
Objectives: • Participants will be able to describe what is meant by jouissance in psychoanalytic teaching, and to recognize how it manifests in the clinic as well as the larger social world. • Participants will be able to discuss the relationship between desire and wishes, on the one hand, and jouissance, on the other, emphasizing the dynamic among these elements.
Questions? Contact us at 314-361-7075 or marketing@stlpi.org
Cancellations will be accepted up to one week prior to the first session. Make check payable and send to St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute 7700 Clayton Rd, Ste 200, St. Louis, MO 63117
