Archive for month: Jul, 2015

On the third Friday of June 2015, at 7 p.m, the fourth panel discussion of the cycle „“Psychoanalysis of Our Time”“ was held at the Belgrade City Library, by now a traditional venue for the supporters of psychoanalysis and the Psychoanalytical Society of Serbia. This time, the theme was “Psychoanalysis and New Technologies”.

The topicality of the subject, the presence of modern technologies in everyday life and most of all, the curiosity about how innovations are seen from the perspective of psychoanalytic thought and practice attracted a large number of supporters of psychoanalysis as well as those interested in new technologies. Just like in the case of previous panel discussions, this time as well psychoanalysts have shown that their work and thinking go beyond their offices and couches to deal with absolutely everything that makes one’s life.

At the very start, instead of an introduction, was shown a clip from the movie “Birdman”, this year’s Academy Award winner. The clip describes the presence of modern technologies in the life of an ordinary man and their significance for each of us.

A panel discussion moderator, Vesna Brzev-Ćurčić first talked about the development of robots-toys for children and their significance for the psychological development of children. She pointed out the advantages and disadvantages with a special reference to their limiting children’s ability to develop abstract thinking and the capacity “to be alone”, possible provocation of guilt, but also the ability to keep up with what is inevitable in the development of modern society.

The following speakers discussed psychoanalysis and new technologies:
Vojislav Ćurčić, Marina Ivanović, Danijela Galović i Vesna Brzev-Ćurčić as a moderator.

Vojislav Ćurčić spoke about the presence of gadgets and their symbolic importance for people. He then discussed a phenomenon of the Internet expansion with all its advantages and disadvantages. He also drew attention to the potential Internet addiction, narcissistic background of certain phenomena, loneliness, virtual reality but also sometimes it being the way of overcoming or counterbalancing some of the mental problems. He also spoke about the importance and meaning of the use of social networks.

Danijela Galović spoke about computer games, their accompanying effects, lonely players, group games, avatars, “the other life” and the psychoanalytic view of this phenomenon. The possibility of creating oneself in an idealized way, the unpunished manifestation of aggression through games, the opportunity to compete and the feeling of omnipotence are just some of the existing psychological phenomena.

Marina Ivanović spoke about the use of Skype in the analysis of persons who live outside the analyst’s place of living. She pointed out that occasional face-to-face meetings with the analyst were necessary so that the atmosphere of the genuine meeting and the analytical setting itself could be preserved. Skype analysis is inevitable in some situations, with awareness of its range and limitations. She also mentioned a vignette as an illustration of what, from her extensive experience, she presented as a perception of the use of modern technologies in clinical practice.

At the end of the panel discussion, Jasminka Šuljagić, president of the Psychoanalytical Society of Serbia, closed the cycle, thanked everyone who participated and announced the Society’s intention to organize new meetings with the audience.