“Psychoanalysis and Sociocultural Field” as the subject of exchange of opinions

The third Friday in the month, 7 p.m. and the Belgrade City Library have by now become usual time and place of gathering of Belgrade audience interested in psychoanalysis. This spring, the Psychoanalytical Society of Serbia (PSS), in cooperation with the Belgrade City Library, is organizing a cycle of lectures and panel discussions “Psychoanalysis of Our Time”.

The April panel discussion held on April 17, 2015 brought several surprises. The psychoanalysis was discussed not only as a clinical discipline, as customary, but also as a means for understanding the world we live in. The psychoanalytic concepts have not only affected and thoroughly changed that world, but have become an important determinant in the consideration of its phenomena and trends. The selection of participants, the guest lecture of a renowned Parisian psychoanalyst, the idea of a possibility and necessity of a dialogue outside the circle of psychoanalysts themselves and discussion among participants – contributed to the special atmosphere of this panel discussion.

Marilia Aisenstein (Marilia Aisenstein), a training analyst of the Paris Psychoanalytical Society (SPP) (SPP) spoke about the revolution in civilization which is represented by the Freud’s work and reminded us of Freud’s texts “Thoughts for the times on war and death“ written exactly 100 years ago (in 1915) and “Why war“ from 1933. The second part of the lecture, with the introductory question – What have been the current world news since January – dealt with the essential determinants of modern times: disintegration of the Superego, cancellation of the father and returning to religions and nationalisms.

 

Milica Martinović, Milica Martinović, a psychoanalyst of the Psychoanalytical Society of Serbia, brought up many interesting questions: does psychoanalysis lead to a specific view of the world; does it lose its critical power when adopted as a form of institutional knowledge; can it be argued that the project of “psychosocial studies” and psychoanalysis “outside the clinic” is a force – Eros that raises hopes that it is possible to overcome divisions into social and personal, that is, external and internal. Reflections on these and other questions were extremely inspiring for listening and discussion.

Teofil Pančić, a writer and a journalist, a columnist and a literary critic of the weekly “Vreme”, said that psychoanalytic concepts and interpretations were so present and pervading in contemporary culture and understanding of social processes that they were imperceptibly becoming part of the language and means for understanding social processes in the hands of non-psychoanalysts too. “Narcissism of small differences”, “repression”, “hysteria”… are some of the psychoanalytic concepts he used in his texts in an attempt to understand turbulent social processes in our country.

The panel discussion moderator, Jasminka Šuljagić, the PSS psychoanalyst and training analyst, recognized the proposition on the courage and critical potential of psychoanalysis in Freud’s time as a common thread of all presentations. The question of whether this was still its characteristic and whether this was exactly what made psychoanalysis not outdated but timeless – was further discussed.

Comments of the audience confirmed the need for the serious and professional tone of public panel discussions, and the entire event attracted media attention – a short interview with Marilia Aisenstein and the reporter’s coverage of the panel were aired on TV News 3 of the Radio Television of Serbia (RTS).
You can watch the coverage here.

The cycle “Psychoanalysis of Our Time” continues on 19 June at 7 p.m. in the same venue. The topic of the next, fourth, and last panel discussion of the cycle will be
“Psychoanalysis and New Technologies”..
The following will participate: Vesna Brzev-Ćurčić (moderator), the PSS training analyst, Marina Ivanović, the PSS analyst, Danijela Galović, a candidate and Vojislav Ćurčić, the PSS training analyst.

(About the next panel discussion read in the Special News..)