The Puppet of Desire

The Puppet of Desire PDF Author: Jean-Michel Oughourlian
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780804718233
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 263

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Book Description
This study of the psychology of desire derives from a theory of imitative or 'mimetic' desire developed by the cultural critic and theorist Rene; Girard. The theory is essentially that all human beings have an instinctive tendency, a kind of social and psychological gravitation, to imitate unwittingly not only the actions but also the attitudes and desires of others. The author, a practicing psychiatrist, extends and amplifies this theory from the viewpoint of psychopathology and applies it to the study of hysteria, possession, and hypothesis. He argues that these phenomena are best understood as expressions of mimetic behaviour, and he traces the history of the ideas concerning hysteria, possession, and hypnosis and relates them to the development of Freud's theory of neurosis. The author points out that mimetic desire is not an inherently pathological force. It may be normal and healthy, but in certain circumstances it can lead to relations of dependency and rivalry that can cause serious psychological problems. It can also take on extreme or bizarre forms without necessarily becoming unhealthy; an example of healthy but extreme unconscious identification with an other (who may be either a person or a cultural figure) is shamanistic possession. The author discusses this kind of phenomenon among African tribes and coins the term 'adorcism' (the opposite of exorcism) to refer to the process of invoking it. The theory of desire as presented in this book is other-oriented, as opposed to Freud's theory of desire, which istrictly object-oriented. The author sees Freud's theory as more in a long history of strategic misinterpretations of the psychology of desire, such as the classical theory of hysteria and the medieval theory of demonic possession. his critique of Freudian theory is radical, and in fact it would not be too much to say that he has moved toward the first new and well-developed theory of psychopathology since Freud.

The Puppet of Desire

The Puppet of Desire PDF Author: Jean-Michel Oughourlian
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780804718233
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 263

Get Book Here

Book Description
This study of the psychology of desire derives from a theory of imitative or 'mimetic' desire developed by the cultural critic and theorist Rene; Girard. The theory is essentially that all human beings have an instinctive tendency, a kind of social and psychological gravitation, to imitate unwittingly not only the actions but also the attitudes and desires of others. The author, a practicing psychiatrist, extends and amplifies this theory from the viewpoint of psychopathology and applies it to the study of hysteria, possession, and hypothesis. He argues that these phenomena are best understood as expressions of mimetic behaviour, and he traces the history of the ideas concerning hysteria, possession, and hypnosis and relates them to the development of Freud's theory of neurosis. The author points out that mimetic desire is not an inherently pathological force. It may be normal and healthy, but in certain circumstances it can lead to relations of dependency and rivalry that can cause serious psychological problems. It can also take on extreme or bizarre forms without necessarily becoming unhealthy; an example of healthy but extreme unconscious identification with an other (who may be either a person or a cultural figure) is shamanistic possession. The author discusses this kind of phenomenon among African tribes and coins the term 'adorcism' (the opposite of exorcism) to refer to the process of invoking it. The theory of desire as presented in this book is other-oriented, as opposed to Freud's theory of desire, which istrictly object-oriented. The author sees Freud's theory as more in a long history of strategic misinterpretations of the psychology of desire, such as the classical theory of hysteria and the medieval theory of demonic possession. his critique of Freudian theory is radical, and in fact it would not be too much to say that he has moved toward the first new and well-developed theory of psychopathology since Freud.

The Motion of Puppets

The Motion of Puppets PDF Author: Keith Donohue
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1250057213
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
From the bestselling author of The Boy Who Drew Monsters and The Stolen Child comes a modern take on the Orpheus and Eurydice Myth—A Suspenseful tale of romance and enchantment In the Old City of Québec, Kay Harper falls in love with a puppet in the window of the Quatre Mains, a toy shop that is never open. She is spending her summer working as an acrobat with the cirque while her husband, Theo, is translating a biography of the pioneering photographer Eadweard Muybridge. Late one night, Kay fears someone is following her home. Surprised to see that the lights of the toy shop are on and the door is open, she takes shelter inside. The next morning Theo wakes up to discover his wife is missing. Under police suspicion and frantic at her disappearance, he obsessively searches the streets of the Old City. Meanwhile, Kay has been transformed into a puppet, and is now a prisoner of the back room of the Quatre Mains, trapped with an odd assemblage of puppets from all over the world who can only come alive between the hours of midnight and dawn. The only way she can return to the human world is if Theo can find her and recognize her in her new form. So begins the dual odyssey of Keith Donohue’s The Motion of Puppets: of a husband determined to find his wife, and of a woman trapped in a magical world where her life is not her own.

The Mimetic Brain

The Mimetic Brain PDF Author: Jean-Michel Oughourlian
Publisher: MSU Press
ISBN: 1628952474
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 307

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Book Description
The discovery of mirror neurons in the 1990s led to an explosion of research and debate about the imitative capacities of the human brain. Some herald a paradigm shift on the order of DNA in biology, while others remain skeptical. In this revolutionary volume Jean- Michel Oughourlian shows how the hypotheses of René Girard can be combined with the insights of neuroscientists to shed new light on the “mimetic brain.” Offering up clinical studies and a complete reevaluation of classical psychiatry, Oughourlian explores the interaction among reason, emotions, and imitation and reveals that rivalry—the blind spot in contemporary neuroscientific understandings of imitation—is a misunderstood driving force behind mental illness. Oughourlian’s analyses shake the very foundations of psychiatry as we know it and open up new avenues for both theoretical research and clinical practice.

The Genesis of Desire

The Genesis of Desire PDF Author: Jean-Michel Oughourlian
Publisher: MSU Press
ISBN: 1609171268
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 223

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Book Description
We seem to be abandoning the codes that told previous generations who they should love. But now that many of us are free to choose whoever we want, nothing is less certain. The proliferation of divorces and separations reveal a dynamic we would rather not see: others sometimes reject us as passionately as we are attracted to them. Our desire makes us sick. The throes of rivalry are at the heart of our attraction to one another. This is the central thesis of Jean-Michel Oughourlian's The Genesis of Desire, where the war of the sexes is finally given a scientific explanation. The discovery of mirror neurons corroborates his ideas, clarifying the phenomena of empathy and the mechanisms of violent reciprocity. How can a couple be saved when they have declared war on one another? By helping them realize that desire originates not in the self but in the other. There are strategies that can help, which Dr. Oughourlian has prescribed successfully to his patients. This work, alternating between case studies and more theoretical statements, convincingly defends the possibility that breakups need not be permanent.

The Puppet

The Puppet PDF Author: Ibrahim al-Koni
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 1477308938
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 130

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Book Description
The Puppet, a mythic tale of greed and political corruption, traces the rise, flourishing, and demise of a Saharan oasis community. Aghulli, a noble if obtuse man who has been chosen leader of the oasis, hankers after the traditional nomadic pastoralist life of the Tuareg. He sees commerce (understood as including trade in gold, marriage, agriculture, and even recreation) as the prime culprit in the loss of the nomadic ethos. Thus he is devastated to learn that his supporters are hoarding gold. The novel's title notwithstanding, the author has stressed repeatedly that he is not a political author. He says that The Puppet portrays a good man who has been asked to lead a corrupt society. The subplot about star-crossed young lovers introduces a Sufi theme of the possibility of transforming carnal into mystical love. The Puppet, though, is first and foremost a gripping, expertly crafted tale of bloody betrayal and revenge inspired by gold lust and an ancient love affair.

The Puppet

The Puppet PDF Author: Tyrone Zuhaire
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 0595396542
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 144

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Book Description
A New Genre of Self-Help(c) Welcome to the Puppet show, filled with characters that have lost emotional internal battles and external social wars, for which they were unarmed. The hip-hop group Mobb Deep couldn't have said it better, "There's a war going on outside and no man can escape from, you can run but you can't hide forever." It's time to stop running from yourself, and face the worst enemy (inner-me). Stories Include: The Police Officer Puppet. A man who suffered post-traumatic stress and anxiety as a result of his deceased father's unruly behaviors in the past. Obsessed with being better than his father in every way his behavior was misdirected and he becomes even worse off. Unable to let go of the abuse and damage that his father caused, he became a slave to his father's sin. The Puppet with the MBA. A story of how power and money were George's gods. Possessions accumulated over generations were kept within his family-and there weren't many families like his. The story is symbolic of the heads of gold (upper class) in America that abuse its feet of copper. The Inner City Puppet, an exclusive true tale of the author's inspirational experience. Also: The Gay Puppet The Video Vixen Puppet The 9-to-5 Puppet The Biracial Puppet The Asian Puppet And More.

Alterity

Alterity PDF Author: Jean-Michel Oughourlian
Publisher: MSU Press
ISBN: 1628954949
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 118

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Book Description
Through the lens of mimetic theory, distinguished French psychiatrist Jean-Michel Oughourlian shows how to spot and address rivalry in our lives and become open to healthier, more genuine relationships. This important study demonstrates the toxic and pathogenic mechanisms at work in physical ailments and mental disturbances and reveals a common cause: alterity, the other. Oughourlian maintains that the real question in attempting to resolve issues of rivalry is not “What is your problem?” but rather “Who is your problem?” This type of discord with the other—be it a friend, colleague, or family member—becomes visible through generalized stress. This stress manifests in psychosomatic symptoms and may even contribute to the development of organic diseases. The most important factor in healing these maladies, then, is to recognize the other with whom we are in rivalry.

The Puppet and the Dwarf

The Puppet and the Dwarf PDF Author: Slavoj Zizek
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262261308
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 197

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Book Description
One of our most daring intellectuals offers a Lacanian interpretation of religion, finding that early Christianity was the first revolutionary collective. Slavoj Žižek has been called "an academic rock star" and "the wild man of theory"; his writing mixes astonishing erudition and references to pop culture in order to dissect current intellectual pieties. In The Puppet and the Dwarf he offers a close reading of today's religious constellation from the viewpoint of Lacanian psychoanalysis. He critically confronts both predominant versions of today's spirituality—New Age gnosticism and deconstructionist-Levinasian Judaism—and then tries to redeem the "materialist" kernel of Christianity. His reading of Christianity is explicitly political, discerning in the Pauline community of believers the first version of a revolutionary collective. Since today even advocates of Enlightenment like Jurgen Habermas acknowledge that a religious vision is needed to ground our ethical and political stance in a "postsecular" age, this book—with a stance that is clearly materialist and at the same time indebted to the core of the Christian legacy—is certain to stir controversy.

You Will Call Me Drog

You Will Call Me Drog PDF Author: Sue Cowing
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books ®
ISBN: 1467732230
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 227

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Book Description
Parker is a normal sixth grader—or he was normal before the puppet. It’s just an old hand puppet, sticking out of a garbage can, and even though Parker’s best friend says leave it, Parker brings the puppet home and tries it on. Or maybe it tries him on. “You will call me Drog!” the puppet commands once they’re alone. And now, no matter how hard Parker tries, he can’t get Drog off his hand. Drog is sarcastic, cruel, unpredictable, and loud—everything Parker isn’t. Worse yet, no one believes that Drog—not Parker—is the one saying the outrageous things that get Parker into trouble. Then Drog starts sharpening his snarky wit on the most fragile parts of Parker’s life—like his parents’ divorce. Parker’s shocked, but deep down he agrees with Drog a little. Perhaps Drog is saying things Parker wants to say after all. Maybe the only way to get rid of Drog is to truly listen to him.

The Genesis of Desire

The Genesis of Desire PDF Author: Jean-Michel Oughourlian
Publisher: Studies in Violence, Mimesis &
ISBN:
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
Our desire makes us sick. The throes of rivalry are at the heart of our attraction to one another. This is the central thesis of Jean-Michel Oughourlian's The Genesis of Desire, where the war of the sexes is finally given a scientific explanation. The discovery of mirror neurons corroborates his ideas, clarifying the phenomena of empathy and the mechanisms of violent reciprocity.