
Episode 9: Theater of Minds—On Dramaturgic Awareness
Lives of the Unconscious. A Podcast on Psychoanalysis and PsychotherapyShow Notes
The world is a stage—the couch too? So many scenes, sometimes even true dramas, play out in our minds. In everyday life we slip into the most diverse roles; the two protagonists we call patient and therapist are no exception. This episode deals with how, within the therapeutic setting, our unconscious sets the stage for these roles and how psychoanalysts understand these situations.
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Envy can arise wherever there exists inequality between people: in societies and families, between siblings, genders, and generations. “Envy is the tax which all distinction must pay” (R.W. Emerson). Envy has a bad reputation, at times even considered taboo, and yet still it proves to be ever-present. This episode explores the psychoanalytic understanding of envy and its implications for society and therapeutic processes, such as the phenomenon known as ‘negative therapeutic reaction.’ However, envy is not only destructive, but is also a driving force of human development.
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