NEW YORK PSYCHOANALYTIC SOCIETY & INSTITUTE:
Arnold Pfeffer Center for Neuropsychoanalysis
Marianne and Nicholas Young Auditorium
247 East 82nd St., between 2nd & 3rd, NY, NY 10028
212-879-6900, www.psychoanalysis.org, www.nypsi.org
Saturday, February 2, 2013, 10 am – 12 pm, Donations accepted
Aikaterini Fotopoulou, Ph.D.
Senior Lecturer at the Psychoanalysis Unit, Psychology Division,University College London
The “body-in-relation” self: psychodynamic and neural mechanisms of joined salience
The notion of a socially constituted self has had many different voices in psychoanalysis, philosophy, and developmental psychology. In one view, an individual’s mind is uniquely shaped by the embodied encounter with other living beings and hence the bodily nucleus of our self is seen as intrinsically intersubjective. To paraphrase Freud’s famous description, the self is first and foremost a body-in-relation-self. This perspective has recently been taken up by the new, prolific field of Cognitive Social Neuroscience. In their attempt to describe the mechanisms by which humans bridge the gap between first-person experience (I want, I see, or, I think) and third-person observation (she feels, he sees, they think) most studies in this field debate whether first-person experience (via identification/simulation/the mirror neuron system) or third-person experience (via mentalizing/theory of mind) is primary in understanding other minds and one’s own. Taking inspiration from certain approaches in psychoanalysis and phenomenology, as well as recent computational models in the neurosciences, I will present a set of studies that instead highlight the role of the 2nd-person perspective in embodied consciousness. We have particularly focused on the psychological and neural mechanisms by which our bodily feelings are influenced by internalised social expectations, on-line interactions with other people and neuropeptides known to enhance social cognition. These studies point to unique neural mechanisms by which our bodies are interpersonally ‘mentalized’ to form the basis of our selves.
Discussant: Mark Solms, Ph.D.
Students, academics and clinical professionals in the analytic community are encouraged to attend. Members of the public are also welcome.
For more information: admdir@nypsi.org
Educational Objectives: After attending, participants will be able to
1. Describe how the body is represented in the mind and in the brain.
2. Define “interoception” and highlight how it differs from exteroception.
3. Discuss at least two ways in which different psychoanalytic and neuroscientific models conceive intersubjectivity.
4. Name at least two ways in which empathy from one’s partner affects one’s pain perception.
Information regarding CME credit for psychiatrists:
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of the American Psychoanalytic Association and the New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute. The American Psychoanalytic Association is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The American Psychoanalytic Association designates this Live Activity for a maximum of [2] AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE INFORMATION FOR ALL LEARNERS: None of the planners and presenters of this CME program have any relevant financial relationships to disclose.
Information regarding CE credit for psychologists:
The New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education programs for psychologists. NYPSI maintains responsibility for this program and its content. APA-approved CE credits are granted to participants with documented attendance and completed evaluation forms. Upon receipt of the completed evaluation form, attendees will receive a PDF via email documenting CE credits.
Persons with disabilities: This building is wheelchair accessible.
IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE: None of the planners and presenters of this CE program have any relevant financial relationships to disclose.
For information about NYPSI training programs please visit us at