BPSI Archives Collections

Allen, Amy. Are We Driven: The Fate of the Aggressive Drive In Critical Social Theory. Silberger Lecture. 29 September, 2010.

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Recorded by the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute

Presenter: AMY ALLEN PhD. Professor of Philosophy and Parents Distinguished Research Professor in the Humanities at Darmouth College

Discussant: JOEL E. WHITEBOOK, PhD. Faculty, Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research; Co-Director, Columbia University Psychoanalytic Studies Program

There are deep historical connections between psychoanalytic theory and the critical social theory of the Frankfurt School which has drawn on psychoanalysis to enrich Marxist social theory, and to address the conundrums of failed revolutions: the problem of “false consciousness;” the substrate of sadomasochism immanent in obedience to authority; the always labile and often violent identifications constitutive of group psychology. These questions are as relevant now as ever, with psychoanalysts well-positioned to contribute clinical insights to an array of seemingly insoluble problems.

Professor Allen begins by considering why critical social theory needs psychoanalytic theory and which psychoanalytic theory might best meet those needs. She argues that recent critical theory has erred in giving up the notion of the aggressive drive, a mistake that might be corrected through a reconsideration of the work of Melanie Klein. Dr. Allen argues that for Klein, unlike Freud, drives are fundamentally relational, which makes Klein a better fit with critical theory which seeks to emphasize and illuminate the element of irrational forces in political and historical phenomena.

Event Type: Julius Silberger Scholar Lecture

Index Terms: Critical Social Theory - Allen, Amy - Silberger Lecture

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Preferred Citation

[Name of Recording], in the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute Event Records, The Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, Boston, MA, USA.

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