Metapsychology and the Foundations of Psychoanalysis

<p><em>Metapsychology and the Foundations of Psychoanalysis</em> redresses faults in Freud’s original conception to develop a coherent theoretical basis for psychodynamic theory. Simon Boag demonstrates that Freud’s much maligned ‘metapsychology’, once revised, can provide a foundation for evaluating and integrating the plethora of psychodynamic perspectives, by developing a philosophically-informed position that addresses the embodied, interconnected relationship between motivation, cognition and affects. </p><p>The book centres upon the major concepts in psychoanalysis, including the notion of unconscious mental processes, wish-fulfilment, fantasy, and repression. Both philosophical considerations and empirical evidence are brought to bear upon these topics, and used to extract the valuable insights from major approaches. As a result, Boag’s revised general psychology, which stays true to Freud’s intention, addresses psychoanalytic pluralism and shows it is possible to develop a unified account, integrating the insights from attachment theory and object relational approaches and acknowledging the rightful role for neuropsychoanalysis.</p><p><em>Metapsychology and the Foundations of Psychoanalysis</em> will be of interest to psychoanalysts, psychiatrists, philosophers of mind and psychologists, as well as anyone concerned with neuropsychoanalysis or psychoanalysis and attachment theory. </p> <p>Introduction 1. The Metaphysics of Metapsychology 2. The biological foundations of personality: drives and affects 3. Repression and the metapsychology of defence 4. The metapsychology of the unconscious 5. The metapsychology of the self 6. The metapsychology of object relations Conclusion</p>