The Mind's Affective Life: A Psychoanalytic and Philosophical Inquiry

Summary

The Mind's Affective Life is a refreshing and innovative examination of the relationship between feeling and thinking. Our thoughts and behaviour are shaped by both our emotions and reason; yet until recently most of the literature analysing thought has concentrated largely on philosophical reasoning and neglected emotions.
This book is an original and provocative contribution to the rapidly growing literature on the neglected "affective" dimensions of modern thought. The author draws on contemporary psychoanalysis, philosophy, feminist theory and recent innovations in neuroscience to argue that in order to to understand thought, we need to consider not only both emotional and rational aspects of thought but also the complex interactions between these different aspects. Only through such a rich and complicated understanding of modern thought can we hope to avoid what the author identifies as a significant contemporary problems for individuals and cultures; that is, suppression or denial of intolerable states of feeling.
The Mind's Affective Life will appeal to and inspire students and practitioners of philosophy, psychoanalysis, psychotherapy and women's studies. It will also be of great interest to anyone interested in the interaction of feeling and thinking.

Table of Contents

The Fragility of "Pure Reason". From Philosophy to Epistemophily. Thinking Affects. A Passion for Reason. Minding the Body. The "Terminology" of Affects. Affective Knowledge. The Price of Maturity. Toward Effective Literacy. Affects and Narratives. Affects and Identity. Affects and Indifference.

Author(s) Bio

Gemma Corradi Fiumara is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Third University of Rome, and a training member of the International Psychoanalytic Association.

Reviews

'... a major contribution to the neglected subject of human feelings' - Arnold H. Modell, Harvard Medical School

'This book is a remarkable contribution to an understanding of the role of affects in the construction and survival of psychic life' - Joyce McDougall, Member of the New York Freudian Society

`Professor Fiumara's rich, detailed, thoughtful analysis both enriches and sharpens the reader's understanding of a complex and highly actual subject of psychoanalytic and philosophical inquiry' - Otto Kernberg, President, International Psychoanalytic Association