Metaphor in psychosis: on the possible convergence of Lacanian theory and neuro-scientific research

Starting from the theories of leading psychiatrists, like Kraepelin and de Clerambault, the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan (1901-1981) formulated an original theory of psychosis, focusing on the subject and on the structuring role of language. In particular, he postulated that language makes up the experience of subjectivity and that psychosis is marked by the absence of a crucial metaphorization process. Interestingly, in contemporary psychiatry there is growing empirical evidence that schizophrenia is characterized by abnormal interpretation of verbal and non-verbal information, with a great difficulty to put such information in the appropriate context. Neuro-scientific contributions have investigated this difficulty suggesting the possibility of interpreting schizophrenia as a semiotic disorder which makes the patients incapable of understanding the figurative meaning of the metaphoric speech, probably due to a dysfunction of certain right hemisphere areas, such as the right temporoparietal junction and the right superior/middle temporal gyrus. In this paper we first review the Lacanian theory of psychosis and neuro-scientific research in the field of symbolization and metaphoric speech. Next, we discuss possible convergences between both approaches, exploring how they might join and inspire one another. Clinical and neurophysiological research implications are discussed

De architect als ambtenaar : Philippe Van Boxmeer (1863-1955) aan het hoofd van de Mechelse bouwadministratie (1893-1913)

In 1893, Philippe Van Boxmeer (1863-1955) was the third person to be appointed city architect of the Belgian town of Mechelen. Some major cities such as Antwerp and Ghent had already instituted a city architect in the eighteenth century, and during the nineteenth century many smaller Belgian cities like Mechelen followed their example. Attention to the role and significance of these municipal architects has grown considerably in current research, and the Van Boxmeer case too provides an interesting perspective on the function and activities of governmental architects in medium-sized towns around 1900. Van Boxmeer was responsible for the iconic (although sometimes controversial) restoration of some of Mechelen’s major monuments. Among other buildings, he restored the former town hall ‘De Beyaert’ in a historicizing style and reconstructed the so-called ‘Keldermans wing’ at the old clothmakers’ hall by following Rombout II Keldermans’ original plans. Inspired by initiatives in other Belgian cities at the time, he also successfully implemented a funding system for the restoration of private historical facades, demonstrating an awareness of contemporary developments. During his career as a city architect, he applied this scheme to restore some fifteen historically and architecturally valuable facades of private homes. Where his predecessors had focused mainly on the modernization of the city, Van Boxmeer’s concern for its historical heritage was one of the focal points of his career. This shows that city architects could play an important role in heritage conservation. Nevertheless, Van Boxmeer did not focus exclusively on the town’s history. He certainly also had an eye for its future development and drew up ambitious plans to improve mobility in the city center and the periphery and to realize more public parks and gardens. Financial limitations, policy makers’ visions but also political intrigue had an impact on the ability of the city architect to effectuate his ideas. Already in Van Boxmeer’s recruiting, his local anchoring and (Roman Catholic) political affiliation had played a certain part. Four years of Liberal dominance in the city administration led to a crisis within the office of public works, which resulted in Van Boxmeer’s dismissal, be it only temporarily. Moreover, his ambitious urban planning designs were not or only partly realized, due to their high financial costs but also because of lack of political support. Our study of administrative archival documents relating to his realized projects was supplemented by a critical reading of Van Boxmeer’s memoirs. These proved a unique source for research on the subject, providing a highly personal perspective on the office of the city architect, and the opportunities and constraints entailed in working in public service

The logic of appearance : Dennett, phenomenology and psychoanalysis

In the present essay, we aim to develop and contrast three different positions toward Sellars’ distinction between the manifest and scientific images of man: Dennett’s philosophical reconstruction of neurocognitive science, contemporary phenomenology and psychoanalysis. We will suggest that these respective traditions and the substantial differences between them can be understood in terms of a ‘logic of appearance.’ Related to this are differing ideas about the rights and limits of the first-person perspective, the relation between conscious experience and belief, and the issue of naturalization. In the final part, we will try to specify, on the basis of a detailed reading of the disagreement between Dennett and phenomenology, in what way psychoanalytic theory could respond to these different issues

Expression and the unconscious

In the present essay, we aim to develop an expressivist reading of the phenomenon of first-person authority and the adverbial meaning of unconsciousness. In the first part, Wittgenstein's grammatical remarks on the asymmetry between the first -and third-persons in psychological self-ascriptions are developed as an alternative to detectivist explanations according to which first-person authority is to be regarded as a matter of epistemic accomplishment. In the second part, this expressivist account will be used to propose a non-epistemic analysis of the meaning of unconsciousness and to offer a critical discussion of both Freud's and Lacan's respective readings of the unconscious. Regarding the latter, we will reject the idea that the concept of the unconscious (i) necessitates the introduction of a (Cartesian) “subject of the unconscious” and (ii) could be deduced from the paradoxes of first-personal reference

Content matters, a qualitative analysis of verbal hallucinations

Auditory verbal hallucinations have traditionally especially been researched from a formbased approach, with content getting much less attention. In this article, we argue for the importance of looking at content to get a fuller understanding of the hallucinatory experience. Guided by Lacanian psychoanalysis, we conducted a thematic and a narrative analysis on interviews with 10 schizophrenic patients about their hallucinations. We discerned five themes in the data, which were based on Lacanian theory and had to do with existential questions: parenthood and authority, sexuality and relationships, gender identity, life in the light of death, and what does the other want? Furthermore, we added a theme for unclassified content. Narratively, we found that participants constructed a story of four steps about their hallucinatory experiences. These steps were disturbing events in the past posing an existential question, triggering event, period of confusion, and hearing voices that allude to existential themes. Participants succeed in different degrees in integrating their hallucinatory experiences in their own life history. These stories can be situated on a continuum by making use of three prototypical narrating styles: the meta-delusional, delusional, and chaotic narrative type. Overall, our analysis shows that hallucinations can both be thematically and narratively organized, by making use of a theoretical framework like Lacanian psychoanalysis. Our research demonstrates that hallucinatory contents are not random but are about existential issues imbedded in a life narrative. Future research would benefit of integrating content and form-based approaches