Citation

Atwood GE. Int. J. Psychoan. Self Psychol. 2011; 6(4): 551-560.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15551024.2011.606966

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

A psychiatrist choosing to remain anonymous in this interview is asked about the role of beauty in the making of psychoanalytic interpretations. Are interpretations-of dreams, of symptoms, of patterns of conduct-that we find beautiful for that reason more likely to be true than those that are not perceived in this way? The psychiatrist offered the idea that a "true" interpretation is not in itself beautiful; rather, such an understanding renders beautiful that which has been interpreted. This occurs because formerly opaque, often confusing, images and actions suddenly become transparent, allowing the inner truth of a life to shine through with great clarity. Two examples of interpretations involving such emergent experiences of the beautiful are given: one focusing on a dream that metaphorically-and beautifully-depicted a child's struggle to survive a confusing situation of profound early sexual abuse and the other pertaining to a bleak deterministic philosophy leading a young man toward despair and suicide, a philosophy that itself turned out to beautifully express and symbolize an experience of lonely imprisonment within controlling parental agendas. © The International Association for Psychoanalytic Self Psychology.

Language: en

Keywords

Sexual abuse; Aesthetic; Beauty; Transparency; Dream; Interpretation; Soul