TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2011//
TI  - A discussion of philosophy and psychotherapy part 4-aesthetics: The question of the beautiful
JO  - International journal of psychoanalytic self psychology
A1  - Atwood, G.E.
SP  - 551
EP  - 560
VL  - 6
IS  - 4
N2  - 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.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1555-1024
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15551024.2011.606966
ID  - ref1
ER  -