Psychology and social processes

FRANCESCO GAZZILLO

At the end of this course, the students who will pass the exam will have acquired basic knowledges about the main classical and modern models of psychoanalysis, and will be able to compare them and to discuss their validity according to the more relevant results of empirical research on normal and pathological development and on the efficacy of psychotherapies.
Students who will pass the exam will be able also to identify the clinical implications of the principal classical and contemporary psychoanalytic models e to read and critically understand psychodynamic literature.

Knowledge and understanding
At the end of this course, student will have acquired basic knowledges about the principal psychoanalytic models of healthy and pathological psychic functioning and on the development of personality.

Applying knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, the students will be able to read and understand the essays of the main authors of psychoanalytic thinking and to elaborate basic hypotheses on the core conflicts and defense mechanisms utilized by a patient whose clinical case has been read.

Making judgements
In order to help the development of critical judgement in students, during the lessons the different psychoanalytic models will be contrasted and clinical vignettes will be presented to show how the different psychodynamic models enable a different understanding of those cases and have different clinical implications.

Communication skills
During the lessons, the active participation of the students to theoretical and clinical discussions will be favoured so that the students will be able to improve their ability to communicate their reflections about the different dynamic models using the correct terminology.

Learning skills
During the lessons, specific essays of the more important dynamic authors will be introduced to the students so that they could deepen and widen their basic knowledges and competencies in psychodynamic thinking.

At the end of the course, students will have learned basic knowledge about the principal psychoanalytic models developed by Freudian psychoanalysis, starting from Freud and ending with contemporary psychoaalysis.

Basi knowledge of general psychology, history of psychology and psychopathology

the course will show the fundamental concepts of the main models of Freudian psychoanalysis, with particular attention to their hypotheses concerning psychic development, core conflicts, psychopathology, and theory of technique.
The authors that will receive more attention are Sigmund Freud, Anna Freud e the American ego psychology, Melanie Klein, Wilfred Bion, Ronald Fairbairn, Donald Winnicott, Margaret Mahler, John Bowlby and his attachment theory, Heinz Kohut, the intersubjectivity and US relational authors, Joseph Lichtenberg, Otto Kernberg and the Control-Mastery Theory.

Bader, M. (2018). Eccitazione. La logica segreta delle fantasie sessuali. Raffaello Cortina, Milano.
Bowlby, J. (1988). Una base Sicura. Tr. it Raffaello Cortina, Milano 1989.
Gazzillo, F., Ortu, F. (2013). Sigmund Freud. La costruzione di un sapere. Carocci, Roma.
Gazzillo, F., Dazzi, N. (in press). Prospettive psicoanalitiche sulla mente umana. Carocci, Roma.
Gazzillo, F. (2022). Fidarsi dei pazienti. Raffaello Cortina, Milano.
Materiale fornito dal docente.

Oral exam consisting in about 5 questions; in order to pass the exam is necessary to give correct and exhaustive answers to questions about Sigmund Freud.

Classical lessons with a special part dedicated to Control-Mastery Theory

The answer to each of the five questions proposed to the student will receive from 1 to 6 points according to its precision and comprehensiveness.

The topic model of the psyche
From the topic to the structural model
The primary emotional development according to Winnictt
The concept of selfobject in Kohut

• Sigmund Freud (30 hours)
  • Books: "Introductory lectures to psychoanalysis" by Freud


• Anna Freud (2 hours)
  • Books: "Normality and pathology in childhood" by Anna Freud


• Ego psychology (4 hours)
  • Books: "Object relations and psychoanalytic theory" by Greenberg & Mitchell


• Melanie Klein (4 hours)
  • Books: "Object relations and psychoanalytic theory" by Greenberg & Mitchell


• Wilfred Bion (4 hours)
  • Books: "Bion: an introduction" by Abel-Hirsch


• Donald Winnicott (4 hours)
  • Books: "Object relations and psychoanalytic theory" by Greenberg & Mitchell


• Ronald Fairbairn (4 hours)
  • Books: "Object relations and psychoanalytic theory" by Greenberg & Mitchell


• John Bowlby (4 hours)
  • Books: "A secure base" by John Bowlby


• Heinz Kohut (2 hours)
  • Books: "Object relations and psychoanalytic theory" by Greenberg & Mitchell


• The intersubjective approach (2 hours)
  • Books: "Contexts of being" by Stolorow & Atwood


• From Margareth Mahler to infant research (4 hours)
  • Books: "The interpersonal world of the infant" by Daniel Stern


• Interpersonal and relational psychoanalysis (4 hours)
  • Books: "Relationality" by Stephen Mitchell


• Control-Mastery Theory (4 hours)
  • Books: "Transformative relationships" by Goerge Silberschatz