In the footsteps of Francesco Corrao: Reflections on a number of key problems in contemporary psychoanalysis

Abstract

In his work, Francesco Corrao has addressed cutting-edge themes developed in psychoanalysis between the 1960s and the 1980s. A contemporary re-reading of his writings offers a valuable opportunity to highlight central themes in today’s psychoanalysis, such as the epistemological approach to the reality of the unconscious, the theory of the drives, countertransference, new and different perspectives on the transference, the centrality of the Oedipus complex, and the way in which digital technology has affected both culture and psychoanalysis. It seems particularly noteworthy that, while on the one hand Corrao’s thinking preserves and integrates a part of the more recent contributions, on the other hand it provides a more solid redefinition of the fundamental elements of psychoanalysis, showing both the tensions that emerge from contemporary developments in psychoanalysis and culture, and a number of potential solutions.

Key words:

• Corrao
• Bion
• psychoanalytic field theory
• Italian field theory
• digital technology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Giuseppe Di Chiara

Giuseppe Di Chiara, MD, is a training and supervising psychoanalyst of the Italian Psychoanalytic Society, of which he was president from 1993–1997. He teaches at the Milan branch of the Training Institute of the Italian Psychoanalytic Society.