Intuition and we-ness in Bion and post-Bionian field theory

ABSTRACT

“Intuition” is probably the most frequently used term in all Bion’s writings. However, in order to understand its role in his thought it is essential to give it the clearest possible definition. The thesis of this article is that by intuition Bion means a “specific” psychoanalytic concept. It is thus possible to extract intuition from the vague and mystifying reading of it by some authors, whic runs the risk of falling into an empty “intuitionism”. For Bion, intuition is a psychoanalytic function of the analyst, the principal factors of which are the various expressions of dream-thought and insight. Furthermore, within the frame of the post-Bionian theory of the analytic field, the author suggests adding to these factors the use of the “we” vertex (or we-ness), i.e. to regard virtually every fact of analysis as co-created. The aim is to make the very concept of “field” more accessible. Compared with the metaphor of the analytic field, the concept of we-ness has both greater clinical versatility and greater pregnancy on the metapsychological plane. Indeed, it more directly reflects a radically social conception of human subjectivity: what is known in contemporary speculative thought – in J-L. Nancy, for example – as the “ontology of we”.

L'intuition et le-nous chez Bion et dans la théorie du champ post-bionnien

«Intuition» est probablement le terme le plus fréquemment usité dans les écrits de Bion. Cependant, afin de comprendre son rôle dans la pensée de Bion, il est essentiel d'en donner la définition la plus claire possible. La thèse que défend l'auteur dans cet article est que, pour Bion, l'intuition est un concept psychanalytique «spécifique». Ainsi, il est possible d'extraire l'intuition de sa lecture vague et mystificatrice en usage chez certains auteurs, mais cela pourrait entraîner le risque de tomber dans un «intuitionnisme» vide. Pour Bion, l'intuition est une fonction psychanalytique de l'analyste, dont les principaux facteurs sont les différentes expressions de la pensée de rêve et de l'insight. De plus, l'auteur suggère d'ajouter à ces facteurs, au sein du cadre de la théorie du champ analytique post-bionnien, l'utilisation cohérente et radicale du vertex du «nous» (ou le-nous), c'est-à-dire de considérer virtuellement chaque facteur de l'analyse comme étant co-créé. L'objectif poursuivi est de rendre le concept de «champ» plus accessible. Comparé à la métaphore du champ analytique, le concept du «nous» est à la fois cliniquement plus polyvalent et plus prégnant au niveau métapsychologique. En effet, il reflète plus directement une conception sociale radicale de la subjectivité humaine, ce qui est défini dans la pensée spéculative contemporaine – chez J.L. Nancy par exemple, comme «l'ontologie du nous».

Intuition und Wir-Gefühl bei Bion und der Post-Bionschen Feldtheorie

Der Begriff "Intuition" ist wahrscheinlich der am häufigsten verwendete Begriff in Bions gesamten Schriften. Um seine Rolle in seinem Denken zu verstehen, ist es jedoch unerlässlich, ihn so klar wie möglich zu definieren. Die These dieses Artikels ist, dass Bion mit Intuition ein "spezifisches" psychoanalytisches Konzept meint. Es ist also möglich, die Intuition aus der vagen und rätselhaften Lesart einiger Autoren herauszulösen, aber dies birgt die Gefahr, in einen leeren "Intuitionismus" zu verfallen. Für Bion ist die Intuition eine psychoanalytische Funktion des Analytikers, deren Hauptfaktoren die verschiedenen Ausdrucksformen des Traumdenkens und der Einsicht sind. Darüber hinaus schlägt der Autor im Rahmen der post-Bionschen Theorie des analytischen Feldes vor, zu diesen Faktoren den kohärenten und radikalen Gebrauch des "Wir"-Scheitelpunkts (oder "Wir-Seins") hinzuzufügen: das heißt, praktisch jede Tatsache der Analyse als miterschaffen zu betrachten. Ziel ist es, das Konzept des "Feldes" selbst zugänglicher zu machen. Im Vergleich zur Metapher des analytischen Feldes ist das Konzept des Wir-Seins sowohl klinisch vielseitiger als auch auf metapsychologischer Ebene aussagekräftiger. In der Tat spiegelt es direkter eine radikal soziale Konzeption menschlicher Subjektivität wider: das, was im zeitgenössischen spekulativen Denken - etwa bei J-L. Nancy, zum Beispiel - als "Ontologie des Wir" bezeichnet wird.

Intuizione e senso del noi in Bion e nella teoria post-bioniana del campo analitico

Il termine ‘intuizione’ è probabilmente il più frequente in assoluto che Bion utilizza nei suoi scritti. Pertanto, per capirne il pensiero è essenziale darne una definizione il più possibile chiara. La tesi del lavoro è che per intuizione Bion intenda uno ‘specifico’ concetto psicoanalitico. È così possibile sottrarre l’intuizione alla lettura vaga e misticheggiante che pure ne fanno alcuni autori, ma correndo così il rischio di cadere in un vuoto ‘intuizionismo’. Per Bion, l’intuizione è una funzione psicoanalitica dell’analista i cui fattori principali sono le varie espressioni del pensiero onirico e l’insight. Inoltre, entro la cornice della teoria post-bioniana del campo analitico, l’autore propone di aggiungere a questi fattori l’uso coerente e radicale del vertice del ‘noi’ (o we-ness), cioè di guardare virtualmente a ogni fatto dell’analisi come co-creato. Lo scopo è sia di rendere più accessibile il concetto stesso di ‘campo’. Rispetto alla metafora del campo analitico, il concetto del noi ha sia una maggiore versatilità clinica che una maggiore pregnanza sul piano metapsicologico. Difatti, riflette più direttamente una concezione radicalmente sociale della soggettività umana, ciò che nel pensiero speculativo contemporaneo, per esempio in J.-L. Nancy, è noto come ‘ontologia del noi’.

Intuición y nostridad en Bion y en la teoría posbioniana del campo analítico

Intuición es, probablemente, el término más frecuente en los escritos de Bion. Por tanto, para comprender el rol que desempeña en su pensamiento, es indispensable darle la definición más clara posible. El presente artículo plantea que Bion entiende por intuición un concepto psicoanalítico específico. Se puede extraer el concepto de intuición?? de las lecturas vagas y desorientadoras llevadas a cabo por algunos autores, pero se corre el riesgo de caer en un intuicionismo vacío. Para Bion, la intuición es una función psicoanalítica del analista, cuyos principales factores son las diversas expresiones del pensamiento onírico y del insight. Además, en el marco de la teoría posbioniana del campo analítico, el autor sugiere añadir a estos factores el uso coherente y radical del vértice “nosotros” (o nostridad/we-ness): es decir, considerar prácticamente todo hecho del análisis como una cocreación. El objetivo es hacer más comprensible el concepto mismo de “campo”. Comparado con la metáfora del campo analítico, el concepto de nostridad (we-ness), o sentido del nosotros, tiene mayor versatilidad clínica y una mayor pregnancia en el plano metapsicológico. Por cierto, refleja más directamente una concepción radicalmente social de la subjetividad humana: lo que se conoce en el pensamiento especulativo contemporáneo –en J.-L. Nancy, por ejemplo– como la “ontología del nosotros”.

KEYWORDS:

• Intuition
• we-ness
• reverie
• analytic field
• Bion
• “ontology of we”

Disclosure statement

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

Notes

1 The article consists of an expansion of a short paper presented at the Bion International Online Conference Mexico 2022, “Oneiric Dimensions of the Mind”, and subsequently published as such (Civitarese 2023a).

2 “A central part is played by alpha-function in transforming an emotional experience into alpha-elements because a sense of reality matters to the individual in the way that food, drink, air and excretion of waste products matter. Failure to eat, drink or breathe properly has disastrous consequences for life itself. Failure to use the emotional experience produces a comparable disaster in the development of the personality; I include amongst these disasters degrees of psychotic deterioration that could be described as death of the personality” (Bion 1962, 42).

3 Hereafter FT.

4 I cannot dwell at length on this concept, which I have addressed elsewhere (Civitarese 2019, 2019b, 2020). Suffice it to say, we can pragmatically understand O as the basic assumption of the group of two: that is, the unconscious emotion which pervades the analyst–patient group at a given moment. If we accept this reading, the consequence is that any intuition can only be directed at grasping the ever-changing nature of O.

5 https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/eidetico/

6 Cf. Bion (1962, 42): “an emotional experience cannot be conceived of in isolation from a relationship”.

7 “The intuitive psycho-analytic background is that which I have ‘bound' by terms such as pre-conception, definition, notation, attention” (Bion 1965, 138).

8 As is often the case, musical improvisation is the most illuminating model with regard to the concept of intuition. However, in order not to limit ourselves to an obvious and overused analogy, it would be necessary to develop it in terms of an ontology of the body and movement, such as that of Merleau-Ponty. In this respect, see Angelino (2014).

9 The theory of functions is one of the key features of Bion’s thought, where it means enabling the construction of provisional models to delineate the psychic elements and their functioning. Despite being uttered in passing, the significance Bion gives to the concept of “function”, which appears a total of 965 times in his complete works and mirrors his “processual” rather than substantialist view of the unconscious, is very much worth noting. Bion assigns this concept the task of putting terms from different categories into relation with each other within the same system, as is the case for the mathematical functions: “‘Function' is the name for the mental activity proper to a number of factors operating in consort. ‘Factor’ is the name for a mental activity operating in consort with other mental activities to constitute a function. Factors are deducible from observation of the functions of which they, in consort with each other, are a part. They can be theories or the realities the theories represent … Factors are deduced not directly but by observation of functions” (1962, 7).

10 In reality, even though I make it mine here for the sake of simplicity, this view is still too coloured by Cartesianism.

11 In Italian “she” is “lei”, which with a capital letter is also the formal way of saying “you”. The patient is thinking simultaneously of a safe place being provided by her friend and also by her analyst.

12 Translator's note: there is an untranslatable play here on “porta”, which means both a door and the third person indicative of the verb to carry, to bring. The analyst says “ qualcosa che la porta ad agire”.