Threads of identity

ABSTRACT

Identity is a paradoxical expression for psychoanalysis because importance is placed on 'becoming', the decentring of subjectivity and the avoidance of rigid identifications. There is no settled understanding of metapsychological terms and practices or the relationship between theory and practice. The development of psychoanalysis in Asia creates wonderment and anxiety for both Western and Eastern psychoanalysts. Western psychoanalysts are concerned about the threat to Western ideals and sensibilities to define psychoanalytic identity. Eastern psychoanalysts question whether there can be sufficient space for the conception of Eastern subjectivity within a Western psychoanalysis or it represents a repetition of colonial othering. I suggest that there is a thread of identity that rests on the psychoanalytic attitude and state of mind. A state of mind is associated with Bion's idea of passion and Kristeva's notion of reliance. Chetrit-Vatine has extended these ideas to emphasise the importance of the psychoanalyst's receptive and ethical state of mind.

KEYWORDS:

• Identity
• otherness
• passion

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 I thank Clara Nemas for drawing my attention to Freud’s reference.