Papers by henry abramovitch
Journal of Analytical Psychology, Oct 1, 1997
Jung journal, 2012
Abstract Jay Sherry’s Carl Gustav Jung: Avant-Garde Conservative deals with the paradox that, as ... more Abstract Jay Sherry’s Carl Gustav Jung: Avant-Garde Conservative deals with the paradox that, as a psychologist, Jung was a revolutionary; however, in politics and art, he was a conservative. The book places Jung’s intellectual and political writing in their Germanic intellectual context and provides the first complete presentation of what Jung wrote about Jewish psychology and Nazism. Sherry suggests that personal factors led Jung to be blind to the danger of the Nazis. It also reveals many influences on Jung little known to the English-speaking world. Sherry is critical of R. F. C. Hull’s translation of Jung and shows that many passages were sanitized. The reviewer wonders if it is not time to call for a new translation of The Collected Works. The book makes an important contribution to Jung scholarship.
Elsevier eBooks, 2001
The sociology of death and dying has focused on changes in experience of the terminally ill, the ... more The sociology of death and dying has focused on changes in experience of the terminally ill, the attitudes of the bereaved, and the roles of professional helpers in terms of recent social trends (secularization, medicalization, individualism, death awareness). The discipline has been greatly influenced in content as well as methodology by psychiatry, anthropology, and social history, using techniques of participant observation, in-depth interviews, and historical comparisons. Sociologists have documented shifts from ‘the denial of death’ and the ‘loneliness of the dying’ toward truth telling in an open ‘awareness context’ and a ‘lingering dying trajectory.’ This has led to the development of new institutions (hospices), medical specialties (palliative care, grief therapy) and ideologies (‘death as the final stage of personal growth’). The rise of active euthanasia, organ transplantation, and cremation reveal deep-seated changes in attitudes toward the body, personhood, and identity, with important cross-national differences. Despite the broad trend toward the breakdown of traditional norms concerning death and dying in Western society, the sudden death of high-profile individuals (e.g., President Kennedy, Princess Diana) may temporarily recreate the solidarity of an imagined community of mourners.
Transcultural Psychiatry, Dec 1, 2006
This article discusses two aspects of Wittgenstein's Jewish heritage. First, we try to show that ... more This article discusses two aspects of Wittgenstein's Jewish heritage. First, we try to show that Wittgenstein was acutely aware of his own Jewish heritage and especially concerned about its potential influence on his work. Second, we suggest that the form of his work, specifically, his method of inquiry and the peculiar literary character of his work, bear a striking resemblance to that of Hebrew Talmud. Like other assimilated Jews of Central Europe, Wittgenstein may have been directly or indirectly exposed to Hebraic culture and Talmudic logic. An understanding of Wittgenstein's Jewish heritage provides an important and neglected perspective on his work. Key words biography • Judaism • philosophy • talmudic interpretation Ludwig Wittgenstein remains an intriguing and enigmatic figure who is said to have revolutionized 20th-century philosophy not once, but twice (Cavell, 1979; Fogelin, 1987). In his life, too, he was also a restless seeker of truth always 'going the bloody hard way' (Rhees, 1984). Ray Monk (1990), writing in his highly regarded biography notes,
Elsevier eBooks, 2015
The anthropology of death examines the diversity and commonalties in how human societies respond ... more The anthropology of death examines the diversity and commonalties in how human societies respond to the demise of its members. Anthropologists have documented the enormous cultural variation in the methods for disposing of the corpse, the expected behavior of the bereaved, and the ongoing relations between the living and their dead. Most cultures, however, do conceptualize death as a transition, or rite of passage, in which the fate of the corpse is linked to the ritual status of the mourners. The social impact of the death is related directly to the social status of the deceased and the type of death. The sudden, violent death of an important leader may paralyze a society, while the lingering death of a marginal stranger may pass unnoticed. Death rituals provide an opportunity to reassert core cultural values at a time of potential demoralization, and as such have important economic, political, and ideological aspects. Contemporary Western attitudes toward death, seen from a cross-cultural perspective, appear decidedly ‘deviant.’ Future research will focus on rituals and institutions, as well as on the impact of new technologies (medical, computer, space, etc.) on the changing conception of death.
Leonardo, 1977
This book consists of Barzun's six talks delivered at the National Gallery of Art in Washingt... more This book consists of Barzun's six talks delivered at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. But as great teachers have said, there is a very important difference between the spoken word and its written counterpart. Though Barzun is very much concerned with 'art' as a religious experience (Ol" the co~temporary failure for spiritual revitalization through art), the wntten remains of these lectures, for my taste, fall far short of their noble purpose. Nor does this book measure up to earlier and personally inspirational efforts in the Mellon Series such as Kenneth Clark's The Nude, Gombrich's Art and Illusion, Bronowski's Art As A Mode of Knowledge and, more recently, Heydenreich's study of Leonardo Da Vinci. So much for my disappointment. Barzun's cultured elitism ('art is of all subjects the last on which one should defer to judgements of the crowd, even a crowd waving paint brushes or T squares in their hand'), for example, leads him to wonder at the modem artists' hatred of the insti~utions of art, indeed of society as a whole, but never to consider the contemporary capitalization of art as an investment, turning artists into laborers for the collector-bosses. Barzun, speaking as the advocate of the art-consuming public, is exas~erated by art's adversary position toward society, espeCially the bourgeoisie, a tenn he finds particularly offensive. Barzun is frustrated, for he feels that 'western civilization has not had a new idea in fifty years'. Indeed, he concludes his first lecture: 'How did we get from the art of Botticelli and Palestrina to lasers and mirrors of "Light-piece" and the wooden concussions of "Knocking-piece"? By what sequence of aims and purposes has sculpture transformed itself from Michelangelo's "David" to Oldenberg's "Ice Bag"?' These current examples of artistic endeavor, Barzun feels, clash with the original and authentic ennobling, uplifting power of great art. Though it is clear that Barzun does not like what he sees these days, he does make a few valuable observations. Lack of a common core of beliefs has led to a confusing profusion of styles. Without 'stylistic clustering', the art consumer does not understand what is 'coming off when he stands in front of a blank canvas. In this 'vacuum of belie f', there are no public ceremonies, no common redemption. Contemporary art stands as an institution without a clear role, serving as a 'detergent' ('art for natural life') rather than, according to its classical roles, as 'sanctuary' ('art better than life') or 'enhancer' ('art for better life:). By embracing the techniques of 'systematic inversion', in which common sense is always wrong (' ... tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all'), artists spawn a selfrenewing 'avant-garde' in which the unconventional becomes a value in itself. In art criticism, it would be progress to be able to say: 'It is because I understand this work of art that I dislike it.' The new_ man and his art, Barzun prophesies, will not be individual, at least at first, but communal, because the West is at the end of a historical era beginning with the Renaissance. Perhaps, as a herald of a new 'communal art' founded on collective creativity in an effort to refashion communal values, these lectures will be of service to the artistic community.
Oxford University Press eBooks, May 23, 1996
Cahiers jungiens de psychanalyse, 2006
Dans Cahiers jungiens de psychanalyse Cahiers jungiens de psychanalyse 2006/3 (N° 119-120) 2006/3... more Dans Cahiers jungiens de psychanalyse Cahiers jungiens de psychanalyse 2006/3 (N° 119-120) 2006/3 (N° 119-120), pages 113 à 120 Éditions Les cahiers jungiens de psychanalyse Les cahiers jungiens de psychanalyse
The San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journal, Dec 23, 2013
The San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journal, 1987
Transcultural Psychiatry, Feb 1, 2012
Journal of Analytical Psychology, Aug 20, 2007
: This paper argues for a preventative approach to ethical violations through developing and mai... more : This paper argues for a preventative approach to ethical violations through developing and maintaining ethical awareness in training and in the group life of each society. Rather than teaching ethics as a theoretical subject, a method is proposed that encourages direct personal confrontation with ethical dilemmas through the consideration of key examples, in the Talmudic manner. This develops ethical ‘muscles’ and allows candidates to explore the dilemmas of what Primo Levi called the ‘grey zone’ where the boundaries between good and bad are unclear. Several illustrations of such ethical dilemmas are described, as used in workshops that the author has run in several societies and developing groups. In this way, ethical awareness becomes part of the group life of the society so that analysts become an ethical resource for each other.
The San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journal, Jun 1, 1984
... Page 2. The San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journal Volume 4, Number 4 1984 ... The deve... more ... Page 2. The San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journal Volume 4, Number 4 1984 ... The development of physical femininity in Sambia culture is seen as a natural process guided by a menstrual blood organ (tingu) which is the very essence of biological femaleness. ...
Journal of Analytical Psychology, Jan 19, 2021
This article describes the growth and development of Daniel as a master Biblical dream interprete... more This article describes the growth and development of Daniel as a master Biblical dream interpreter. In his clinical use of dreams, he is compared to a contemporary Jungian analyst who faces difficult clinical dilemmas such as interpreting a dream that is forgotten, understanding the difference between a ‘big dream’ and a personal dream, as well as the situation when a dream is interpreted within a dream. Daniel's technique is compared to traditional Jewish dream rituals. Although the Book of Daniel is usually considered as a series of disconnected episodes, the author argues that the sequence of chapters reveals the process of Daniel's individuation as described by Neumann's concept of centroversion.
Jung journal, Apr 3, 2022
UNP - Nebraska eBooks, Sep 7, 2017
Revue de psychologie analytique, Jun 30, 2017
Cet article explore certains défis dans la supervision du travail clinique des étudiants, appelés... more Cet article explore certains défis dans la supervision du travail clinique des étudiants, appelés « routers », qui vivent dans des pays avec des traditions culturelles, sociales et politiques diverses, par des analystes qui voyagent pour aller les superviser. Il se présente sous la forme d’un dialogue interactif entre les deux auteurs, qui explorent ensemble les effets de leur propre culture d’origine et, en particulier, l’héritage et les valeurs de leurs propres instituts de formation portant sur les styles et les modèles de supervision analytique. Leur dialogue s’articule autour du sens du chez-soi et des expériences de mal du pays chez les analystes qui travaillent loin de chez eux dans un champ interactif d’étrangetés dans les pays où la psychologie analytique est une discipline relativement nouvelle. Les auteurs exposent leurs propres constatations qualitatives tandis que d’autres superviseurs travaillant à l’étranger et ceux qu’ils ont supervisés décrivent leurs expériences et leurs rencontres avec la différence. Le dialogue se termine avec la discussion entre les deux auteurs sur ce qu’ils ont appris sur l’enseignement et la supervision à l’étranger, les implications liées à une utilisation plus souple des concepts jungiens et la façon dont ces visites ont changé leur pratique clinique dans leurs pays d’origine.
The Journal of Religion, Jul 1, 2008
Studi Junghiani, Apr 1, 2017
L’articolo analizza alcune delle sfide sollevate dalla supervisione clinica con i cosiddetti rout... more L’articolo analizza alcune delle sfide sollevate dalla supervisione clinica con i cosiddetti routers, le persone in formazione che vivono in paesi con tradizioni culturali, sociali e politiche diverse da quelle dei supervisori. In una sorta di dialogo, gli autori analizzano gli effetti che le loro culture originarie e i valori dei loro istituti di appartenenza hanno esercitato sugli stili e i modelli della supervisione analitica. Il dialogo ruota intorno al significato del concetto di "casa" e alla nostalgia che si prova lavorando all’estero; su cosa significhi essere stranieri in paesi in cui la psicologia analitica e una disciplina relativamente recente. Gli autori illustrano anche i risultati di un’indagine qualitativa nella quale gli analisti che lavorano all’estero e le persone supervisionate riflettono sulle loro esperienze e sull’incontro con la diversita. Il dialogo termina con una riflessione su cio che gli autori hanno imparato dal lavoro di supervisione in paesi diversi dal proprio e sulle implicazioni di una maggiore flessibilita nell’utilizzo dei concetti junghiani, nonche su quanto il viaggiare possa cambiare le modalita di lavoro.
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Papers by henry abramovitch