https://doi.org/10.4081/rp.2021.495

The Embodiment of "Us and Them": Fascist Experience in a Traumatized World

Vol. 32 No. 2 (2021)
Submitted: November 12, 2020
Accepted: March 7, 2021
Published: August 26, 2021
Embodiment, trauma, fascist experience, us vs them, relational psychoanalysis.
Abstract Views: 3973
PDF (Italiano): 219
PDF: 255
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Authors

Jon Sletvold
j-sle@online.no
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4053-4325
Psy, D., Norwegian Character Analytic Institute, Oslo, Norway.
Doris Brothers
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4134-1920
The Training and Research in Intersubjective Self Psychology Foundation; The International Association for Psychoanalytic Self Psychogy, United States.

This paper represents an attempt to demonstrate that "us vs them," the binary that lies at the heart of fascist experience, is embodied. The authors suggest that fascist experience is not merely political but that it infiltrates many aspects of our personal and professional lives. To accomplish their aims the authors focus on two inextricably intertwined strands of psychoanalytic theorizing: traumatic experience and human embodiment. Clinical vignettes illustrating the challenges faced by analysts in working with patients who support a fascist-leaning leader are provided. The paper concludes by suggesting that the emphasis on argument and dialogue in relational psychoanalysis counters the seductions of fascist experience.

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How to Cite

Sletvold, J., & Brothers, D. (2021). The Embodiment of "Us and Them": Fascist Experience in a Traumatized World. Ricerca Psicoanalitica, 32(2). https://doi.org/10.4081/rp.2021.495

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