The Linked Self in Psychoanalysis: The Pioneering Work of Enrique Pichon Riviere

The New International Library of Group Analysis

by Enrique Pichon-Rivière, Roberto Losso (editor), Lea S. de Setton (editor)

Enrique Pichon Riviere was a pioneering psychoanalyst, writing in Spanish in Argentina in the middle of the 20th century. He has never been translated into English, so his ideas are only known indirectly through the work of students and colleagues. His work has inspired not only the succeeding generations of Latin American analysts, but also spawned the fields of analytic family therapy and dynamic group work and organizational consultation. This book presents Pichon-Riviere's groundbreaking work in English for the first time. The main papers represent his theory of psychoanalysis including the link (el vinculo), spiral process, the theory of unifying illness, the action of interpretation, and the role and capacity of working in groups and in the family group. The book has three sections. In the first, Roberto Losso and Lea S. de Setton narrate Pichon Riviere's biography relating elements of his life to his subsequent work. In the second part, the editors present several original texts of Pichon Riviere that demonstrate his multiplicity of interests, covering classic psychiatry, dynamic psychiatry, psychoanalysis, as well as group psychotherapy, family and couple psychotherapy, social psychology, and applied psychoanalysis. These writings testify to Pichon Riviere as an original thinker, years ahead of his time. In the third part, several commentators discuss Pichon Riviere's and clinical practice. These include Roberto Losso's contribution, a panorama of Pichon's ideas alongside his personal experience as Pichon's student. Rosa Jaitin describes the experience of teaching Pichon's ideas in Lyon, and in other French cities; Rene Kaes discusses meeting Pichon, and offers his translated introduction to the French version of the complete work of Pichon; Rosa Marcone interviews Ana P. de Quiroga, Pichon's life partner for many years and subsequently the director of the School of Social Psychology that Pichon founded; Alberto Eiguer narrates an experience with Pichon and his influence on Eiguer's ideas and writing; and Vicente Zito Lema gives his vision of Pichon's work from sociological and philosophical perspectives. Finally, David Scharff summarizes Pichon's major ideas and offers a comparison between these concepts and object relations theory. The book also includes a glossary by the editors of Pichon-Riviere's major concepts and terms.

317 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 8, 2018

About the author

Enrique Pichon-Rivière was a Swiss psychiatrist naturalized Argentine, considered one of the introducers of group psychoanalysis in Argentina and generator of the group theory known as Grupo operativo (Operative Groups).

In the 1940s he became one of the founding members of the Asociación Argentina de Psicoanálisis (-APA- Argentine Psychoanalytic Association) and in the 1950s participated in the creation of the first private school of Social Psychology and the Instituto Argentino de Estudios Sociales (-IADES-, Argentine Institute of Social Studies). The originality of his theory is based on the dialectical view of the functioning of the groups and the relationship between dialectic, homeostasis and cybernetic