Raffaello Cortina Editore
Mirroring Brains
How we Understand Others from the Inside
di Giacomo Rizzolatti, Corrado Sinigaglia
editore: Raffaello Cortina Editore
pagine: 180
"Since their discovery in the mid-1990’s, mirror neurons have been one of the most intriguing and hotly debated topic in an amazing variety of disciplines, ranging from cognitive neuroscience and psychology to philosophy and anthropology. For this reason, we decided 10 years ago to write a book together in order to describe the functional properties of these apparently ‘magic’ neurons. The book had a great and long lasting success, with several translations in other languages. However, over the last few years a great deal of findings provided a much more detailed picture about the extent of mirror neurons and their properties. Indeed, mirror neurons have been found in very different species and in very different brain structures. And several studies suggested that they may function in a much more complex way than previously thought. This lead some scholars to advance doubts about the actual role of these neurons in cognition. Thus, a great challenge seems to urge anyone who is interested in the mirror story today, that is, providing a unitary account of the mirror mechanism and demonstrating whether and to what extent it might be involved in social cognition. Tackling this challenge is the main aim of this book. In doing this, we explore the properties of the mirror mechanism in both the action and emotion domains, by introducing and discussing some of the more recent and relevant findings. We also take in consideration what psychologists and psychiatrics variously labelled as vitality affects or forms. Our main claim is that the mirror mechanism may provide an understanding of others’ actions, emotions and affects which can be mainly exploited just in ways that depend one’s own processes and representations involved in those actions, emotions and affects. What we think about others’ minds would be different if it were not for our abilities to represent our own actions, emotions and affects. The lack of these abilities may result in social impairment. This is the reason why we define the mirror-based understanding as an understanding from the inside. Such an understanding is not without consequences for our experiencing others. Indeed, it suggests that there are plausible aspects of phenomenal character that are common to experiences of our own and others’ actions, emotions and vitality forms, given that both experiences are shaped by the same processes and representations, or so we argue and provide evidence for".The Authors
Il problema economico del narcisismo
rivista: La Rivista di Psicoanalisi
di Roberto Musella
L’autore, parafrasando il titolo del saggio di Freud Il problema economico del masochismo, ha voluto occuparsi del narcisismo alla luce dell’ultima teoria pulsionale freudiana. Nel saggio, con il contributo di un caso clinico, si mettono a confronto, dal punto di vista economico, due diverse e spesso contrapposte accezioni di narcisismo: da una parte il narcisismo inteso come ideale condizione primitiva anogettuale, priva di stimoli perturbanti, e dall’altra il narcisismo inteso come investimento libidico dell’Io. Alla luce delle considerazioni fatte sui destini del narcisismo viene affrontata la relazione del narcisismo con il sessuale discutendo la sequenza non sempre lineare tra autoerotismo, narcisismo e amore oggettuale. Infine, sempre in una prospettiva economica, si prende in considerazione la relazione tra narcisismo, masochismo e sadismo.
Parole chiave: Autoerotismo, Ideale dell’Io, Io, masochismo, narcisismo, sadismo, sessualità.
The Economic Problem of Narcissism. The author, in taking up the title of Freud’s essay The Economic Problem of Masochism, deals with narcissism in the light of the last Freudian instinctual theory. From an economic point of view, drawing on a clinical case, he compares two different and often conflicting meanings of narcissism: narcissism as a primitive, ideal, non-objectival condition, without disturbing stimuli, and narcissism as libidinal cathexis of the ego. Considering different outcomes of narcissism, he tackles the relationship between narcissism and sexuality. He discusses the sequence, which is not always clear, between auto-erotism, narcissism, and object love. Finally, again according to an economic perspective, he considers the relationship between narcissism, masochism, and sadism.
Keywords: Auto-erotism, Ego, Ego ideal, masochism, narcissism, sadism, sexuality.
Le problème économique du narcissisme. L’auteur, en paraphrasant le titre de l’essai de Freud Le problème économique du masochisme, a voulu s’occuper du narcissisme à la lumière de la dernière théorie pulsionnelle freudienne. Dans l’essai, avec la contribution d’un cas clinique, sont comparés, d’un point de vue économique, deux significations du narcissisme différentes et souvent opposées: d’un côté, le narcissisme compris comme idéale condition primitive anobjectuelle, privée de stimulations troublantes, de l’autre, le narcissisme entendu comme investissement libidinal du Moi. A la lumière des considérations faites sur les destinations du narcissisme, on traite la relation du narcissisme avec le sexuel, en discutant de la séquence, pas toujours linéaire, entre auto-érotisme, narcissisme et amour objectuel. Enfin, également du point de vue économique, on considère la relation entre narcissisme, masochisme et sadisme.
Mots-clés: Auto-érotisme, Idéal du Moi, Moi, masochisme, narcissisme, sadisme, sexualité.
El problema económico del narcisismo. El Autor, parafraseando el título del ensayo de Freud «El problema económico del masoquismo» ha querido ocuparse del narcisismo, teniendo en cuenta la última teoría pulsional de Freud. En este ensayo, con la ilustración de un caso clínico, se comparan desde el punto de vista económico, dos distintas acepciones del narcisismo que suelen contraponerse: por un lado el narcisismo esta concebido como una condición ideal primitiva a-objetual, libre de estímulos perturbadores, y por otro lado el narcisismo esta concebido como carga libídica del Yo. A la luz de lo expuesto sobre el destino del narcisismo, se aborda la relación entre el narcisismo y lo sexual, y se examina la secuencia no siempre lineal entre el autoerotismo, el narcisismo y el amor objetual. Por último se considera, siempre desde la perspectiva económica, la relación entre narcisismo, masoquismo y sadismo.
Palabras clave: Autoerotismo, Ideal del Yo, Yo, masoquismo, narcisismo, sadismo, sexualidad.
Das ökonomische Problem des Narzissmus. Der Autor hat sich, in Anspielung auf das Essay von Freud Die ökonomische Problematik des Masochismus mit dem Narzissmus aus der Perspektive der letzten freudschen Triebtheorie beschäftigen wollen. In dem Aufsatz, der den Beitrag eines klinischen Falls enthält, vergleicht er, von einem ökonomischen Standpunkt aus zwei unterschiedliche und oft gegensätzliche Bedeutungen von Narzissmus: Auf der einen Seite wird der Narzissmus als objektloser idealer Urzustand verstanden, ohne unheimliche Reize, und auf der anderen Seite wird der Narzissmus als libidinöse Besetzung des Ichs verstanden. Im Lichte der Überlegungen über das Schicksal des Narzissmus wird sich mit der Beziehung des Narzissmus zum Sexuellen auseinandergesetzt und man diskutiert über die nicht immer eindeutige Reihenfolge von Autoerotismus, Narzissmus und Objektliebe. Schließlich, immer aus einer ökonomischen Sicht heraus, betrachtet man die Beziehung zwischen Narzissmus, Masochismus und Sadismus.
Schlüsselwörter : Autoerotismus, Ich, Ichideal, Masochismus, Narzissmus, Sadismus, Sexualität.
Narciso: dal mito all'analisi
rivista: La Rivista di Psicoanalisi
di Giuseppe Fiorentini
Assumendo il mito come una narrazione che trova la propria eco nelle strutture patologiche individuali e che può aiutarci a comprenderle, l’Autore si avvale della storia di Narciso per discutere del narcisismo patologico e considerare le difficoltà che incontriamo nel trattare analiticamente persone con tali problematiche. Viene riportato del materiale di un’analisi di un paziente con estesi tratti narcisistici ed angosciato dall’idea dell’invecchiamento e della morte. Successivamente vengono trattate alcune tematiche di carattere clinico teorico sul narcisismo, incluso quello dell’analista. Sono inoltre esplorate alcune prospettive che possano aiutarci a riflettere sugli impasse o i rischi d’interminabilità non infrequenti in questi casi. È infine discusso il ruolo svolto dall’analista nella cura, cui sarebbe richiesto, secondo l’Autore, un processo di compartecipazione trasformativa.
Parole Chiave: Analisi interminabile, immortalità, invecchiamento, limiti, mito, morte, narcisismo dell’analista, Narciso, perfezione, trasformazioni.
Narcissus: From Mith To Analysis. Referring to myth as a tale that echoes individual pathological structures and can help us understand them, the author utilizes the story of Narcissus to discuss pathological narcissism and to consider the difficulties encountered in treating patients affected by such problems. Clinical material is presented from the analysis of a patient with extensive narcissistic traits and anxieties about ageing and death. Clinical and theoretical issues related to narcissism are discussed subsequently, including the analyst’s narcissism. In conclusion, the author deals with the analyst’s role in the cure and stresses the importance, in his view, of the shared transformations that analyst and patient should undergo.
Keywords: Ageing, analyst’s narcissismus, death, immortality, interminable analysis, limits, myth, Narcissus, perfection, transformations.
Narcisse: du mythe à l’analyse. En assumant que le mythe soit un récit qui trouve son écho dans les structures pathologiques individuelles, et qui peut nous aider à les comprendre, l’auteur utilise l’histoire de Narcisse pour discuter du narcissisme pathologique et examiner les difficultés que nous rencontrons dans le traitement analytique des personnes avec de tels problèmes. On rapporte du matériel d’une analyse d’un patient avec des traits narcissiques prolongés et bouleversé par l’idée du vieillissement et de la mort. Ensuite, on discute des questions théoriques et cliniques sur le narcissisme, y comprises celles de l’analyste. D’autres perspectives sont également explorées qui peuvent nous aider à réfléchir sur l’impasse ou les risques d’interminabilité pas du tout rares dans ces cas. Enfin, l’Auteur discute du rôle joué par l’analyste dans le traitement, auquel il faudrait demander un processus de participation transformative.
Mots-clés: Interminable, immortalité, vieillissement, limites, mythe, mort, narcissisme de l’analyste, Narcisse, perfection, transformations.
Narciso: del mito al análisis. Se asume el mito como una narración que encuentra su propia eco en las estructuras patológicas individuales y que nos ayuda a comprenderlas. El Autor utiliza la historia de Narciso para debatir sobre el narcisismo patológico y examinar las dificultades que nos encontramos cuando tratamos analíticamente a personas con dichas problemáticas. Se describe el material de análisis de un paciente con amplios rasgos nacisistas y angustiado por la idea de envejecer y por la muerte. A continuación se examinan algunos asuntos clinicos-teóricos sobre el narcisismo, incluido el del analista. Se exploran además algunas perspectivas que pueden ayudarnos a reflexionar sobre el empasse o los riesgos frecuentes de casos interminables. Por ultimo, se discute entorno al papel del analista en el tratamiento, a quien se le exige, según el Autor, un proceso de coparticipación trasformadora.
Palabras clave: Análisis interminable, envejecimiento, inmortalidad, limites, mito, muerte, narcisismo del analista, Narciso, perfección, transformaciones.
Narziss: Vom Mythos bis zur Analyse. Der Mythos wird als eine Narration angenommen, die das eigene Echo in den individuellen pathologischen Strukturen findet und die uns helfen kann, sie zu verstehen. Der Autor verwendet die Geschichte von Narziss, um über den pathologischen Narzissmus zu diskutieren und die Schwierigkeiten zu betrachten, denen wir begegnen, wenn wir Menschen mit solch einer Problematik analytisch behandeln. Es wird Fallmaterial der Analyse eines Patienten mit umfangreichen narzisstischen Zügen dargestellt, der von der Idee des Alterns und des Todes gequält wird. Nachfolgend werden einige theoretisch-klinische, charakteristische Themen über den Narzissmus behandelt, einschließlich des Analytikers selbst. Es werden ferner auch einige Perspektiven erkundet, die uns helfen können, über die mögliche Sackgasse oder die Unendlichkeitsrisiken nachzudenken, die in diesen Fällen nicht selten sind. Schließlich wird die Rolle des Analytikers in der Behandlung erörtert, die, so der Autor, einen Prozess der transformativen Mitbeteiligung erforderlich macht.
Schlüsselwörter : Altern, Grenzen, Mythen, Narziss, Narzissmus des Analytikers, Perfektion, Tod, Transformation, Unendliche Analyse, Unsterblichkeit.
Reality is Not What It Seems
The Elusive Structure of the Universe
di Carlo Rovelli
editore: Raffaello Cortina Editore
pagine: 241
"If we try to combine everything we have learned on the physical world in the XX century, evidence points towards something very different from what we learned at school about space, time, matter and energy. What emerges in an elementary structure of the world where time does not exist, space does not exist, generated by a swarming of quantum microevents. Quantum fields draw-up space, time, matter and light, trading information between one event and the other. Reality is weaved by a net of granular events; the dynamics tying them up is probabilistic; between one event and the other, space, time, matter and energy melt into a cloud of probability".“Time, space and matter are generated by a swarm of elementary quantum events. Understanding such deep texture of reality is the goal of quantum gravity, major challenge of contemporary science, where all our knowledge about nature is called into question”. Carlo Rovelli, one of the main protagonists of this adventure, leads the reader to the heart of the investigation in a simple and compelling way. He describes how our image of the world has changed, from antiquity to the most recent discoveries: evaporation of black holes, universe before the big bang, granular structure of space, role of information, absence of time in fundamental physics. "He draws a vast fresco of the physical vision of the world, clarifies the content of theories such as general relativity and quantum mechanics, brings us to the forefront of present-day knowledge and offers an original and articulate account of the main issues now open. Above all, he passionately communicates the fascination of this research, the enthusasm driving it, and the beauty of the new perspective on the world which science reveals to us".
"How is it possible that Carlo Rovelli has been able to write an essay in physics that kidnapes your attention from the first line to the last like the most absorbing of the novels? This is perhaps one of the few quantions not faced in the book. 'Reality is not What it Seems' is a marvelous book, with a stunningly vast vision of physics."
I Know What You Are Doing
The Acting Brain and Mirror Neurons
di Giacomo Rizzolatti, Corrado Sinigaglia
editore: Raffaello Cortina Editore
pagine: 226
In the early 1990’s, while studying the activity of single neurons in the premotor cortex of monkeys, Giacomo Rizzolatti and his coworkers at the University of Parma discovered that some neurons of this area (today known as mirror neurons) had a surprising property. They respond not only when the monkey performed a given action, but also when the animal observed the researcher (or another monkey) performing that same action.
In the following years, many monkey experiments specified the mechanism of mirror neurons and their possible functions. In addition, brain imaging and other non-invasive techniques demonstrated that a mirror neuron system is present also in humans.
These results had a deep impact on cognitive neuroscience. In essay written on the occasion of the beginning of the new millenium, Vilayanur S. Ramachandran predicted that “mirror neurons will do for psychology what DNA did for biology”. The unexpected properties of these neurons have not only attracted the attention of neuroscientists. Many sociologists, anthropologists and even artists have been fascinated by mirror neurons. The great director and playwright Peter Brook stated that mirror neurons throw new light on the mysterious link that is created each time actors take the stage and face their audience.
The present book provides, for the first time, an accessible and systematic overview of the theoretical issues and experimental work behind the extraordinary discovery of mirror neurons.
From the first pages, the reader will discover how certain areas of the brain – traditionally labelled “motor” areas – have much more complex properties than believed in the past. The motor system – or, as the authors prefer to call it, the acting brain – plays an essential role in perceiving and understanding the objects that surround us. This “sensorimotor understanding” is very different from conceptual and linguistic knowledge. Nevertheless, it plays a fundamental role in cognition and represents the basis for a variety of cognitive skills.
The view that perception, action and cognition cannot be considered as separate entities is clearly shown by the properties of mirror neurons. When we see someone grasping a piece of food and bringing it to his or her mouth, we immediately know what that person is doing. We do not need to resort to reasoning. Our mirror system automatically codes the visual information from the scene in terms of action, and because that action is part of our motor repertoire, we immediately grasp its meaning.
In other terms, we perceive the observed action as if we were doing it. This is also true for actions that require particular motor skills, such as those of a pianist or a dancer. The sight of an artist playing or dancing activates in the brain of the observers the same areas that respond when they themselves carry out the same actions.
Not only actions, however, are immediately shared. We are linked to others also by emotions. Each of us knows how contagious are fear, disgust, as well as joy. In the past, many reasons were given in order to explain our ability for immediate empathy with others. Only now, however, we are beginning to understand that the various forms of emotional “resonance” are determined by specific, anatomically separated, mirror neuron systems. When we see someone moving away from a glass containing some liquid or from a plate with food with a grimace of disgust, we immediately react as if we were experiencing the disgust. This is indeed what occurs: the sight of an emotional reaction of another person activates, in our brain, the same cortical areas that are activated when we ourselves experience that emotion!
