In Two Minds: Intersubjective Processes in Bion’s Theory of Thinking - A Hermeneutic Literature Review

Date
2023
Authors
de Lambert, Melissa
Supervisor
Ellis, Emma
Item type
Dissertation
Degree name
Master of Psychotherapy
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Publisher
Auckland University of Technology
Abstract

Wilfred Bion radically expanded the definition of ‘thinking’ in his evolving conceptualisations of how a psyche comes to encounter and bear the emotional truth of experience. Moreover, he proposed that thinking is something that happened between minds, and that psychological growth depends on unconscious communication between one person and another. This study, in the form of a hermeneutic literature review, investigates the intersubjective dimensions of Bion’s theories and how this is reflected in contemporary literature. The findings reveal that investigating Bion’s ideas through the lens of intersubjectivity offers a valuable perspective on developmental processes and the therapeutic encounter.

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