Dr Leon Brenner: "Against Reality" Part 2

One of the most common misuses of Freud’s notion of the “reality principle” confuses it with the adaptation of the patient to reality. In doing so, many psychoanalysts and therapists take it on themselves to be the harbingers of an objective reality to which the patient must succumb.
However, Freud had never formulated this naïve conception of the reality principle as representing a single objective reality that gives shape to our thoughts. In contrast, Freud postulates that the reality principle solely enables the subject to delay immediate satisfaction in the aim of future satisfaction. This conception accompanied Freud’s teaching from the very moment that he abandoned his seduction theory. See less
In the second installment of our lecture series, we'll delve into a revised implementation of the reality principle in psychoanalytic practice. To achieve this, we'll learn from past mistakes made by psychoanalysts regarding the concept of reality. Our focus will be on a case study presented by Ernst Kris in his paper, "Ego Psychology and Interpretations in Psychoanalytic Therapy." In it, Kris goes to great lengths to situate the patient in objective reality. We'll examine this case and discuss Jacques Lacan's critique, shedding light on an alternative approach to the patient's reality in transference.
Join us for our exploration of the case of "the man who ate fresh brains." No prior reading is required. If you missed the previous session, you can catch up using the following link.