Herman Westerink – författare

Sigmund Freud’s 1905 Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality is a founding text of psychoanalysis and yet it remains to a large extent an "unknown" text. In this book Freud’s 1905 theory of sexuality is reconstructed in its historical context, its systematic outline, and its actual relevance.This reconstruction reveals a non-oedipal theory of sexuality defined in terms of autoerotic, non-objectal, physical-pleasurable activities originating from the "drive" and the excitability of erogenous zones. This book, consequently, not only calls for a reconsideration of the development of Freudian thinking and of the status of the Oedipus complex in psychoanalysis but also has a strong potential for supporting contemporary non-heteronormative theories of sexuality. It is as such that the 1905 edition of Three Essays becomes a highly relevant document in contemporary philosophical discussions of sexuality.This book also explores the inconsistencies and problems in the original theory of sexuality, notably the unresolved question of the transition from autoerotic infantile sexuality to objectal adult sexuality, as well as the theoretical and methodological shifts present in later editions of Three Essays. It will be of great interest to psychoanalysts and those with an academic interest in the history of psychoanalysis and sexuality.

Sigmund Freud’s 1905 Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality is a founding text of psychoanalysis and yet it remains to a large extent an "unknown" text. In this book Freud’s 1905 theory of sexuality is reconstructed in its historical context, its systematic outline, and its actual relevance.This reconstruction reveals a non-oedipal theory of sexuality defined in terms of autoerotic, non-objectal, physical-pleasurable activities originating from the "drive" and the excitability of erogenous zones. This book, consequently, not only calls for a reconsideration of the development of Freudian thinking and of the status of the Oedipus complex in psychoanalysis but also has a strong potential for supporting contemporary non-heteronormative theories of sexuality. It is as such that the 1905 edition of Three Essays becomes a highly relevant document in contemporary philosophical discussions of sexuality.This book also explores the inconsistencies and problems in the original theory of sexuality, notably the unresolved question of the transition from autoerotic infantile sexuality to objectal adult sexuality, as well as the theoretical and methodological shifts present in later editions of Three Essays. It will be of great interest to psychoanalysts and those with an academic interest in the history of psychoanalysis and sexuality.

Can Luther's writings inform us on the fundamental questions of Freudian psychoanalysis? Does an intellectual filiation between early Reformation thought and psychoanalysis exist? Does Lacanian psychoanalysis offer an instrument for analysing theological writings?In The Heart of Man's Destiny, Herman Westerink offers a new reading of Lacan's seventh seminar, The Ethics of Psychoanalysis. Working from an innovative perspective, this book explores the close relationship between Freudian psychoanalysis and the ideas of the early Reformation. Lacan claimed that to be unaware of the connection between Freud and early Reformation constituted a fundamental misunderstanding of the kind of problems psychoanalysis addresses. Westerink carefully explores these problems and shows that Lacanian psychoanalysis, with its emphasis on desire and law, transgression, and symbolization, draws on fundamental ideas first formulated in the writings of Luther and Calvin. By relating psychoanalysis to early Reformation thought, Westerink not only shows Lacan's writings in a completely new light, but also makes possible an innovative reading of early modern theology itself. The Heart of Man's Destiny breaks new ground by providing both a controversial as well as a fresh perspective on both Luther and Calvin, and on Freudo-Lacanian psychoanalysis. This valuable contribution to the complex character of psychoanalysis will be of interest to analysts and psychotherapists, as well academics and postgraduates with an interest in theology, philosophy and ethics.

Reading Freud’s Beyond the Pleasure Principle presents a new reading of this foundational text, based on the hypothesis that the work was written in two phases.Herman Westerink explores the idea that Freud put the first version of 1919 aside because he found the conclusions he drew from his line of reasoning difficult if not impossible to accept. The book considers which clinical and theoretical problems Freud wanted to address in the first version of the text, what arguments he developed, and in what way these explorations and arguments resulted in implications he considered problematic. Returning to the text in 1920, Westerink asserts that Freud introduced theories of the life and death drives as a response and possible solution to the problems and implications of his 1919 inquiries.Reading Freud’s Beyond the Pleasure Principle will be a significant reference for academics and scholars of Freud, psychoanalytic studies, trauma, critical theory, philosophy and the history of science. It will be of great interest to psychoanalysts in practice and in training.

Reading Freud’s Beyond the Pleasure Principle presents a new reading of this foundational text, based on the hypothesis that the work was written in two phases.Herman Westerink explores the idea that Freud put the first version of 1919 aside because he found the conclusions he drew from his line of reasoning difficult if not impossible to accept. The book considers which clinical and theoretical problems Freud wanted to address in the first version of the text, what arguments he developed, and in what way these explorations and arguments resulted in implications he considered problematic. Returning to the text in 1920, Westerink asserts that Freud introduced theories of the life and death drives as a response and possible solution to the problems and implications of his 1919 inquiries.Reading Freud’s Beyond the Pleasure Principle will be a significant reference for academics and scholars of Freud, psychoanalytic studies, trauma, critical theory, philosophy and the history of science. It will be of great interest to psychoanalysts in practice and in training.

Deconstructing Normativity? brings together a unique collection of chapters in which an international selection of contributors reflect on the fundamental and often very radical ideas present in Freud’s original 1905 edition of the Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality.The book has three aims: the contextualization of the text, the reconstruction of its central ideas and the further philosophical reflection of the contemporary relevance and critical potential of the 1905 edition. The authors challenge mainstream interpretations of the Three Essays, generally based on readings of the final 1924 edition of the text, and of the development of Freudian thought: including, most importantly, the centrality of the Oedipus complex and the developmental approach relative to a tendency towards heteronormativity. Deconstructing Normativity? makes an important contribution in rethinking Freudian psychoanalysis and reopening the discussion on its central paradigms, and in so doing it connects with queer and gender theories and philosophical approaches. This book will be essential reading for psychoanalysts in practice and training, as well as academics and students of psychoanalysis, philosophical anthropology, continental philosophy, sex, gender and sexualities.

Deconstructing Normativity? brings together a unique collection of chapters in which an international selection of contributors reflect on the fundamental and often very radical ideas present in Freud’s original 1905 edition of the Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality.The book has three aims: the contextualization of the text, the reconstruction of its central ideas and the further philosophical reflection of the contemporary relevance and critical potential of the 1905 edition. The authors challenge mainstream interpretations of the Three Essays, generally based on readings of the final 1924 edition of the text, and of the development of Freudian thought: including, most importantly, the centrality of the Oedipus complex and the developmental approach relative to a tendency towards heteronormativity. Deconstructing Normativity? makes an important contribution in rethinking Freudian psychoanalysis and reopening the discussion on its central paradigms, and in so doing it connects with queer and gender theories and philosophical approaches. This book will be essential reading for psychoanalysts in practice and training, as well as academics and students of psychoanalysis, philosophical anthropology, continental philosophy, sex, gender and sexualities.

Can Luther's writings inform us on the fundamental questions of Freudian psychoanalysis? Does an intellectual filiation between early Reformation thought and psychoanalysis exist? Does Lacanian psychoanalysis offer an instrument for analysing theological writings?In The Heart of Man's Destiny, Herman Westerink offers a new reading of Lacan's seventh seminar, The Ethics of Psychoanalysis. Working from an innovative perspective, this book explores the close relationship between Freudian psychoanalysis and the ideas of the early Reformation. Lacan claimed that to be unaware of the connection between Freud and early Reformation constituted a fundamental misunderstanding of the kind of problems psychoanalysis addresses. Westerink carefully explores these problems and shows that Lacanian psychoanalysis, with its emphasis on desire and law, transgression, and symbolization, draws on fundamental ideas first formulated in the writings of Luther and Calvin. By relating psychoanalysis to early Reformation thought, Westerink not only shows Lacan's writings in a completely new light, but also makes possible an innovative reading of early modern theology itself. The Heart of Man's Destiny breaks new ground by providing both a controversial as well as a fresh perspective on both Luther and Calvin, and on Freudo-Lacanian psychoanalysis. This valuable contribution to the complex character of psychoanalysis will be of interest to analysts and psychotherapists, as well academics and postgraduates with an interest in theology, philosophy and ethics.

International experts reflecting on psychoanalysis in relation to religion and morality.In this volume renowned experts in psychoanalysis reflect on the relationship between psychoanalysis and religion, in particular presenting various controversial interpretations of the question if and to what extent monotheism semantically and structurally fits psychoanalytic insights. Some essays augment traditional religious critiques of Freudianism with later religio-philosophical theories on, for example, femininity. Others explore the relation between psychopathology and morality from the Freudian premise that psychopathology shows in an excessive way aspects or mechanisms of the human psyche that constitute our subjectivity, and as such also our moral capacities and behaviour. This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content). Contributors: Andreas De Block (University of Leuven), Fethi Benslama (University of Paris Diderot), Sergio Benvenuto (ISTC, Rome), Gohar Homayounpour (Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran), Felix de Mendelssohn (Sigmund Freud University, Vienna), Julia Kristeva (University of Paris Diderot), Lode Lauwaert (University of Leuven), Siamak Movahedi (University of Massachusetts), Wolfgang Müller-Funk (University of Vienna), Gilles Ribault (University of Paris Diderot), Céline Surprenant (University of Sussex), Inge Scholz-Strasser (Sigmund Freud Foundation), Herman Westerink (University of Vienna), Joel Whitebook (Columbia University), Moshe Zuckermann (Tel Aviv University)

Freud’s Dora case and contemporary debates on gender, sexuality and queer theory‘Dora’ is one the most important and interesting case studies Sigmund Freud conducted and later described. It constitutes a key text in his oeuvre and finds itself at the crossroads of his studies in hysteria, the theory of sexuality and dream interpretation. The Dora case is both a literary and theoretically ground-breaking text and an account of a ‘failed’ treatment. In Dora, Hysteria and Gender renowned Freud scholars reflect on the Dora case, presenting various innovative and controversial perspectives and elaborating the significance of the text for contemporary debates on gender, sexuality and queer theory.This volume is of interest for psychoanalysts and scholars working on psychoanalysis, sexuality, gender, queer theory, philosophical anthropology and literary studies.Contributors: Rachel B. Blass (Heythrop College, University of London), Daniela Finzi (Sigmund Freud Foundation), Esther Hutfless (University of Vienna), Ulrike Kadi (Medical University of Vienna), Ilka Quindeau (Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences), Beatriz Santos (University Paris VII Diderot), Philippe Van Haute (Radboud University Nijmegen), Herman Westerink (Radboud University Nijmegen), Jeanne Wolff-Bernstein (Sigmund Freud University in Vienna)This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content).

A critical edition of one of the key texts in psychoanalysis.Sigmund Freud’s Beyond the Pleasure Principle stands as a foundational text in psychoanalysis, delving into profound questions about life, death, pleasure and pain. Through a combination of contextualising and philosophical contributions, this critical edition and commentary sheds new light on Freud’s text. In a series of contributions spanning approaches from historical exegesis to philosophical reflections on key concepts and ideas presented in Beyond the Pleasure Principle, the evolution and inconsistencies found in the various versions of the text are highlighted. Particular emphasis is placed on the conceptualisation of trauma and drive theory. These commentaries also provide context for the work, examining its position within the Freudian corpus, its role in the collaborative project with Sándor Ferenczi in speculative bioanalysis, and its clinical insights into war neuroses, trauma, bonding and aggression in post-World War I society.By critically examining diverse interpretations of Freud’s work, Towards the Limits of Freudian Thinking re-actualises this classic text in contemporary philosophy and psychoanalysis, rendering it accessible to both specialised and broader audiences.Contributors: Ulrike May (Berlin), Herman Westerink (Radboud University Nijmegen), Philippe Van Haute (Radboud University Nijmegen), Ulrike Kistner (University of Pretoria), Jenny Willner (LMU Munich), Jakob Staberg (Södertörn University Stockholm)This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content).This book will be made open access within three years of publication thanks to Path to Open, a program developed in partnership between JSTOR, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), University of Michigan Press, and The University of North Carolina Press to bring about equitable access and impact for the entire scholarly community, including authors, researchers, libraries, and university presses around the world. Learn more at https://about.jstor.org/path-to-open/