Research article summary (published 30 Mar 2009):

Imaginative literature and Bion's intersubjective theory of thinking.

Full Abstract

The author applies Bion's intersubjective theory of thinking to study the influence of imaginative literature on the development of the capacity for figurative or metaphorical thought in response to affect-laden experience. Using a selection from Emily Dickinson's poetry and a soliloquy from Shakespeare's Hamlet in a study group model to illustrate this application of Bion's theory, he proposes that such literature may itself serve as a potential container/contained of unique affective power to maturation of the thinking apparatus and sustain the capacity for reverie and creative interpretive thought in the midst of intense emotional engagement.

Author information

Author/s: Shields, Walker (W);

Affiliation: Harvard Medical School, USA. wshields(-atsign-)3b.com

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: The Psychoanalytic quarterly (Psychoanal Q), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Apr; vol 78 (issue 2) : pp 559-86

Dates: Created 2009/06/10; Completed 2009/06/18;

PMID: 19507452, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 6/18/2009, IMS Date: 18 Jun 2009 00:00:00)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Affect Drama Dreams - psychology Freudian Theory Humans Imagination Literature Metaphor Object Attachment

Poetry as Topic Psychoanalytic Interpretation Psychoanalytic Theory Psychoanalytic Therapy Reading Thinking Unconscious (Psychology) Wakefulness Writing

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