Ebook: Denial, Negation, and the Forces of the Negative: Freud, Hegel, Lacan, Spitz, and Sophocles

A comprehensive account of denial viewed not only psychoanalytically but also philosophically. It is often the case that painful truths emerge first in the form of denial; one needs to create distance from what is painful. In Denial, Negation, and the Forces of the Negative Wilfried Ver Eecke constructs a comprehensive, lucid account of denial’s psychological and philosophical dimensions while using Freud, Hegel, Lacan, Spitz, and Sophocles to help us understand this unavoidable aspect of human existence.

Ver Eecke acknowledges Hegel’s claim that the road to truth is not a path of doubt, but a highway of despair, and argues, via Hegel’s ontology of the person, that denial can be understood as a desiring being’s defense against despair. By examining the role of no-saying in children, Freud’s claims about freedom of the will and its necessary prerequisites, and Sophocles’ Oedipus, Ver Eecke demonstrates the idea that denial is connected with situations in which the self-image of a person is threatened. He concludes with a colleague’s autobiography to highlight the deep, tragic experiences that denial covers, and the enormous psychic work required to overcome profound denial, with the ultimate reward of experiencing oneself as the fulfillment of the promise of life.

“This book presents a multifaceted, inspiring weave of themes connecting philosophy and psychoanalysis, a true tapestry covering in depth the many aspects of negativity.” — Review of Metaphysics

“This book … will be of great interest not only for those eager to explore questions put by philosophy and psychoanalysis about the human subject but of great usefulness for therapists applying psychoanalytic concepts in the clinic.” — Psychologist-Psychoanalyst

“…Ver Eecke has written a very clear, erudite study in psychoanalytic theory that draws on, principally, Hegel’s philosophy to explore the Freudian conception of denial … there is a great deal to be learned from Ver Eecke’s carefully written book.” — Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

“This is the best treatise on denial in the philosophical literature.” — Jon Mills, author of The Unconscious Abyss: Hegel’s Anticipation of Psychoanalysis

“This book relates Freud’s theory of denial and negation to Hegel, Lacan, and Spitz, producing conclusions on the nature of human freedom and wholeness that are both philosophically interesting and practically useful. The last two chapters move the theoretical discussion very much into the realm of practical life and should be useful both to therapists and to individuals.” — Edward Hugh Henderson, coeditor of Captured by the Crucified: The Practical Theology of Austin Farrer

At Georgetown University, Wilfried Ver Eecke is Professor of Philosophy and also teaches courses in psychology and psychoanalysis. He is the coauthor (with Alphonse De Waelhens) of Phenomenology and Lacan on Schizophrenia, after the Decade of the Brain and Saying “No”:Its Meaning in Child Development, Psychoanalysis, Linguistics, and Hegel.