Michael Britt writes: >If nothing else we have a good example of psychoanalysis > vs. behaviorism: Bettleheim vs. Skinner.
How about "none of the above"? Alejandro Franco writes: >Bruno Bettleheim wrote this in his book: The uses of >enchantment: the meaning and importance of Fairy >Tales (1975). p. 56-57 >[…] Psychoanalytic investigation has revealed that >over-involvement in and with horses can stand for many >different emotional needs which the girl is trying to satisfy. >For example, by controlling this powerful animal she can >come to feel that she is controlling the male, or the >sexually animalistic, within herself. Imagine what it would >do to a girl's enjoyment of riding, to her self-respect, if she >were made conscious of this desire which she is acting out >in riding. […] Well, I did suggest checking out an orthodox Freudian explanation. :-) I'm sure that I'm not the only TIPSter who is inclined to chuckle when I read the dreaded words "Psychoanalytic investigation has revealed that…" (Freud's writings are replete with this phrase, including in his late female sexuality papers in which it is evident that he is making up his "findings" as he goes along. [A. Esterson, *Seductive Mirage*, pp. 140-149]) It's a while since I skimmed through Bettelheim's *The Uses of Enchantment*, so I can't regale sceptical TIPSters with some of his interpretations. So this will have to do, from an online review of the book. (Ignore the "discredited" bit. Although it is justified in relation to Bettelheim's claims to have "cured" numerous autistic children, it is irrelevant to an assessment of this book.) >Promising to show how fairy tales teach us to grapple with the big questions in life, the discredited Austrian therapist Bruno Bettelheim disappoints when those questions turn out to be 1) "Will I be castrated?" and 2) "Wouldn't it be great if I had a penis?" >As I skimmed passages full of sub-insight about how Cinderella's slipper represents the "golden vagina" that teaches Prince Charming to transcend the revolting nature of the human body, I wondered, "what was wrong with people in the 20th century?". >Another question I have – though the Grimm's Brothers may only have explored it through some phallic metaphor that escapes me – is why front-page blurber John Updike felt this was "charming."< Yes, indeed. The undeserved praise that this book has received (especially in academic literary circles) is all of a piece with the credulous treatment of Freud's writings in some quarters in the first three-quarters of the twentieth century. Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark College, London [email protected] http://www.esterson.org ---------------------- RE: [tips] Girls and Horses - Archetype? Alejandro Franco Sun, 24 Oct 2010 12:53:48 -0700 Hi Michael: Bruno Bettleheim wrote this in his book: The uses of enchantment: the meaning and importance of Fairy Tales (1975). p. 56-57 (you can find it in Amazon.com). "Many girls of an older age group are deeply involved with horses; they play with toy horses and spin elaborate fantasies around them. When they get older and have the opportunity, their lives seem to rotate around real horses, which they take excellent care of and seem inseparable from. Psychoanalytic investigation has revealed that overinvolvement in and with horses can stand for many different emotional needs which the girl is trying to satisfy. For example, by controlling this powerful animal she can come to feel that she is controlling the male, or the sexually animalistic, within herself. Imagine what it would do to a girl's enjoyment of riding, to her self-respect, if she were made conscious of this desire which she is acting out in riding. She would be devastated -robbed of a harmless and enjoyable sublimation, and reduced in her own eyes to a bad person. At the same time, she would be hard-pressed to find an equally suitable outlet for such inner pressures, and therefore might not be able to master them". Now you can add this explanation to the Jungian one :) Alejandro -------------------Re: [tips] Girls and Horses - Archetype? Michael Britt Sun, 24 Oct 2010 13:51:48 -0700 Very interesting. If nothing else we have a good example of psychoanalysis vs. behaviorism: Bettleheim vs. Skinner. Complexity vs. Parsimony. Fodder for a good class discussion and light-banter for a Sunday evening. (Alejandro - thanks for the reminder of Bettleheim's "Enchantment" book - read that in undergrad) Michael Michael Britt [email protected] http://www.ThePsychFiles.com Twitter: mbritt --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=5946 or send a blank email to leave-5946-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
