The Genesis of Desire Studies in Violence Mimesis and Culture (Audible Audio Edition) JeanMichel Oughourlian Bob Goding University Press Audiobooks Books
Download As PDF : The Genesis of Desire Studies in Violence Mimesis and Culture (Audible Audio Edition) JeanMichel Oughourlian Bob Goding University Press Audiobooks Books
We seem to be abandoning the codes that told previous generations who they should love. But now that many of us are free to choose whoever we want, nothing is less certain. The proliferation of divorces and separations reveal a dynamic we would rather not see Others sometimes reject us as passionately as we are attracted to them.
Our desire makes us sick. The throes of rivalry are at the heart of our attraction to one another. This is the central thesis of Jean-Michel Oughourlian's The Genesis of Desire, where the war of the sexes is finally given a scientific explanation. The discovery of mirror neurons corroborates his ideas, clarifying the phenomena of empathy and the mechanisms of violent reciprocity.
How can a couple be saved when they have declared war on one another? By helping them realize that desire originates not in the self, but in the other. There are strategies that can help, which Dr. Oughourlian has prescribed successfully to his patients. This work, alternating between case studies and more theoretical statements, convincingly defends the possibility that breakups need not be permanent.
The Genesis of Desire Studies in Violence Mimesis and Culture (Audible Audio Edition) JeanMichel Oughourlian Bob Goding University Press Audiobooks Books
Psychiatrist Jean-Michel Oughourlian takes social critic René Girard's mimetic theory of human motivation and develops a clinical approach to relational problems. The purpose of his "mimetic psychotherapy" is to free people who are enslaved to mimetic rivalry so that they can live in the freedom of mimetic desire."Mimetic" means imitation. Neuroscientific research is confirming that human beings are innately endowed to imitate others. Girard set forth the theory that every desire we have is copied from that of another and that rivalry is connected with it. Oughourlian takes Girard's theory and focuses his therapy on desire that is misdirected into rivalry instead of love. In Oughourlian's words: "I have always thought that desire is the heart and the energy of the relation to the other, the first movement that carries us toward life. My [forty] years of research and clinical observation have convinced me that it is indeed desire that humanizes us, that impels us to unite with each other, to associate with each other, to assemble into groups, and also, as we will see, to resemble each other. It forms us in proportion as it animates us and arouses our thoughts and feelings. Desire leads us to seek out the company of others, their approval, their friendship, their support, and their recognition. But this can also be accompanied by rivalry and hatred; it can arouse both love and violence. Desire can be our greatest ally but also our worst enemy, driving us to wish for what will destroy us, to pursue what will cause us suffering, while we remain unable to understand it or figure out why it is happening" (p. 11).
Not only does Oughourlian describe Girard's theory, he eruditely applies it to an understanding of what he considers "the subtlest and most perspicacious of psychological texts"--the Biblical story of the Creation and the Fall. He then presents neuroscientific findings that substantiate Girard's theory of desire. He finishes with a clinical analysis of rivalry and how to approach people suffering from it. He calls his approach: mimetic psychotherapy.
Whether or not you agree with Girard's mimetic theory of human motivation, Oughourlian's journey of discovery from the time the met Girard in 1971 is fascinating. His ideas--derived from Girard's theory--are thought provoking and challenging. His treatment approach is worth considering.
The book is small--only 174 pages. It is not a quick read. Limit yourself just a few pages a day in order to fully digest the gourmet treat that Oughourlian has prepared for his readers.
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The Genesis of Desire Studies in Violence Mimesis and Culture (Audible Audio Edition) JeanMichel Oughourlian Bob Goding University Press Audiobooks Books Reviews
I read this book in french. I see it as the best systematisation of the girardian thesis on mimetic desire. The book deals a bit about man and woman relations, but first of all about human in general. In a more recent book (Psychopolitique), Oughourlian says that the mechanism which controls relations between countries are similar to those which control relations between human beings. Highly recommanded. A must for all students of the mimetic theory, and for all students in philosophy, theology and psychology.
Modified how we see
A colleague of Girard's has done us a service in providing insight into Girardian theory from a psychiatrist's perspective. As Oughourlian notes already in his preface, the 1996 discovery of mirror neurons has provided scientific verification for mimetic mechanisms. With this new discovery we can look forward to even greater insights from Girardians about the human condition. The last word has not yet been written so stay tuned for more insights into complex personal, social, and theological issues!
I will try to keep this brief.
First, I would highly recommend becoming at least somewhat familiar with Rene Girard's work on Mimetic Desire before venturing into this book which provides a more analytical psychological look at individual human relations. Particularly recommended would be Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World by Girard or perhaps I See Satan Fall Like Lightning. The primary thesis of Girards work is that all desires are essentially taken from others in the form of a suggestion that is imitated and has various implications when seen as the triangular mechanism of subject, model, and object (of desire). The model suggests the object to be desired by the subject and the subject imitates this desire. Over time the subject forgets this suggestion and identifies it as coming from himself and thus creating rivalry between the model and subject.
That being said this work has provided me great insight into conflicts in relationships and on the most basic level I will sum these up as best I can (please forgive any errors as it is a far to complex topic to sum up so simply)...
1. conflict of desire (triangular)
I desire this object and so do you. Since we cannot possibly both own the object we are thus rivals in this desire and conflict escalates.
2. conflict of rivals
Conflict has escalated to the point that I no longer even consider the object, now I am focused on the rival who is blocking me from attaining the object and thus he is my enemy.
3. Conflict of power
Power in relationships is not real unless one gives or relents that power to the other. As a result there is an "oscillation" of who is in power that destroys relationships as the crown of power is passed between the two continually as each gains an edge over the other in their attempt to overpower the other. Human's have a strong tendency to associate their own desires with "the good" and the desire of others or the desire of their rivals as "the bad" and this plays out on groups of all scales.
There is much, much more to the book than just these three things but I found these to be the most significant things that I carry with me in handling problems in my everyday relationships. While the topics include another perspective on the Biblical book of Genesis and scientific corroboration with the discovery of Mirror Neurons, I found the case studies describing the mechanism in action today and how to utilize your understanding of mimesis to strengthen relationships the most helpful. A better understanding of the theoretical nature of Mimesis or scientific backing of the theory are probably better found in books by Girard himself, however, this book is nearly indispensable if only for a better systems view of the mechanism.
The book, though it focuses on conflict and violence, is refreshing because it gives us tools to handle these mechanisms and awareness alone is usually enough.
Highly recommended to everyone in the field of Business and Finance as well as the obvious fields of Psychology, Philosophy, Theology, and Literary Analysis. It is vital to see that the same mechanism that spreads fashions amongst teenagers effects financial markets, value propositions, court rulings, elections, and even the specific choice of food you will eat today at lunch.
Psychiatrist Jean-Michel Oughourlian takes social critic René Girard's mimetic theory of human motivation and develops a clinical approach to relational problems. The purpose of his "mimetic psychotherapy" is to free people who are enslaved to mimetic rivalry so that they can live in the freedom of mimetic desire.
"Mimetic" means imitation. Neuroscientific research is confirming that human beings are innately endowed to imitate others. Girard set forth the theory that every desire we have is copied from that of another and that rivalry is connected with it. Oughourlian takes Girard's theory and focuses his therapy on desire that is misdirected into rivalry instead of love. In Oughourlian's words "I have always thought that desire is the heart and the energy of the relation to the other, the first movement that carries us toward life. My [forty] years of research and clinical observation have convinced me that it is indeed desire that humanizes us, that impels us to unite with each other, to associate with each other, to assemble into groups, and also, as we will see, to resemble each other. It forms us in proportion as it animates us and arouses our thoughts and feelings. Desire leads us to seek out the company of others, their approval, their friendship, their support, and their recognition. But this can also be accompanied by rivalry and hatred; it can arouse both love and violence. Desire can be our greatest ally but also our worst enemy, driving us to wish for what will destroy us, to pursue what will cause us suffering, while we remain unable to understand it or figure out why it is happening" (p. 11).
Not only does Oughourlian describe Girard's theory, he eruditely applies it to an understanding of what he considers "the subtlest and most perspicacious of psychological texts"--the Biblical story of the Creation and the Fall. He then presents neuroscientific findings that substantiate Girard's theory of desire. He finishes with a clinical analysis of rivalry and how to approach people suffering from it. He calls his approach mimetic psychotherapy.
Whether or not you agree with Girard's mimetic theory of human motivation, Oughourlian's journey of discovery from the time the met Girard in 1971 is fascinating. His ideas--derived from Girard's theory--are thought provoking and challenging. His treatment approach is worth considering.
The book is small--only 174 pages. It is not a quick read. Limit yourself just a few pages a day in order to fully digest the gourmet treat that Oughourlian has prepared for his readers.
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