The Sphinx is an enigmatic character: sometimes woman sometimes man, part human part beast, neither silent nor discursive. The Sphinx poses a question. Like the psychoanalyst, the Sphinx is not the one who knows but the one who may provide the condition for new knowledge. This is the spirit of The Sphinx, a site where psychoanalytic inquiry takes place. We have archived earlier contributions from Section V members written in the spirit of the Sphinx. You will find them below
The Sphinx in Action
In keeping with the new focus and mission of Section V as the Section for Applied Clinical Psychoanalysis, our more recent contributions represent an opportunity for psychoanalytic clinicians who are working in a variety of community settings to discuss their experience and to consider many practical and theoretical questions that arise from work in this wider context.
The contributions below reflect Section V’s evolution from thought to action. Although an interest in applying psychoanalysis to settings outside the consulting room has been evident since its earliest days, it has never been central. Today, we see the beginnings of a reversal, as clinical psychoanalysis is increasingly challenged in contemporary society, applications of psychoanalytic thinking to schools, hospitals, community clinics, civil and and criminal justice contexts are expanding in increasingly interesting and important ways. These more recent contributions include contest winning essays and summaries of invited panels.
Describe your experiences in the world of applied clinical psychoanalysis. Post your inquiries. Submit your proposals, projects, your experiments, successes and, yes, even failures. This site is open to all to read and respond. Send all contributions to rprince@gmail.com, Editor, Writings Page, The Sphinx.