Publisher Description

The Spirit of the Drive in Neuropsychoanalysis gives a concise introduction to the basics of neuropsychoanalysis, both theoretically and clinically.Kinet uses a colloquial approach to discuss topics such as the dynamic and descriptive unconscious, dream theory, homeostasis, affect and awareness, pleasure and jouissance, the signifier and the drive. Throughout the volume, Kinet is informed by the field-defining work of Mark Solms and Ariane Bazan and their respective Freudian or Lacanian origins. Asking questions on the relevance of neuropsychoanalysis in a clinical setting, this book offers vital insight into how analysts can bring this field into their day-to-day work with clients. Clinical and other interludes illustrate and illuminate the matter from the perspective of the psychoanalyst at work.Written in an accessible style and part of The Routledge Neuropsychoanalysis Series, this volume will interest both those experienced with neuropsychoanalysis and those approaching the topic for the first time.

Author Biography

Mark Kinet is a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and psychoanalyst. He has authored, or (co-)edited, some 30books on psychiatry and psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, and culture issues. His website can be found at

Table of Contents

1. Prologue 2. Interlude: Das Hundbewusste 3. The Vase or the Two Faces 4. Interlude: Psychoanalytic Wit 5. Neuropsychoanalysis 6. Interlude: Pygmalion 7. Return to Freud 8. Interlude: An Atlas with Burnout 9. The Drive on the Rise 10. Interlude: Infinitely Less Than Zero 11. To Consciousness 12. Interlude: Psychoanalytic Posology 13. Clinical Neuropsychoanalysis 14. Interlude: Kent & I 15. Return to Lacan 16. Interlude: Manneken Pis 17. Driven Signifiers 18. Interlude: A Clinical Objective Correlative 19. Finale 20. Interlude: From Shorthand to Liquid Crystal Display 21. Epilogue

Review

'The Spirit of the Drive is grippingly written and takes the reader on an intricate journey. Indeed, the subject matter presented so seemingly effortlessly is complex and it contains much material in terms of neurobiology and psychoanalytic theories. This is cleverly done because it requires a great deal of knowledge, thought and experience. The notes are thorough and very comprehensive. I find this book engaging and stimulating. It is thought-provoking and it is both instructive and informative.'Antoine Mooij, MD, PhD, emeritus professor U. Utrecht (NL), psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, philosopher. Author of Psychiatry as a human science. Phenomenological, hermeneutic and Lacanian Perspectives (2012 Amsterdam/New York: Rodopi) and Lacan and Cassirer. An essay on symbolisation (2018 Leiden/Boston: Brill Rodopi)'What if a most experienced clinician wrote a book that connects ongoing debates in the neurosciences with key insights from psychoanalysts like Freud and Lacan, and applied it to contemporary clinical problems? Well, that book is The Spirit of the Drive in Neuropsychoanalysis, a remarkable achievement by Mark Kinet. Read it!'Stijn Vanheule, PhD, clinical psychologist and professor of psychoanalysis and clinical psychology at U. Gent (B). He is also a privately practicing psychoanalyst and a member of the New Lacanian School for Psychoanalysis. Author of The Subject of Psychosis. A Lacanian Perspective (2011 London: Palgrave Macmillan) and Psychiatric Diagnosis Revisited. From DSM tot Clinical Case Formulation (2017 London: Palgrave Macmillan). Co-editor of the three volumes of Reading Lacan's Ecrits (2018, 2019, 2022 London/New York: Routledge)'The author manages to bring together different psychoanalytic schools of thought with neuroscience as a backbone. The book is rooted in a lifetime of psychoanalytic practice and publishing. It is written in a lucid, at times poetic language. Amazingly original and enriching!'Rudi Vermote, M.D., Ph.D., emeritus Professor K.U. Leuven, (B), psychiatrist, psychotherapist, training analyst of the International Psychoanalytical Association, past president of the Belgian Society of Psychoanalysis, member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Psychoanalysis, honorary member of the Psychoanalytic Center of California. Author of Reading Bion (2019 London/New York: Routledge)
'The Spirit of the Drive is grippingly written and takes the reader on an intricate journey. Indeed, the subject matter presented so seemingly effortlessly is complex and it contains much material in terms of neurobiology and psychoanalytic theories. This is cleverly done because it requires a great deal of knowledge, thought and experience. The notes are thorough and very comprehensive. I find this book engaging and stimulating. It is thought-provoking and it is both instructive and informative.'Antoine Mooij, MD, PhD, emeritus professor at Utrecht University, the Netherlands'What if a most experienced clinician wrote a book that connects ongoing debates in the neurosciences with key insights from psychoanalysts like Freud and Lacan, and applied it to contemporary clinical problems? Well, that book is The Spirit of the Drive in Neuropsychoanalysis, a remarkable achievement by Mark Kinet. Read it!'Stijn Vanheule, PhD, clinical psychologist and professor of psychoanalysis and clinical psychology at Gent University, Belgium'The author manages to bring together different psychoanalytic schools of thought with neuroscience as a backbone. The book is rooted in a lifetime of psychoanalytic practice and publishing. It is written in a lucid, at times poetic language. Amazingly original and enriching!'Rudi Vermote, MD, PhD, emeritus professor at KU Leuven, Belgium'In summary, this book provides an excellent and interesting overview of the theories of Solms and Bazan, even with a solid critique. The book is smoothly and clearly written with amusing interludia. The author has a great deal of psychoanalytic, neurobiological, philosophical and literary knowledge with which he enriches the theories and makes them extra accessible. The book is definitely recommended for the interested reader.'Frans Stortelder, Tijdschrift voor Psychoanalyse (Dutch language Journal of Psychoanalysis) 2023/3

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