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Book Chapters by Deborah Wright

Research paper thumbnail of Spatialisation and the Fomenting of Political Violence

Fomenting Political Violence – Fantasy, Language, Media, Action Eds. Steffen Kruger, Karl Figlio, Barry Richards, 2019

This chapter introduces a formulation of ‘spatialisation,’ which is here understood as a form of ... more This chapter introduces a formulation of ‘spatialisation,’ which is here understood as a form of psychological projection that involves physically acting upon one’s environment. It means doing things with or to oneself, yet outside the self – in a landscape, in relation to a building and/or a person. Such mechanisms have not been well developed in psychoanalytic thinking, certainly not in relation to the study of political violence. The chapter looks at the psychoanalytic theory pertaining to the concept, in particular Freud’s theory of instincts and Klein’s theory of the splitting into good and bad, sacred and profane. In a further step, the chapter will give historically and culturally specific examples of spatialisation, looking at 1990s war-torn Serbia and 1940s NS-Germany.

Research paper thumbnail of Rooms as replacements for people: The consulting room as a room object

On Replacement - Cultural, Social and Psychological Representations Eds: Jean Owen and Naomi Segal, 2018

Within the fields of anthropology, history, art and architectural history there is literature sug... more Within the fields of anthropology, history, art and architectural history there is literature suggesting the importance of the use and meaning of location, place, space and rooms for people and their mechanism for representing others. Sigmund Freud wrote about the meaning of space for humans in relation to ritual and symbolisation, and had an enduring interest in the meanings of location and rooms. This included representations of his mother and his fiancée within room spaces. I argue that the historical tradition relating to the representation of people in spaces can be applied to the consulting room, relating to the patient’s memories and associations with the meanings of the room itself, as well as in the transference to the therapist.

Papers by Deborah Wright

Research paper thumbnail of Shopping in the time of COVID-19

University of Essex Departemnt of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies Newsletter 6-12th April, 2020

Dr Deborah Wright, PPS lecturer, writes 'for those of you who are bemused/fascinated by the curre... more Dr Deborah Wright, PPS lecturer, writes 'for those of you who are bemused/fascinated by the current shopping item phenomena taking place, not to mention our ritualised shopping experience that we have moved into, you might like to read a psychosocial perspective on the containment afforded by society in; Professor Karl Figlio and Barry Richard's paper 'The Containing Matrix of the Social' (available on Pep Web). Figlio and Richards write of the ritualistic, spatial and physical aspects of society, such as street lighting and road systems, and think about the containing importance of our interaction with these and their function. In these unusual times I would argue that the spatial or what I would call spatialising (Wright 2019) importance of the items that feel imperatively needed and sought after-whether it be toilet rolls, soap, pasta, or A4 paper in the wake of home schooling, (the next thing will be seeds and crafting materials!) are part of a containing process involving the shopping experience. I suggest that the state that we have gotten to, with highly ritualised shopping expeditions, where there are several layers to get through; queuing, security, painted lines and squares to stand in and behind, and being admitted to the sacred supermarket to move toward the sacred shopping items, could be thought of as being like the journey through a cathedral to the sacred relics (the object that is sought). This is a state that we can think of as relating to object seeking and its afforded containing potential.

Research paper thumbnail of Spatialisation and the Fomenting of Political Violence

Fomenting Political Violence – Fantasy, Language, Media, Action Eds. Steffen Kruger, Karl Figlio, Barry Richards, 2019

This chapter introduces a formulation of ‘spatialisation,’ which is here understood as a form of ... more This chapter introduces a formulation of ‘spatialisation,’ which is here understood as a form of psychological projection that involves physically acting upon one’s environment. It means doing things with or to oneself, yet outside the self – in a landscape, in relation to a building and/or a person. Such mechanisms have not been well developed in psychoanalytic thinking, certainly not in relation to the study of political violence. The chapter looks at the psychoanalytic theory pertaining to the concept, in particular Freud’s theory of instincts and Klein’s theory of the splitting into good and bad, sacred and profane. In a further step, the chapter will give historically and culturally specific examples of spatialisation, looking at 1990s war-torn Serbia and 1940s NS-Germany.

Research paper thumbnail of Rooms as replacements for people: The consulting room as a room object

On Replacement - Cultural, Social and Psychological Representations Eds: Jean Owen and Naomi Segal, 2018

Within the fields of anthropology, history, art and architectural history there is literature sug... more Within the fields of anthropology, history, art and architectural history there is literature suggesting the importance of the use and meaning of location, place, space and rooms for people and their mechanism for representing others. Sigmund Freud wrote about the meaning of space for humans in relation to ritual and symbolisation, and had an enduring interest in the meanings of location and rooms. This included representations of his mother and his fiancée within room spaces. I argue that the historical tradition relating to the representation of people in spaces can be applied to the consulting room, relating to the patient’s memories and associations with the meanings of the room itself, as well as in the transference to the therapist.

Research paper thumbnail of Shopping in the time of COVID-19

University of Essex Departemnt of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies Newsletter 6-12th April, 2020

Dr Deborah Wright, PPS lecturer, writes 'for those of you who are bemused/fascinated by the curre... more Dr Deborah Wright, PPS lecturer, writes 'for those of you who are bemused/fascinated by the current shopping item phenomena taking place, not to mention our ritualised shopping experience that we have moved into, you might like to read a psychosocial perspective on the containment afforded by society in; Professor Karl Figlio and Barry Richard's paper 'The Containing Matrix of the Social' (available on Pep Web). Figlio and Richards write of the ritualistic, spatial and physical aspects of society, such as street lighting and road systems, and think about the containing importance of our interaction with these and their function. In these unusual times I would argue that the spatial or what I would call spatialising (Wright 2019) importance of the items that feel imperatively needed and sought after-whether it be toilet rolls, soap, pasta, or A4 paper in the wake of home schooling, (the next thing will be seeds and crafting materials!) are part of a containing process involving the shopping experience. I suggest that the state that we have gotten to, with highly ritualised shopping expeditions, where there are several layers to get through; queuing, security, painted lines and squares to stand in and behind, and being admitted to the sacred supermarket to move toward the sacred shopping items, could be thought of as being like the journey through a cathedral to the sacred relics (the object that is sought). This is a state that we can think of as relating to object seeking and its afforded containing potential.