Psychoanalytic Synthesis and Innovation in Times of Upheaval
presented by the Psychoanalytic Society of the William Alanson White Institute
DOMINIQUE SCARFONE, MD
THE SEXUAL DRIVE FOR POWER. THE PASSION FOR EVER MORE.
with Orshi Hunyady, PhD, Moderator
FRIDAY, APRIL 4th, 7:30-9:30PM
NOTE THAT THIS EVENT IS NOW BEING PRESENTED ONLINE ONLY. It will not be held in-person as originally announced.
Links for online entry will be sent out prior to the event.
ABOUT THIS PRESENTATION
In this paper, the author explores what part is played by the human drives in the contemporary crises that assail humankind: global warming, inequality, racism, rape and feminicide epidemics, opioid crisis, war and other forms of violence. Psychoanalysts usually refer to two classes of drives: erotic and aggressive. But in the face of the inextricable mixture of sex and violence, one begins to wonder if we are not dealing with two sides of a single drive which we could call “a sexual drive for power” in which the sexual drive meets exacerbated narcissism. The Freudian roots of this sexual drive for power are explored and the notion is examined in relation with both individual and societal issues. The mechanism of allostasis is invoked as a possible central feature, a link between the many aspects of the topics explored.
1.5 CEs are available for attending this presentation. In order to receive yours, you must follow instructions on the link & information letter sent to your registration email address prior to the event.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dominique Scarfone, MD, is the 2024 Sigourney Award recipient, honorary professor at the Université de Montréal, member emeritus of the Montreal Psychoanalytic Society (French branch of the Canadian Psychoanalytic Society,) and honorary member of the Italian Psychoanalytic Society. He was an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Psychoanalysis for several years, recently retired from practice, and continues teaching, writing, and presenting. He has published extensively, authoring various books and contributing numerous book chapters, as well as original papers in journals internationally. His most recent book is The Reality of the Message. Psychoanalysis in the Wake of Jean Laplanche (New York: The Unconscious in Translation, 2023).
ABOUT THE MODERATOR
Orshi Hunyady, PhD, is a Training Psychoanalyst and faculty at the William Alanson White Institute and is an Associate Editor of Contemporary Psychoanalysis. Dr. Hunyady studies and writes about topics that highlight the link between psychoanalysis and social-societal phenomena. She has a full-time practice in New York City.