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Alienation, Conscious and Unconscious: Reflections on Psychoanalysis and Sociopolitical Issues

Author: R. D. Hinshelwood, Giuseppe Caruso

£26.09 – £39.99

Too little is ever thought about the unconscious dimension of the mind when considering political and ideological issues and crises. To redress this lacuna, R. D. Hinshelwood presents eleven of his most inspiring papers on the relevance of psychoanalytic thinking to politics alongside a series of in-depth discussions with Giuseppe Caruso.

Due to be published November 2025

Author

R. D. Hinshelwood, Giuseppe Caruso
ISBN

9781800133136
Format

Paperback, e-Book, Print & e-Book
Page Extent

376
Publication Date

November 2025
Subject Areas

Political Theory, Psychoanalysis, Psychosocial studies
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Description

R. D. Hinshelwood draws from five decades of experience to present a collection of papers on the relationships between psychoanalysis and politics. Divided into four parts, each chapter begins with a short introduction from the author to contextualise the featured paper and each part ends on an in-depth discussion with Giuseppe Caruso to clarify and advance understanding of the issues raised. They discuss the relevance of psychoanalysis, the science of the unconscious, and the numerous political topics addressed. Politics involves conscious debate but it is inevitably intruded upon by unconscious determinants that key in with social attitudes and issues. Hinshelwood draws upon the theory and work of Melanie Klein, W. R. Bion, and Herbert Rosenfeld, as well as his work with and on organisations and therapeutic communities. His writing is imbued with an acute sensibility to social and political matters and engages not only those with an interest in psychoanalysis but also those interested in the social sciences and cultural studies.

About the author

About the author

R. D. Hinshelwood is a Fellow of the British Psychoanalytical Society and a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He had a long interest in alternative psychiatry and worked as a part-time Consultant Psychotherapist in the National Health Service whilst also running a private practice as a psychoanalyst for more than forty years. Subsequently he became professor in the Centre For Psychoanalytic Studies at Essex University (now the Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies), and is now Professor Emeritus. He has written widely on psychoanalysis and psychoanalysts, as well as comparative psychoanalytic research, the psychodynamics of institutions, and a number of political topics (that make up the contents of this current volume).

Giuseppe Caruso is a psychoanalyst of the British Psychoanalytical Society. He works in private practice in London. As a social theorist he has published widely on global justice movements and cosmopolitanism and, more recently, integrating psychoanalytic insights to explore emotional cycles and leadership in groups. His earlier research involved ethnographic fieldwork with the Shipibo-Konibo people in Peru, leading to a monograph about their traditional medical practices. 

Contents

Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

About the authors

Abstracts of the papers

Introduction: A preliminary discussion

Part I: Setting out the psychosocial divide

1. Marxist and psychoanalytic alienations
Paper 1. Projective identification and Marx’s concept of man (1983)

2. Seeking the synthesis
Paper 2. Convergences with psychoanalysis (1996)

Discussion of Part I 

Part II: Individual psychology with its interpersonal dimensions

3. Affect flow
Paper 3. The individual and the influence of social settings (2005)

4. Fluid identities
Paper 4. Social possession of identity (1988)

5. Stability or annihilation
Paper 5. Psychological defences and nuclear war (2002)

Discussion of Part II

Part III: The sociopolitical penetrated by the mental

6. Tracking down ideology
Paper 6. Ideology and identity (2009)

7. Socially stabilising identity
Paper 7. Intolerance and the intolerable: The case of racism (2007)

8. Belonging and identifying
Paper 8. The function of symbol-formation: Pinning down the ego function (2020)

Discussion of Part III

Part IV: How do we “take action”?

9. Is reflection an action?
Paper 9, Reflection or action: And never the twain shall meet (2017)

10. Democracy weaponised
Paper 10. The disappointment of democracy (2021)

11. The inexistence of debate
Paper 11. Political action, psychoanalytic action (2023)

Discussion of Part IV

Conclusion

Index

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