Development, Motivation, and the Work of Silvan Tomkins

310 Pages·2019·10.46 MB·English

by  E. Virginia Demos

ff
The A ect Theory of Silvan Tomkins
for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy
The Affect Theory of Silvan Tomkins for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy
explores central issues in current clinical work, using the theories put forward by
SilvanTomkinsandpresentingthemindetail,aswellasintegratingthemwiththe
mostup-to-dateneurosciencefindingsandinfancyresearch,allbasedonabiopsy-
chosocial,dynamicsystemsapproach.
Part I describes the essentials of life, based on our evolutionary and biological
heritage, namely a need for a coherent understanding of one’s world and the
capacity to act in that world; the infant’s capacities are described in detail as
embodyingboth.Longitudinaldataisprovidedbeginningatbirthintothethirdyear
oflife.PartIIreviewscurrentdebatesinpsychoanalysisrelatingtomotivation,and
the lack of an internally consistent theory. Recent neuroscience findings are
presented, which both negate drive theory, and support Tomkins’ theory. His
theoryisthendescribedindetail.InPartIII,twocasehistoriesarepresented:one
is a clinical case illustrating one of Tomkins’ affect-powered scripts. The second
caseisdrawnfromalongitudinalstudyextendingfrombirthintoearlyadulthood,
whichismadesenseofwiththehelpofTomkins’theory.Demosconcludeswitha
look at competing approaches to theory and responds to recent cognitive-based
attemptstodisprovebothTomkins’workandthelatestfindingsfromneuroscience.
The Affect Theory of Silvan Tomkins for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy
will appeal to psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists, as well as
psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and psychiatric nurses.
E. Virginia Demos is a retired member of the clinical staff at the Austen Riggs
Center in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, USA, who continues to work in private
practice as a clinical psychologist. She also previously taught at the Harvard
Graduate School of Education. She is an authority on trauma and has also
workedcloselywithSilvanTomkinsduringhercareer,editingExploringAffect:
The Selected Writings of Silvan S. Tomkins (1995).
Relational perspectives book series
Series Editors
Lewis Aron, Adrienne Harris,
Steven Kuchuck & Eyal Rozmarin
The Relational Perspectives Book Series (RPBS) publishes books that grow out of or
contributetotherelationaltraditionincontemporarypsychoanalysis.Thetermrelational
psychoanalysis was first used by Greenberg and Mitchell1 to bridge the traditions of
interpersonal relations, as developed within interpersonal psychoanalysis and object
relations,asdevelopedwithincontemporary British theory.But, undertheseminalwork
of the late Stephen A. Mitchell, the term relational psychoanalysis grew and began to
accruetoitselfmanyotherinfluencesanddevelopments.Varioustributaries—interperso-
nal psychoanalysis, object relations theory, self-psychology, empirical infancy research,
and elements of contemporary Freudian and Kleinian thought—flow into this tradition,
which understands relational configurations between self and others, both real and
fantasied,astheprimarysubjectofpsychoanalytic investigation.
Werefertotherelationaltradition,ratherthantoarelationalschool,tohighlightthatwe
areidentifyingatrend,atendencywithincontemporarypsychoanalysis,notamoreformally
organizedorcoherentschoolorsystemofbeliefs.Ouruseofthetermrelationalsignifiesa
dimension of theory and practice that has become salient across the wide spectrum of
contemporarypsychoanalysis.NowundertheeditorialsupervisionofLewisAron,Adrienne
Harris, Steven Kuchuck, and Eyal Rozmarin, the Relational Perspectives Book Series
originatedin1990undertheeditorialeyeofthelateStephenA.Mitchell.Mitchellwasthe
most prolific and influential of the originators of the relational tradition. Committed to
dialogueamongpsychoanalysts,heabhorredtheauthoritarianismthatdictatedadherenceto
arigidsetofbeliefsortechnicalrestrictions.Hechampionedopendiscussion,comparative
andintegrativeapproaches,andpromotednewvoicesacrossthegenerations.
IncludedintheRelationalPerspectivesBookSeriesareauthorsandworksthatcomefrom
withintherelationaltradition,extendanddevelopthattradition,aswellasworksthatcritique
relational approaches or compare and contrast it with alternative points of view. The series
includesourmostdistinguishedseniorpsychoanalysts,alongwithyoungercontributorswho
bring fresh vision. A full list of titles in this series is available at www.routledge.com/
mentalhealth/series/LEARPBS
Note
1 Greenberg, J. & Mitchell, S. (1983). Object Relations in Psychoanalytic Theory.
Cambridge, MA:HarvardUniversityPress.
ff
The A ect Theory of Silvan
Tomkins for Psychoanalysis
and Psychotherapy
Recasting the Essentials
E. Virginia Demos
First published 2019
by Routledge
2Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
RoutledgeisanimprintoftheTaylor&FrancisGroup,aninformabusiness
©2019E.VirginiaDemos
The right of E. Virginia Demosto be identified as author of this
workhasbeen asserted byher inaccordance with sections77
and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rightsreserved. No part of thisbookmay be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised inany form orbyany electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known orhereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in anyinformation
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from
thepublishers.
Trademark notice: Product orcorporate namesmay be
trademarksor registered trademarks, and are used only for
identification and explanationwithout intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for thisbookis available from the British
Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Demos, E. Virginia, author.
Title: Theaffect theory of SilvanTomkinsforpsychoanalysis and
psychotherapy : recasting the essentials / E. Virginia Demos.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ;New York,
NY : Routledge, 2019. |
Series: Relational perspectives book series |
Includesbibliographical referencesand index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018045595 (print) | LCCN 2018046612
(ebook) | ISBN 9780203835913(Master) | ISBN 9781136859809
(Adobe) | ISBN 9781136859793 (ePub) | ISBN 9781136859755
(Mobipocket) | ISBN 9780415886499 (hardback : alk. paper) |
ISBN 9780415886505 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Tomkins, Silvan S. (SilvanSolomon), 1911- |
Affect (Psychology) | Psychoanalysis. | Psychotherapy.
Classification: LCC BF531 (ebook) | LCC BF531.D43882019
(print) | DDC 150.19/5–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018045595
ISBN: 978-0-415-88649-9(hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-415-88650-5(pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-83591-3(ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Swales & Willis, Exeter, Devon, UK
To my parents,
in memory of their deep caring and understanding.
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
PARTI
Early beginnings: basic essentials, neonatal
capacities, and longitudinal data on two infant
girls into their third year of life 7
1 Newdevelopmentalparadigms 9
2 Basichumanpriorities 32
3 Longitudinalstudies 56
PARTII
Critical review of psychoanalytic theories
of motivation, integration of current neuroscience,
and Silvan Tomkins’ comprehensive affect theory 93
4 Motivationtheoryreformulated 95
5 SilvanTomkins’affecttheory 122
6 SilvanTomkins’scripttheory:atheoryofpersonality 163
viii Contents
PARTIII
Two case presentations: clinical case and
longitudinal case from birth into adulthood
illustrating an affect-driven script as defined
by Tomkins 189
7 Revisitingtherepetitioncompulsion 191
8 Traumaandtheanti-toxicscript 228
Concludingcomments 257
Afterword 269
Bibliography 275
Index 287
Acknowledgments
First of all, I want to acknowledge the steady emotional support of my
husband, John, throughout the years it took me to write this book. He
read every word of this volume and made many useful editorial
suggestions. He has always, during our fifty-five years of marriage,
supported my work and valued my mind. We have shared much during
all these years.
I want to thank Lewis Aron, who, after reading one of my published
comments, wrote and asked me if I wanted to write a book for his series;
an invitation I eagerly accepted. He has been very patient, supportive,
responding to all of my questions, and enthusiastic throughout this
process, including suggesting various titles for this book.
I am indebted to the Austen Riggs Hospital, first for inviting me to be
an Erickson Scholar, and then allowing me to become a senior staff
member, given my non-standard background in infancy work and long-
itudinal studies, and having received my training in psychodynamics
from the self-psychologists. I was there during the directorship of
Edward Shapiro who urged us all to take up our authority, which
provided important support for strengthening our courage in our work
with patients and with each other. I learned a great deal, both from my
colleagues and my patients. In many ways my time there felt like
coming home to the deepest emotional parts of myself. I have only
recently retired from hospital work and I miss it terribly. There is no
substitute in real life for that kind of deep work.
I would also like to acknowledge the help I received from the current
librarianatRiggs,GregoryD.Farr,MLIS,CA,inlocatingstrayreferences