You are invited to a special Summer Film Event a
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Location: Training Institute for Mental Health
115 West 27th Street 4th Floor, New York, NY 10001
Issues of Attachment, Perversion, Play and Involvement:
Screening and Discussion of “An Affair of Love”
Venice Film Festival Award Winner
Venice Film Festival Award Winner
Presenters and Discussion Leaders:
Albert J. Brok, PhD, CGP
Ellen Gussaroff, PhD, LCSW.
There is no charge for attendance but must RSVP Drajbrok@gmail.com , leaving full name
Co-Sponsored by TIMH and
Section I, Division 39 (Psychoanalysis), APA
Film and International Committee
Commentary:
Early in the twentieth Century, Freud noted that a major issue confronting mature relationships involved the integration of passion and tenderness toward the same person. This is a theme that was not only relevant in Freud’s time. It is also of current importance in a culture that is increasingly tilting toward identification with the bifurcation of desire and love. In our 21St Century Western Culture, goals and desires of individuals often clash with the goals and desires of the couples these individuals form. Boredom and complacency characterize many long term relationships, while enduring relationships comprised of love, desire, play , imagination and wisdom are thought by some to be impossible. Individuals seeking a relationship, are often unaware of the emotional tools necessary to form an ongoing involvement. Many couples lack the capacity to commute between being two separate individuals and the capacity to be a couple. Our program explores this general set of issues from a number of perspectives highlighted by the film “An Affair of Love” - award winner for best actress (Nathalie Baye) at the Venice film festival. It is in French with English Subtitles.
We will address such questions as:
How can one differentiate attachment from involvement?
What is the role of perversion in stifling play?
Can fantasy and reality interpenetrate a couple rather than be neutralized by them?
Can a relationship become a play space as well as a work space? And how is that different from a “perverse” space.?
Can one completely know one’s partner, or is this a myth? What is the difference between an assumptive relationship and one the is based on inquiry and allows for uncertainty?
Are current Western relationsh ip values,,the products of a culture buttressing narcissistic interests, media addiction and disbelief in the work of involvement?
How do assumptions and Projective identifications affect intimate relationships?
