Appalachian Psychoanalytic Society
a local chapter of the Division 39 of the American Psychological Association
presents a
Saturday Morning Seminar
with
Timothy L. Hulsey, PhD,
on
Integrating Neuroscience
with Object Relations Theory:
A Close Reading
Participants are asked to bring a copy of this article
to read as a group during the seminar.
Saturday, May 11, 2024
8:30am - 12:15pm
University of Tennessee Medical Center
Morrison Education and Conference Center
1924 Alcoa Highway
Knoxville, TN 37920
Description of Program
This intermediate presentation will address how new discoveries in neuroscience help modify and explain Freud's original drive theory and, by extension, the role of drives in object relationship theory (Solms, 2021). We will discuss Kernberg's contention that our primary motivational systems are affect systems, and that libido and aggression represent "secondary developments of affect integration." We will also examine his claim that "conflicts between love and aggression are originally conscious in the context of the primary activation of affect systems in the relation between self and other (mother), but their traces remain only in the behavior patterns" (Akhtar & O'Neil, 2018). Finally, we will discuss how recent findings in neuroscience affect our understanding of developmental object relations theory (Kernberg, 2015, 2022; Mucci, 2021).
Presenter
Timothy L. Hulsey, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Tennessee. From 2013-2020, he served as Dean of the Honors College at Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to that, he served as Associate Professor and Director of the University Honors Program at Texas State University. Dr. Hulsey took his bachelor's degree in psychology at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, master's degree in clinical psychology at Trinity University, and PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Tennessee. He completed pre- and post-doctoral fellowships at Darthmouth Medical School. Dr. Hulsey has received several teaching awards as well as the Fellowship award from the American Psychoanalytic Association. He has published numerous journal articles, book chapters, and a monograph. He currently teaches a graduate course on psychoanalytic theory.
Schedule
8:30am Registration
8:55am Welcome and Introduction
9:00am Affect systems as primary motivations and the Bayesian model of mind
9:30am Self/other representations and Solm's theory of consciousness
10am The death drive
10:30am Break
10:45am The dynamic unconscious
11:15am Implications for object relations developmental theory and therapy
12:15pm Complete Evaluations and Adjourn.
Learning Objectives
After attending this intermediate program in full, participants will be able to:
1. Describe the primary elements of the affect system and how, according to Kernberg (2022), it relates to Freud's drive theory.
2. Describe how Mark Solm's (2021) theory of consciousness relates to Kernberg's affect theory of the drives.
3. Summarize the Bayesian model of mind and describe how it relates to Kernberg's (2022) neuroscientific revision of object relations theory.
Participants
This program is open to all APS members and other interested mental health professionals who may not be members. It is not limited to individuals practicing in a predominately psychoanalytic mode. The material will be appropriate for clinicians with intermediate levels of experience and knowledge.
Registration Fees and Policies
BY May 6, 2024:
Professional Members and Scholar Members: $45
Non-members: $60
Early-Career Professional Members: $35
Graduate Student Members: Free.
AFTER May 6, 2024:
Professional Members and Scholar Members: $60
Non-members: $75
Early-Career Professional Members: $50.
Graduate Student Members: Free
Registration will close on May 10, 2024.
Although walk-ins will be accepted, please register online at www.aps-tn.wildapricot.org in advance to assure adequate food and seating.
If you prefer to pay by check, please print the Program Registration form, and mail with your payment to:
Wesley Gosselin, LMSW
APS Treasurer
100 Forest Court
Knoxville, TN 37919.
Refunds honored with written/electronic notice at least 48 hours before date of conference. Contact Wesley Gosselin, LMSW.
Contact the APS President Frank Pittenger, PhD to negotiate fees, if needed.
Facility is accessible to persons who are physically challenged. If participants have special needs, we will attempt to accommodate them. Please address requests, questions, concerns and any complaints to Frank Pittenger, PhD.
APS Membership
Eligible professionals can join APS or renew their membership for the 2023-2024 program year for $80. Scholars can join/renew for $50 and Early-Career Professionals can join/renew for $45. Graduate students may join or renew for $25.
American Psychological Association Approval Statement
Division 39 is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Division 39 maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Continuing Education
This program, when attended in its entirety, is available for 3 continuing education credits. With full attendance (sign-in at start of program) and completion of a program Evaluation and Learning Assessment, a certificate will be issued. Psychologists will have their participation registered through Division 39. Partial credit is not available for partial attendance.
APS and Division 39 are committed to conducting all activities in conformity with the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles for Psychologists. APS and Division 39 are also committed to accessibility and non-discrimination in continuing education activities. Participants are asked to be aware of the need for privacy and confidentiality throughout the program. If program content becomes stressful, participants are encouraged to process these feelings during discussion periods.
Selected References/Recommended Reading
Solms, M. (2021). Revision of drive theory. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 69(6), 1033-1091.
Akhtar., S., & O'Neil, M.K. (Eds.). (2018). On Freud's Beyond the Pleasure Principle. Routledge.
Kernberg, O.F. 2015, January). Neurobiological correlates of object relations theory: The relationship between neurobiological and psychodynamic development. In International forum of psychoanalysis (Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 38-46). Routledge.
Kernberg, O.F. (2014). Object relations, affects, and drives: Toward a new synthesis. In Motivation and Psychoanalysis (pp. 604-619). Routledge.
Mucci, C. (2021). Dissociation vs. repression: A new neuropsychoanalytic model for psychopathology. The American Journal of Psychoanalysis, 81(1), 82-111.
Contact
If participants have special needs, we will attempt to accommodate them. Please address requests, questions, concerns and any complaints to the APS President Frank Pittenger, PhD.
There is no commercial support for this program nor are there any relationships between Division 39, APS, presenter, program content, research, grants or other funding sources that could reasonably be construed as conflicts of interest. During the program, the validity/utility of the content and risks/limitations of the approaches discussed will be addressed.