02282 - History of Psychology

Learning outcomes

The aim of this course is to give students the skills in reading critically and contextualising texts and sources from different viewpoints, making them able to use the historical competencies acquired to examine theoretically several issues. Students will therefore be able to express their point of view, thinking critically on the competencies acquired and confronting dialectically with others.

Course contents

The course will take place in the second semester, starting from February: it is divided in two parts. Students who choose the exam “History of Psichology 1” will follow part 1 (Violence and Freedom in the History of Psychiatry of Twentieth Century Italy)

Part 1. Violence and Freedom in Twentieth Century Italian psychiatry
The course will examine the development of Italian psychiatry from World War I to the promulgation of the so-called “Law Basaglia”. This historical reconstruction will analyse discipline's internal issues, as well as the relationships of Italian psychiatrists with society, politics, literature and media.

Part 2. Freud: the Difficult Path of Man between Nature and Culture
The course will examine the theme of happyness of man in history and society in Freud's theories, facing the issue of the difficult balance between nature and culture, life drive and death drive.  The course will take in account the contemporary outcomes of psychology regarding the new forms of “discontents of civilization”.

Readings/Bibliography

Part 1. Violence and Freedom in Twentieth Century Italian psychiatry

Valeria P. Babini, Liberi tutti. Manicomi e psichiatri in Italia: una storia del Novecento, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2009. Plus one choosen text from:

Mario Colucci, Pierangelo Di Vittorio, Franco Basaglia (Milano, Mondadori, 2001);
Roberta Passione, Ugo Cerletti. Il romanzo dell'elettroshock (Reggio Emilia, Aliberti, studi, 2006);
Paolo F. Peloso, La guerra dentro. La psichiatria italiana tra fascismo e resistenza (1922-1945) (Verona, Ombre corte, 2008).

Part 2. Freud: the Difficult Path of Man between Nature and Culture

S. Freud, Il disagio della civiltà e altri saggi, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 2001;

Plus one choosen text from:
P. Babin, Freud, il padre della psicoanalisi, Milano,  Electa/Gallimard, 1993;
R. Major, C. Talagrand, Sigmund Freud, Torino, Einaudi, 2008;
G. Ricci, Sigmund Freud. Il padre della psicoanalisi, Milano, Mondadori Electa, 2005;
G. Jervis, G. Bartolomei, Freud, Roma, Carocci, 2001.

Further reading:
 R. Contardi, E. Gaburri ( ed), Enigmi della cultura e disagio nella civiltà, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 1999, the articles of Remo Bodei (pp.142-150) and Salvatore Natoli (pp. 188-196); for further reading, it's reccomended the Enciclopedia della psicoanalisi of Jean Lapalanche and J. B. Pontalis.

Teaching methods

The course will be based on lectures and critical reading of the texts. Students will be encouraged to partecipate actively to the debate and to produce original researches and remarks.
During the lessons films will be screend: they will be at the same time a topic of analisys and a tool to incentive dialogue and criticism.

Assessment methods

The exam will consist of a discussion starting from on a topic chosen by the student. During the exam it will be assessed: historical knowledge, critical approach and personal analysis.

Teaching tools

Overhead projector; computer; dvd.

Office hours

See the website of Valeria Paola Babini