A Kleinian perspective on dissociation and trauma: Miscarriages in symbolization

Abstract

The theoretical tension in current views of dissociation can be seen as a product of the historical roots of the concept and the recent shifts in psychoanalytic theory and technique. The developments in psychoanalytic theory and technique have led to a recognition of these processes as operating in a wide range of emotional difficulties. The multiple code theory is a model of mental and emotional functioning that incorporates disparate processing modes connected only partially and to varying degrees. The theory has been developed in the context of current work in cognitive science, affective neuroscience, developmental psychology and related fields. The basic concepts of multiple code theory include symbolic and subsymbolic processes and the corollary concepts of emotion schemas and the referential process. The formulation of emotion schemas as types of memory schemas incorporating sensory, bodily and motoric processes is compatible with current evidence concerning complex interaction among brain networks.