Transformation of the passions psychoanalytic and phenomenological perspectives
pp. 217-231
in: Ronald Valle, Steen Halling (eds), Existential-phenomenological perspectives in psychology, Berlin, Springer, 1989Abstract
The passions rarely have been explored as genuine and positive aspects of human reality. Historically, our attitudes toward the passions have been strongly determined by our attitude toward the human body. Generally, the passions were thought of as allied to the body, and, if they were studied at all, it was with the aim of triumphing over weakness or of curing illness. From the point of view of reason and of the soul, the passions quite easily made their appearance as disturbers of the peace or as reminders of a primitive or evil past. It is only in recent times, and concurrent with the philosophical rehabilitation of the body, that the realm of the passions beckons us once again as a promising field for a reflective exploration of the human realm.