Psychology Seminar

Saint-Louis University - Bruxelles

Psychology Seminar

Credits : 4

Lecturer : Eric Fraiture

Mode of delivery :

Face-to-face , first and second term, 30 hours of theory.

Language of instruction :

French

Learning outcomes :

The objective of the seminar is twofold: to acquire and to exercise throughout the year the necessary skills to an academic work; as this first objective is achieved in a seminar of psychology, it is also an introduction to the discipline.

The seminar aims at acheiving the following skills:

- Reading and understanding (both synthetic than analytical, both global and detailed) of scientific texts and documentary sources;

- Comparison and critical discussion;

- Writing: identification of essential information, structure (according three forms of text: abstract, summary, synthesis), articulation of ideas together and building of an argument, neat writing;

- Speaking (questions and answers with the teacher, panel discussions, oral presentation);

- Introduction to the science and ethics of psychology take into account the singularity of the subjective position of the person studied.

Prerequisites :

None

Co-requisites :

None

Course contents :

Topics: murder, madness, amok

Murder is an act that intrigues us particularly because it is the transgression of a major interdiction in human life. An act almost unthinkable : how is it possible to come to kill another human being ?

But some murders appear to us to be particularly resistant to the thought : they seem impervious to the logic of motivation and intention (venal, vengeful, passionate, political motivation, etc.), or even meaningless. These "acts" escape the usual logic of action and responsibility.

In these situations, (1) it may happen that motivation is claimed by the perpetrator, but in the eyes of others, it seems crazy: delusional, or constantly changing. In other cases , (2) the offender is found in the inability to say anything (as in return those who have to face the consequences of his act : relatives of the victim, lawyer, judge, expert, caregivers, guardians, public opinion...): the murderer seems unable to fix his attention on the events, he remains silent on these, or on his personal life, he does not recognize himself as the author, etc. (3) It is also possible that the perpetrator of the "unmotivated" murder has, apart from this act, all the aspects of normality - and then it is our own relationship to the standard and the reason that becomes complicated...

Society tends to consider these men and women as monstrous, these situations as inhuman. It is true that they arouse in us the most disturbing emotions: stupefaction, passion of revenge, fear, horror, fascination. But these acts, their madness will nevertheless remain human possibilities - we must find a way, the least bad, to talk about.

This raises the following questions: (1) What can be understood in a frenzy ? Which truth seeks to be heard ? Conversely: where in this speech is madness - and how can it be considered crazy ? (2) Despite the absence of words, how to make the conditions, the causes and the process of acting out appear? (3) How to distinguish the normality specific to the"normopathe" criminal... from the everyday normality ?

Gradually, a fundamental problem emerges : can we produce a rational discourse on madness, this mental state that would exclude reason? Is it possible or desirable to understand madness, to take it back in the nets of reason? Or should we limit ourselves to identify discrepancies with the usual ways of talking about our actions and our lives ?

To address these questions, first, we must broaden the context: beyond the act and its accurate reconstruction , we focus on the one who committed it, on the "breaks" and "loopholes" that scatter his life. This can only be done seriously by studying closely singular cases, practical and real situations - files including descriptions of facts, biographical elements, psychological analysis. Students thus learn how to navigate within the complexity, but also within the shortcomings of these sources. To guide us in this journey, we will use, atthe beginning of the year, more theoretical texts on the issue of insanity.

The seminar will provide ample room for participation and students' thinking, not neglecting the difficulties that we experience when it comes to think about such situations.

Psychosis, murder, psychotic murderers

Topics :

1. General points on psychosis, after Lacan and Maleval :

A. The structure of psychosis (out of crisis) ;

B. Causes of the psychotic crisis : encoutering the Other's incompletude and weakening the anti-crisis protections ;

C. Recovering from the crisis through delirium/delusion (four phases).

1. Case studies of psychotic murderers :

A. Pierre Rivière

B. Henri-Désiré Landru

C. Christine et Léa Papin

D. Jean-Claude Romand

Planned learning activities and teaching methods :

During the first semester, students will produce, from a set of three scientific texts:

- A summary: reduction of the original text to the very essence (in terms of information, key concepts and arguments) with structuration of the summary according to the ideas order of the author;

- Two reports: reduction of a text and restructuration according to the issues raised by the author (as reconstructed by the student);

- A synthesis: reduction and fusion of the three texts, structuration according to the issue chosen and built by the student;

- The synthesis will be preceded by the preparation and submission of a plan synthesis.

These works will be evaluated individually. The session following the delivery of a work will be largely devoted to a discussion of the collective work: presentations (by students), answers to students' questions, discussion about some specific points of the issues...

In the second semester, students will be divided into small groups, each of them will receive a folder related to a clinical case (description of the acting out, biographical elements, psychological analysis). Based on this folder will be realised ??:

- A oral presentation in group, followed by a discussion with the class;

- An individualised synthesis.

Throughout the year, the seminar will provide ample room for participation and students' thinking.

Assessment methods and criteria :

The assessment will highlight the positive aspects of the work of each student, as well as necessary or desirable areas of improvement. Students will also be encouraged to evaluate themselves.

The overall rating of the year will essentially be an average of the three productions: synthesis of the first term, oral presentation, final synthesis. (The evaluation of the first synthesis will also take into account the quality of the preparatory work: abstract, summary, synthesis plan ; the evaluation of the oral presentation will also take into account the preparatory group meeting with the teacher.)

The average of the three marks will then be weighted by the quality of student participation throughout the year in the seminary, and the possible improvement of his/her work or his/her involvement throughout the year.