Chapter 4 - The Durkheimian in Psychoanalysis (1976)

Summary

4. The aim of this chapter is to reflect on some crucial differences between the first and second editions of Psychoanalysis. Moscovici wrote the first edition during his ‘age of intellectual innocence’ when he knew only a little of Durkheim’s work; even the term ‘social representation’ came from Father Lenoble. He created his theory independently of Durkheim’s collective representations. None of the main concepts of Moscovici’s social representations were derived from Durkheim; instead, his main ideas contradicted Durkheim’s collective representations.

While in the two introductory pieces Moscovici expresses himself in Durkheimian fashion, the rest of the second edition follows the same path as the first. The major concepts of the theory, that is, objectification, anchoring, cognitive polyphasia, natural thinking, and communication, are discussed, although some of their meanings are changed or reformulated. Moscovici’s revision of the second edition has had major effects on the interpretation of his theory in several directions. It was the second edition that was translated into other languages and, therefore, it was interpreted in a Durkheimian way even though the concepts held by Durkheim and Moscovici were totally different. The root of the theory of social representations and communication between the two editions of Psychoanalysis remains puzzling.