Abstract
Wilfred Bion, the noted psychoanalyst, introduced the term "alpha-function" to refer to mental operations that transform raw sense data into elements of experience that can be stored as unconscious memory. The paper weaves a theoretical thread between supposedly orthogonal fields of inquiry (Bion's psychoanalysis, chaotic systems, biology, Peircean semiotics) to (a) suggest that the alpha-function may be interpreted in terms of a chaotic transformation known as "Arnold's Cat Map" and (b) present a novel conception of unconscious memory.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 305-311 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | New Ideas in Psychology |
Volume | 27 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Dec 2009 |
Keywords
- Alpha-function
- Arnold's Cat Map
- Bion
- Chaos
- Semiotics
- Unconscious memory
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychology (miscellaneous)
- General Psychology