title: An essay on Bion's beta function.
abstract: Among the major theorists studying the effect of the external world on the individual, none had a more ambiguous relationship to the psychic manifestations of the environment than Wilfred Bion. On the one hand his theory of the mind contained a new concept, beta elements, to depict the intrusion of the material world into the mental sphere, while on the other he radically opposed the use of sensory perception as a source for clinical insight. The author examines this dichotomy as an outgrowth of her interest in the place of external reality in psychoanalytic theory. As a result, this essay is an attempt to clarify the source for Bion's theorizing, in order to be more specific about the applicability of his concepts and his precepts.
authors: NPAP. marionoliner@gmail.com
authors: Marion M
authors: MM
authors: Oliner
mesh_terms: D004325:Dreams / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D010465:Perception; D011572:Psychoanalysis / Q000266:history*; D011574:Psychoanalytic Theory; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D013811:Psychotherapeutic Processes; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000523:psychology