An inquiry into sexual difference in Ernesto Spinelli's psychology

Philosopher-psychoanalyst Luce Irigaray claims that
all inter-subjective relations are subtended by
sexual difference and that forgetting this is
ignoring a foundational aspect of human relations.
For her, sexual difference is the particular
relation to the body and to language that structures
inter-subjectivity. Ernesto Spinelli, a contemporary
scholar-practitioner of existential phenomenological
psychology is particularly attuned to the
constitution of inter-subjectivity in therapeutic
praxis. An analysis of his own therapeutic praxis
reveals a blind spot in his work. This blind spot
prevents him from realizing certain inter-subjective
possibilities in his work with clients; namely, the
possibilities afforded by articulating a
specifically other. Using Irigaray, Aloysius Joseph
makes the case that Spinelli s therapeutic praxis
can benefit from paying attention to a perceptual
and a sensory economy that is rooted in the client s
sexuate body and history. He suggests that this will
not only revitalize Spinelli's version of
existential phenomenology but also continue to
adhere to its objective of challenging the cultural
assumptions of our time.

Autorentext
Aloysius Joseph earned his doctoral degree in clinical
psychology at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA. His thinking
and practice is largely influenced by existential phenomenology.
He is interested in articulating the implications of an
Irigarayan understanding of embodiment in inter-subjective
relations.