Liquid Modernity and Imagistic Production: Reflections on Social Media and Free Associations

Psychoanal Rev. 2023 Sep;110(3):287-294. doi: 10.1521/prev.2023.110.3.287.

Abstract

Social media has profound impact on how we experience the world and interact with others. Rapidly advancing technology has created platforms that have become increasingly image-based and emotionally manipulative. Do the new patterns of communication change patients' mental processes? Is free association becoming more imagistic? Contemporary clinical settings invite new perspectives on the intersections between the social and individual realms, patients' modes of expression, and analysts' interpretations.

Keywords: Sigmund Freud; free association; group psychology; imagism; mental process; social media.

MeSH terms

  • Communication
  • Free Association*
  • Humans
  • Social Media*