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Music plays an important role in the lives of people. Certainly this is true for the two editors of this special edition on music and psychoanalysis of the International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies. Both of them professionally developed talents in music and over the years developed a deep and nuanced appreciation of the art. The editors also are practicing psychoanalysts and/or psychiatrists. It is hoped that this special edition will deepen the readers' appreciation for the relevance of music in mental life and in society.
Music is relevant to individuals, in different ways, in all cultures. People can listen to evocative sound and experience a variety of feelings simultaneously. This experience can enhance ego identity, evoke memory, assist working through unconscious issues, and also inform group dynamics. It is the intention of this issue to add to the reader's understanding of music and its effect on psyche, society, and culture through examining multiple perspectives through the lens of six authors. The editors have added an Overture and Coda to bookend the submissions. The multidimensional aspect of psychoanalysis will be a major organizing theme pertaining to these psychoanalytic and psychosocial perspectives on music.
The International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies takes a broad interdisciplinary perspective on psychoanalytic theory and thinking where the focus can move from the individual to small groups and onto to society and history at large. The articles for this edition start with an in-depth understanding of how music affects people emotionally and intrapsychically from developmental, ego psychological, and body/mind perspectives. They then move on to examine how composers tap into their unique gift of creativity to how music affects individuals and society and how music can be used for research regarding social and psychological data.
It is a complex challenge to discuss any art in a language other than the art itself. Music p