Enrique Pichon-Rivière
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Enrique Pichon-Rivière (June 25, 1907 – July 16, 1977) was a
Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...
psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...
naturalized
Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
, considered one of the introducers of group psychoanalysis in
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
and generator of the group theory known as ''Grupo operativo'' (Operative Groups). In the 1940s he became one of the founding members of the ''Asociación Argentina de Psicoanálisis'' (Argentine Psychoanalytic Association, or APA) and in the 1950s participated in the creation of the first private school of Social Psychology and the ''Instituto Argentino de Estudios Sociales'' (Argentine Institute of Social Studies, or IADES). The originality of his theory is based on the dialectical view of the functioning of the groups and the relationship between dialectic,
homeostasis In biology, homeostasis (British English, British also homoeostasis) Help:IPA/English, (/hɒmɪə(ʊ)ˈsteɪsɪs/) is the state of steady internal, physics, physical, and chemistry, chemical conditions maintained by organism, living systems. Thi ...
and
cybernetic Cybernetics is a wide-ranging field concerned with circular causality, such as feedback, in regulatory and purposive systems. Cybernetics is named after an example of circular causal feedback, that of steering a ship, where the helmsperson ma ...
.


Biography

Pichon-Rivière was born on June 25, 1907, in
Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
,
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, his parents were French. His father had two daughters and three sons from a first marriage, when she died, his father remarried with his sister-in-law, first cousin of his dead wife. Enrique is the only one born of this marriage and, consequently, the youngest of the family. Both Alphonse and Josephine, his parents, disowned their bourgeois origins, embracing progressive ideas and a rebellious attitude to cultural norms of the time, both were fans of "rebel" poetry such as Rimbaud and Baudelaire, with strong socialist convictions and rejected racism and sexist stereotypes that prevailed at the start of the 20th century. In 1910, his family went to
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
and later moved to Chaco. His father, who had been a soldier in the Military Academy of Saint-Cyr, was sent by his family to
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to learn about the textile industry, then the family decided to move to Argentina, for reasons that Enrique Pichon-Rivière himself said he was unaware, and his father began to exploit land concessions granted by the Argentine State, where he tried to produce cotton, but without success. Thus, they had to move to
Corrientes Corrientes (; Guaraní language, Guaraní: Taragüí, literally: "Currents") is the capital city of the Provinces of Argentina, province of Corrientes Province, Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about from ...
, a city on the
Paraná River The Paraná River ( es, Río Paraná, links=no , pt, Rio Paraná, gn, Ysyry Parana) is a river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina for some ."Parana River". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Br ...
, with permanent flood and forest environment, a place where he spent his childhood. He was influenced by the Guarani culture, he had daily contact with the indigenous and their peasant modest lives. There, he learned to speak French first and then the
Guaraní Guarani, Guaraní or Guarany may refer to Ethnography * Guaraní people, an indigenous people from South America's interior (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia) * Guaraní language, or Paraguayan Guarani, an official language of Paraguay * ...
and Castilian. When Enrique was 6 or 7 years old, he learned what he called "the great family secret": his brothers and sisters were actually his stepbrothers and stepsisters. He attended high school in the city of
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and, upon completion, he founded the Partido Socialista de Goya. In 1924 he began his medical studies in the city of
Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the west bank of the Paraná River. Rosario is the third-most populous ci ...
, ending in 1936 in the city of
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
. In
Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the west bank of the Paraná River. Rosario is the third-most populous ci ...
he worked for a while as "instructor of manners" for sex workers of Polish origin in a brothel. Later he studied
Anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...
, leaving the career to devote himself to psychiatry and to
psychoanalysis PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a body of knowledge. In what might b ...
. He began his practice as a psychiatrist at the ''El Asilo de Torres'' (Tower Asylum), located in the vicinity of Luján, Buenos Aires. Later, he moved to Buenos Aires, where he would work in another sanatorium and as a
journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
in the newspaper ''La Crítica'' ("The Critique") (1930–1931), in this period he became interested in poetry, paying particular attention to the French
Poète maudit A ''poète maudit'' (, "accursed poet") is a poet living a life outside or against society. Abuse of drugs and alcohol, insanity, crime, violence, and in general any societal sin, often resulting in an early death, are typical elements of the bio ...
and
Isidore Ducasse Isidore ( ; also spelled Isador, Isadore and Isidor) is an English and French masculine given name. The name is derived from the Greek name ''Isídōros'' (Ἰσίδωρος) and can literally be translated to "gift of Isis." The name has survived ...
. When he finished his studies, he began working at the Hospice of Mercy, now known as Interdisciplinary Psicoasistencial Hospital "Jose Tiburcio Borda", a place which played professionally for 15 years. In the early 1940s, founded with Angel Garma, Celes Ernesto Carcamo, Marie Langer and Arnaldo Rascovsky, the ''Asociación Psicoanalítica Argentina'' (APA) (Argentine Psychoanalytic Association) of which then he would leave, becoming interested in the social aspect and activity of society groups, leading him to work at the ''Escuela de Psicología Dinámica'' (School of Psychology) of the then called ''Escuela de Psicología Social'' (School of
social Psychology Social psychology is the scientific study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people or by social norms. Social psychologists typically explain human behavior as a result of the r ...
). In 1937 he married with the renowned psychoanalyst Arminda Aberastury, who was known for her friendship with his brother, Federico, and she was one of the members of the newly formed APA; Aberastury influenced in the theories developed by Pichon-Rivière, given the expertise that she had made in the studies of
Melanie Klein Melanie Klein (née Reizes; 30 March 1882 – 22 September 1960) was an Austrian-British author and psychoanalyst known for her work in child analysis. She was the primary figure in the development of object relations theory. Klein suggested tha ...
and Sophie Morgenstern methods. In 1953 Enrique created the first private school of Social Psychology. In 1955, together with Gino Germani and with the support of the Faculty of Economics, Institute of Statistics, Faculty of Philosophy and Psychology Department and the Faculty of Medicine at
Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the west bank of the Paraná River. Rosario is the third-most populous ci ...
founded the ''Instituto Argentino de Estudios Sociales'' (Argentine Institute of Social Studies, or IADES), assuming the role of director. In 1972, his wife Aberastury committed suicide due to a skin disease that had disfigured her, according to some people close to the family. Pichon-Riviere began a relationship with his former student and collaborator Ana Quiroga, whom he met in 1965.


Bibliography consulted (by year of publication)

* Rambaut, Leo; ''Diccionario Crítico de Psicología Social'', according to the theory of Dr. Enrique Pichon-Rivière, ed. del author, Buenos Aires, 2002, . * Pichon-Rivière, Enrique; ''Diccionario de Psicología Social'', thematic compilation of writings by Pichon Rivière, Joaquín, and cols., ed. Nueva Visión, Buenos Aires, 1995. * Zito Lema, Vicente; ''Entrevistas a PICHON-RIVIÈRE, Enrique; Conversaciones... sobre el arte y la locura'', transcription of recordings, ed. Ediciones Cinco, Buenos Aires, 9ª, 1993. * Pichon-Rivière, Enrique; ''El proceso creador'', ed. Nueva Visión, Buenos Aires, 1987. * Pichon-Rivière, Enrique; ''El proceso grupal'', ed. Nueva Visión, Buenos Aires, 1999. * Pichon-Rivière, Enrique y PAMPLIEGA de QUIROGA, Ana; ''Psicología de la vida cotidiana'', ed. Nueva Visión, Buenos Aires, 1985. * Pichon-Rivière, Enrique; ''Teoría del vínculo'', thematic selection of transcripts of his lectures, years 1956/57, by TARAGANO, Fernando; ed. Nueva Visión, Buenos Aires, 1985. * Pichon-Rivière, Enrique; ''La Psiquiatría, una nueva problemática'', ed. Nueva Visión, Buenos Aires, 1983. * ----. ''El Proceso Grupal, (Del psicoanálisis a la psicología Social, I)'', Buenos Aires, Ediciones Nueva Visión, 2001 * ----. ''Psicoanálisis del Conde de Lautrémont'', Buenos Aires, Editorial Argonauta, Biblioteca de Psicoanálisis. 1992 {{DEFAULTSORT:Pichon-Riviere, Enrique 1907 births 1977 deaths Swiss psychiatrists Naturalized citizens of Argentina Argentine people of Swiss-French descent Argentine psychiatrists Argentine sociologists Social psychologists Swiss emigrants to Argentina Swiss psychoanalysts Analysands of Melanie Klein 20th-century Swiss physicians