The Quest for Conscience and the Birth of the Mind

The Quest for Conscience and the Birth of the Mindexamines conscience as an as-yet-unrealized human potential, but a potential toward which human beings are naturally driven. A 'mature conscience', dependent on the development of an authentic self, is distinguished from classical ideas of the superego, postulating that the two may represent two separate lines of development. The more primitive superego is seen as an often pathological manifestation of this natural mental potential, while the development of a mature conscience is seen to have its foundation in the development of a true self. Detailed clinical material illustrates these ideas. ' Bion's ideas regarding the relationship between religious thought and a scientific perspective, and its relevance to psychoanalytic work ' Freud's and Bion's perspectives on religion are examined, revealing fundamental differences in their views of the mind ' Obstacles to the development of a healthy conscience

Annie Reiner is an associate member and associate faculty member of The Psychoanalytic Center of California in Los Angeles.