dr. Jan De Vos

Psycho-neuropolitics: linking the neurological turn to psychologization

This project departs from the field of ideology critique and political philosophy to assess the impact of the ―neurological turn‖ in the fields of politics and culture. The project takes up the suggestion of Scott Vrecko that the neurological turn is best understood in its "psy-lineage", that is, in its relation to the histories of the psychological arts and sciences.

The central hypothesis is a double one. First, the neurological turn is not the end of psychology, rather, it re-confirms and even strengthens the psychological paradigm. Second, if psychology has a double figure, namely psychologization (effecting a thorough change in the human‘s being with himself, the other and the world), the neurosciences might also entail some kind of neurologization processes.

Putting the two together: the project‘s innovating and original research field is the neuropsychologization/ psychoneurologization processes. This is assessed in three research domains, first, the scientific aspects of this, what does this entail for both the psy- as the neuro-sciences? Second, the cultural aspects: how is this reflected in contemporary culture (especially in so-called cyberculture)? And third, the political aspects: how does the neurological turn (re)shape contemporary so-called biopolitics. In each research domain, the analysis is complemented with a casestudy.

Keywords:

Psychologisation neurologisation ideology critique

Academic titles:

  • MA Psychology

  • PhD Philosophy

RESEARCH UNITS:

Contact

Publications

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  • 2020

    • Macht en ethiek in de hedendaagse psychiatrie : een conceptuele en kwalitatieve studie vanuit het werk van Foucault en Lacan

      Verbeke, E. (2020). Macht en ethiek in de hedendaagse psychiatrie : een conceptuele en kwalitatieve studie vanuit het werk van Foucault en Lacan. Universiteit Gent. Faculteit Psychologie en Pedagogische wetenschappen.
  • 2017

    • Neuroscience and the Conditions of Critique

      De Vos, J. (2017). Neuroscience and the Conditions of Critique. Kritikos, 14(Summer).
    • No hay futuro sin crítica de la psicología: una interrogación del marxismo al psicoanálisis

      De Vos, J. (2017). No hay futuro sin crítica de la psicología: una interrogación del marxismo al psicoanálisis. Teoría y Crítica de La Psicología, 9, 16–35.
    • The neuroturn in education : between the scylla of psychologisation and the Charybdis of digitalization

      De Vos, J. (2017). The neuroturn in education : between the scylla of psychologisation and the Charybdis of digitalization. In M. Vandenbroeck (Ed.), Constructions of neuroscience in early childhood education (pp. 20–36). London: Routledge.
    • Constructions of neuroscience in early childhood education

      Vandenbroeck, M., Penn, H., De Vos, J., Mariett Olsson, L., & Fias, W. (Eds.). (2017). Constructions of neuroscience in early childhood education. Oxon: Routledge.
  • 2016

    • De humanities en de neurologische wending

      De Vleminck, J., & De Vos, J. (Eds.). (2016). De humanities en de neurologische wending. Kemmel: De Uil van Minerva: Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis en Wijsbegeerte van de Cultuur.
    • De humanities en de neurologische wending : nieuwe dreiging of nieuwe mogelijkheden?

      De Vleminck, J. (2016). De humanities en de neurologische wending : nieuwe dreiging of nieuwe mogelijkheden? DE UIL VAN MINERVA, 29(1), 2–7. https://doi.org/10.21825/uvm.v29i1.4771
    • The metamorphoses of the brain : neurologisation and its discontents

      De Vos, J. (2016). The metamorphoses of the brain : neurologisation and its discontents. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-50557-6
      What are we exactly, when we are said to be our brain? This question leads Jan De Vos to examine the different metamorphoses of the brain: the educated brain, the material brain, the iconographic brain, the sexual brain, the celebrated brain and, finally, the political brain. This first, protracted and sustained argument on neurologisation, which lays bare its lineage with psychologisation, should be taken seriously by psychologists, educationalists, sociologists, students of cultural studies, policy makers and, above all, neuroscientists themselves.
    • De la autoayuda psicológica, la psicología pop y el gimnástico cerebral hasta el “nudge”. El fin del sujeto psicologizado y neurologizado?

      De Vos, J. (2016). De la autoayuda psicológica, la psicología pop y el gimnástico cerebral hasta el “nudge”. El fin del sujeto psicologizado y neurologizado? In R. Rodríguez (Ed.), Contrapsicología : de las luchas antipsiquiátricas a la psicologización de la cultura (pp. 411–434). Madrid: DADO Ediciones.
    • The death and the resurrection of (psy)critique: the case of neuroeducation

      De Vos, J. (2016). The death and the resurrection of (psy)critique: the case of neuroeducation. FOUNDATIONS OF SCIENCE, 21(1), 129–145. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10699-014-9369-8
      A rapidly emerging hegemonic neuro-culture and a booming neural subjectivity signal the entry point for an inquiry into the status of the signifier neuro as a universal passe-partout. The wager of this paper is that the various (mis)appropriations of the neurosciences in the media and in academia itself point to something essential, if not structural, in connection with both the discipline of the neurosciences and the current socio-cultural and ideological climate. Starting from the case of neuroeducation (the application of neuroscience within education), the genealogy of the neurological turn is linked to the history of psychology and its inextricable bond with processes of psychologisation. If the neurological turn risks not merely neglecting the dimension of critique, but also obviating its possibility, then revivifying a psy-critique (understanding the academified modern subject as grounded in the scientific point of view from nowhere) might be necessary in order to understand today’s neural subjectivity and its place within current biopolitics.

Type :

  • Journal article
  • Book chapter
  • Edited book
  • Authored book
  • All

Keywords :

  • Neurologization,
  • Neuroeducation,
  • Neuroscience,
  • Neurologisation,
  • Neuroeducation,
  • Neurologisation,
  • Psychologisation,
  • Ideology critique,
  • Social emotion,
  • Brain