The Psychoanalytic Anthropology of Third-Millennium Medicine

Abstract

High-tech surgical interventions involving the implantation of external prostheses or internal devices are increasingly frequent in contemporary medicine. These operations restore or improve physical function, but healthcare providers and patients often do not focus on dependent variables that do not affect the outcome. This work aims to observe the psychological dynamics following these modern treatments which actually alter personal identity. The Bionic-Prosthetic Paradigm, a new psychoanalytic model, is offered as a helpful tool for comprehending the subjective reaction to the modification of the body and its subjective self-perception. Starting from the distinction between patients with internal devices and patients with external prostheses, this article aims to define an innovative anthropological vision at the service of medicine that can conceive the composite and mutant personal identity. Specifically, this new perspective is capable of broadening concepts of acceptance or non-acceptance of the object, rejection, and compliance.