Ludwig Binswanger: biography of this Swiss psychiatrist and thinker.

Summary of the life and work of Ludwig Binswanger, psychiatrist and defender of existential psychology.

The phenomenological current is, at the same time, a philosophical school through which many authors have made contributions in the field of psychology. One of them is Ludwig Binswanger, creator of concepts such as "Dasein" ("being in the world") and "Daseinanalyse" (existential analysis).

This Swiss psychiatrist was nourished by great authors to elaborate his theory, and worked as a mental health physician practically all his life. In this article we will take a look at a biography of Ludwig Binswanger and we will know in detail his important theoretical contributions.

Ludwig Binswanger: summarized biography.

Ludwig Binswanger was a Swiss psychiatrist born in the city of Kreuzlingen, in the year 1881. He died in 1966, at the age of 84. His formative trajectory is focused on the phenomenological philosophy of Edmund Husserl (philosopher and mathematician, founder of transcendental phenomenology) and in the existentialist orientation of Martin Heidegger (German philosopher).

Professionally, he worked as a physician and as director of a clinic for mentally disturbed people in his hometown, Kreuzlingen.

One of the contributions of this psychiatrist was the introduction of psychoanalysis in Switzerland (although he later moved away from it). (although he later moved away from this theoretical orientation). Specifically, he put it into practice in his Psychiatric Clinic. In addition to directing the clinic, he worked as a physician there. As a result of his work there and his years of work, he was able to collect much information from clinical cases that would allow him to elaborate his theory and work.

Beginnings

Ludwig Binswanger studied medicine between 1900 and 1906 in Lausanne, Heidelberg and Zurich.. Before working as a physician, he worked as a volunteer assistant at a university clinic called Burgholzli.

At the time, this clinic was run by the famous psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler (also Swiss), who made important contributions to the field of schizophrenia. Thus, Binswanger was nourished by the knowledge of Bleuler, who was a great influence on the development of schizophrenia.Bleuler, who was a great influence on him. Subsequently, Ludwig Binswanger obtained his doctorate, carrying out his doctoral thesis on the psychogalvanic reflex, under the direction of Carl Jung.

Theoretical orientation in philosophy

Ludwig Binswanger's theoretical orientation is centered on the current of thought initiated by Karl Jaspers, a German psychiatrist and philosopher born in 1883. This current was based on the phenomenological method applied to psychopathology. Ludwig Binswanger, influenced by numerous authors (psychiatrists and psychologists of the time), adopts a phenomenological, humanistic and existential point of view in his work.

In the field of psychology, Ludwig Binswanger considers mental disorder as an "inauthentic" way of living and of one's own existence.and encompasses a series of voids, defenses, denials, renunciations or losses of freedom that the person manifests.

Influences

The authors who most influenced Ludwig Binswanger were Sigmund Freud (from whom he gradually distanced himself), Franz Brentano (German philosopher born in 1838), Karl Kaspers and Edmund Husserl.

Little by little, Ludwig Binswanger adopted the ideas of these other authors, and built his own theory. Another of his influences, Martin Heidegger, allowed him to really delve into existentialist thought.. For Heidegger, and referring to this type of philosophical thought, the most important thing in philosophy was to clarify the meaning of being and to find its way of access.

From these ideas, Ludwig Binswanger establishes the concept of "Dasein" ("being in the world", "existing"), which we will see below. Thus, the thought of this Swiss psychiatrist took shape and eventually adopted the name "Dasein". eventually adopted the name "Daseinanalyse", meaning "existential analysis"..

Ludwig Binswanger's existential analysis became one of the most important currents in the history of contemporary psychology. We will deal with this concept later on. First, let us get to know the foundations of Binswanger's theory, based on phenomenology.

Phenomenology

The phenomenology that Ludwig Binswanger eventually adopted and developed, and which we will explain below, was actually originated by Franz Brentano, one of his influential authors.

Brentano, in fact, planted the foundations for this current to germinate; he contributed a series of works close to phenomenology, where he emphasized the experience and the intentional nature of acts, in addition to the active character of the subject.

Although Brentano made great contributions that allowed sowing the seed of phenomenology, the main representative of the phenomenological current, and the one who really initiated it, was Husserl..

Phenomenology, of which Ludwig Binswanger was an advocate, considers that "the immediate experience of the act of knowledge can reveal the nature of things"; that is, it focuses on immediate experience as an explanatory factor of the origin of what we observe and, ultimately, of reality. Its advocates, such as Binswanger, are committed to an analysis of observable phenomena in order to explain being and consciousness.

Types of phenomenologies

But there is no single type of phenomenological current; indeed, Ludwig Binswanger actually developed a specific type of phenomenological current: categorial phenomenology, focused on searching for the deep meaning of things..

In addition to this, there is descriptive phenomenology, developed by K. Jaspers, which focuses on describing experience carefully and as accurately as possible. Finally, we find the genetic-structural phenomenology, developed by Minkowski, which focuses on "describing the disorder generating the problem and deducing the state of consciousness of the person".

Binswanger's Daseinanalyse

Focusing on Ludwig Binswanger's categorical phenomenology, we find another interesting and fundamental concept in his theory: the "Daseinanalyse" (existential analysis). This concept alludes to the understanding of the structure of "Dasein", a term meaning "being-in-the-world".

In other words, Ludwig Binswanger considered it essential to understand how we position ourselves in the world, and that is why he developed this philosophical concept, which defines much of his work and his theoretical orientation. largely defines his work and his theoretical orientation.. Thus, in reality, Ludwig Binswanger's "Daseinanalyse" refers to a therapeutic procedure that synthesizes psychoanalytic, phenomenological and existentialist concepts.

Binswanger's existential analysis is based on a phenomenological anthropology, which seeks to understand man in depth, understanding that man is in direct contact with the world of phenomena. Through this method, he seeks to understand the cause of mental illness, its hidden "meaning". It relates mental disorders to a failure in existence, in "Dasein" itself.

Existential analysis and "Dasein".

As we have seen, another central concept in Ludwig Binswanger's work is that of existential analysis ("Daseinanalyse"). This phenomenon (and psychotherapeutic method) that he proposes, departs from the psychoanalysis that the psychiatrist began to follow, considering it reductionist..

In relation to the "Daseinanalyse", and in order to carry it out, Ludwig Binswanger proposes the concept of "Dasein", already explained. Dasein" possesses a structure that can be studied, described and rectified (modified). In turn, it is made up of three elements:

1. Umwelt

The first element of Dasein as proposed by Ludwig Binswanger refers to the Biological and physical part of the beingthe most "tangible" part.

2. Mitwelt

It is the being with others, in relation to others.It encompasses the interpersonal world of the person.

3. Eigenwelt

The eigenwelt refers to how we experience ourselves.

Works

Some of Ludwig Binswanger's most important works were:

• Einführung in die Probleme der allgemeinen Psychologie.(1922) (considered the most important work).
• The famous contribution to the interpretation of existential pathology, Ueber Ideenflucht: 1933.
• Three forms of frustrated existence", Drei Formen Missglücken Daseins: 1956.

Bibliographical references:

• Villegas i Besora, M. (1981). Ludwig Binswanger: on the centenary of his birth. Yearbook of Psychology, 24(1).
• Yalom, I.D. (1984). Existential Psychotherapy. Barcelona: Herder.