From Anxiety to Zoolander: Notes on Psychoanalysis

From Anxiety to Zoolander is a collection of writings on psychoanalytic themes. Each text was originally delivered as a talk, and the book aims to retain the informality and directness of the spoken word. While many of the chapters focus on clinical questions, they also speak about art, comedy, fashion, fame and fiction. Freudian and Lacanian theories are central, but the book as a whole is far from doctrinaire, with all areas of psychoanalytic thinking being up for discussion. Clinical topics include acting out, narcissism, gender, transference, diagnosis, and the Oedipus complex, tracing ideas through Freud and the post-Freudians, and examining their relevance to the contemporary psychoanalytic clinic. Non-clinical topics include Louise Bourgeois’s notes on her analysis, stand-up comedy, Paris Hilton’s televised friendship auditions, and Ben Stiller’s penetrating stupidity in Zoolander 2. While each essay is self-contained, the book argues overall for the continued relevance of Freudian ideas in the treatment of psychic suffering, as well as in the interpretation of cultural phenomena.