Wilfred Bion and the Importance of Not Knowing (Part 1)
A blog post by Kyle Kermott.
Beta-elements#
Bion’s theory of thinking begins with things that cannot be thought, these he calls beta-elements. These are things akin to raw sensory impressions that hold no meaning or organization for the individual. It is interesting that Bion would draw our attention to elements of the mind that cannot be thought because that is precisely where Freud’s theory begins. Freud stated that the “accretions of stimuli,” such as feelings of hunger or discomfort, force themselves upon the mind of the child causing the child to deal with those stimuli through thinking. He stated, “Thinking was endowed with the characteristics which made it possible for the mental apparatus to tolerate an increase in tension of stimulus while the process of discharge was postponed”.
Alpha-function#
According to Bion, thinking is made up of two main components. The first are beta-elements (which have been discussed), experiences that cannot be thought by the individual. The second components are alpha-elements, which are beta-elements that have been transformed into units that can have meaning, have the ability to be dreamed or repressed, and can be thought about by the individual. Alpha-elements are the “higher order” components of thought that can come to mind or be reflected on. They are beta-elements that have been transformed into units of thought with which the mind can do something. The method of transforming beta-elements into alpha-elements is alpha-function. This is a more developed capacity in the mind to be able to take raw sensory experiences and endow them with meaning so that the mind can think about them.
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