In her article titled “Whither psychoanalysis in computer culture”, published 2004 in the journal of Psychoanalytic Psychology, Dr. Sherry Turkle proposes that the ubiquitous computational devices we frequently interact with, are far more than utilitarian tools, but in fact are subjective extensions of us, influencing how we view ourselves and the world around us. As an ethnographer-psychologist of computer culture, Turkle proposes a revitalized psychoanalytical discourse to help define our evolving relationships with digital technology, where we can begin to redefine who we are as human beings through the lens of traditional psychoanalytical theories proposed by Freud and metamorphosized through our interactions with technology.

The opening pages of Turkle’s article provide a compact but necessary background of earlier computer based theories and models of the human mind. Prior psychoanalytical attempts to provide meaning for how our minds function were later reduced to a “narrative of mechanistic causation”, where the mind was thought to function as “digital machine”, or as MIT Artificial Intelligence lab founder Marvin Minsky said, a “meat machine”. Indeed, other psychological theories, such as cognitive information processing theory, have compared the human brain to a computer. Turkle proposes that “novel and evocative computational objects demand a depth psychology of our relationships with them. The computer culture needs psychoanalytic understandings to adequately confront our evolving relationships with a new world of objects” (Turkle, 2004, p. 17).

“iBlot” photo illustration by Scott Tammik

The traditional ideas of computers as an “extensions of self” are explored next, however Turkle believes this cyborg like, instrumental view of computer culture is only part of the picture. She proposes that since modern computer technology is now wearable, more intimate, and we are growing increasingly dependent upon it, computer technology is changing our sense of self, and that a “psychodynamic approach” is appropriate to understand our current relationship to digital technology. In Turkle’s view computers are no longer just our “second self”, or a projected image of our unconscious mind as found in a Rorschach inkblot; the computer, in combination with the connected world found on the internet, is challenging our very concept of identity.

Relational artifacts are Turkle’s subsequent focus, where users of computers begin to use and perceive technology as “transitional objects” which are designed to encourage an emotional connection. Robots, of which Paro the therapeutic seal “bot” could be seen as prime example, force us to attend to the “psychology of the machine” as we become more vulnerable to the impact of our relationship with these technologies.

“We make our technologies, and our technologies make and shape us. We are not going to be the same people we are today, on the day we are faced with machines with which we feel in a relationship of mutual affection” Turkle. Click the photo above to learn more about Paro the therapeutic robot.

Turkle describes our one-on-one relationships with computers and the promise of perfection they hold, as only part of the “seduction” of interacting with the technology. Others are drawn to the “illusion of companionship” computers offer. As our relationship with computers has extended beyond our desktops and into cyberspace, our entire sense of identity is changed. Turkle outlines how we develop virtual personae to represent and “recast” our identities online. With our new digital selves, we are able to experience what Erik Erikson called a “psychosocial moratorium”. Not unlike a teenager trying on different social masks and personalities during their adolescent development, with technology we are able experiment and put forth new versions of ourselves in our “life on screen”.

“What does my behavior in cyberspace tell me about what I want, who I am, what I may not be getting in the rest of my life?” Turkle.

Turkle then reflects that the ideas of poststructural, Parisian authors and theorists in 1960’s were not evident to her until decades later when she began to interact in online communities. It was then that Turkle began to develop a multi-dimensional and decentralized view of her own personality, which she presented online. It was a departure from the Freudian idea of a unified “ego” and an acceptance that the technology she was engaging with was allowing her to formulate new personae and she needed to re-examine her digital identity.

Finally, the article returns and concludes with a further discussion of Turkle’s earlier ideas about relational artifacts, where she questions how we will be impacted through our increasing interactions and attachments with even more “intimate” machines, with reference given to the robotic boy in the film A.I. by Stephen Spielberg. This section concludes with an eerily provocative and profound question of not “whether our children will come to love their toy robots more than their parents but what will loving itself come to mean”? (Turkle, 2004, p. 27)

The overarching theme of our complex interactions with relational technology remains central to Turkle’s current work, which is presented in her 2011 book “Alone Together: Why we expect more from technology and less from each other”. A concise summary of her current thinking on the topic is well communicated in her recent TED talk video included below.

Turkle, S. (2004). Whither psychoanalysis in computer culture. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 21(1), 16-30.

Activities

1. Turkle Talk at TED: The following video was recorded in February and provides a very informative summary of Turkle’s recent ideas, as put forth in her 2011 book “Alone Together: Why we expect more from technology and less from each other”.

2. Turkle Tweets: To learn about and engage with some of Turkle’s recent thoughts on our relationships with technology, please visit the link below which centres around a series of tweets Turkle wrote during a 90min conversation with onbeing.org, which can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/77tlalv

Visit and comment on Turkles tweets by visiting this interactive cork board.

3. Turkle on Spark: Each week, Nora Young hosts the show Spark on CBC radio. In her own words, Nora describes Spark as a “weekly audio blog of smart and unexpected trendwatching. It’s not just technology for gearheads, it’s about the way technology affects our lives, and the world around us.” Last April, of last year Nora interview Sherry Turkle on the program.

Click here to listen to a podcast interview with Sherry Turkle on CBC Spark.

4. Avatar “Meet Up”: Cyberspace offers us a chance to create and present a new persona of ourselves in the virtual world? Computer users often create avatars, pictures of themselves, as part of their online identity. Take a moment to share an avatar of yourself and meet your classmates online. Instructions on how to create an avatar are also included.

Click here to meet the avatars of our classmates.