Benjamin B. Rubinstein
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Björn Rubinstein (April 12, 1905, Helsinki
, Finland
— July 12, 1989, New York City
) was a Finnish–American
physician
and psychoanalyst
.
Benjamin B. Rubinstein was born in the Jewish
community of Helsinki, and he attended school both in his home town and in Copenhagen
. His native language was Swedish
. In Helsinki University, he studied first history
and philosophy
, but after having read Totem and Taboo
by Sigmund Freud
, he changed to the Faculty of Medicine in order to become a psychoanalyst. He also worked as a research assistant to Ragnar Granit
. Rubinstein attained the degree of Licentiate
in Medicine in 1936, and studied neurology
and psychiatry
in the United Kingdom
in 1937–1939. His supervising analyst was Eva Rosenfeld, a student of Freud.
When the Winter War
broke out in 1939, Rubinstein returned to Finland and served as a medic and a psychiatrist in the army
. He married his cousin Dinorah Rosenthal in 1940.
In 1947, Rubinstein and his wife moved to the United States to be educated at the Menninger Foundation
in Topeka, Kansas
, until 1953. Then he opened a private analytical practice in New York. Rubinstein and his wife become naturalized
U.S. citizens
in 1957.
Benjamin B. Rubinstein wrote extensively on the philosophy of psychoanalysis, including articles on the mind–body dichotomy, motivation
, metaphor
, the logic of psychoanalytic explanations, and metapsychology
. His collected papers were published in 1997: Psychoanalysis and the Philosophy of Science: Collected Papers of Benjamin B. Rubinstein, M.D.
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed 1809–1917 as part of the Russian Empire and was ruled by the Russian czar as Grand Prince.- History :...
— July 12, 1989, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
) was a Finnish–American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and psychoanalyst
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
.
Benjamin B. Rubinstein was born in the Jewish
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
community of Helsinki, and he attended school both in his home town and in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. His native language was Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
. In Helsinki University, he studied first history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, but after having read Totem and Taboo
Totem and Taboo
Totem and Taboo: Resemblances Between the Mental Lives of Savages and Neurotics is a book by Sigmund Freud published in German in 1913 under the title Totem und Tabu: Einige Übereinstimmungen im Seelenleben der Wilden und der Neurotiker...
by Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
, he changed to the Faculty of Medicine in order to become a psychoanalyst. He also worked as a research assistant to Ragnar Granit
Ragnar Granit
Ragnar Arthur Granit was a Finnish/Swedish scientist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1967 along with Haldan Keffer Hartline and George Wald....
. Rubinstein attained the degree of Licentiate
Licentiate
Licentiate is the title of a person who holds an academic degree called a licence. The term may derive from the Latin licentia docendi, meaning permission to teach. The term may also derive from the Latin licentia ad practicandum, which signified someone who held a certificate of competence to...
in Medicine in 1936, and studied neurology
Neurology
Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
and psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1937–1939. His supervising analyst was Eva Rosenfeld, a student of Freud.
When the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
broke out in 1939, Rubinstein returned to Finland and served as a medic and a psychiatrist in the army
Finnish Army
The Finnish Army is the land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces.Today's Army is divided into six branches: the infantry , field artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, engineers, signals, and materiel troops.-History of the Finnish Army:Between 1809 and 1917 Finland was an autonomous part of...
. He married his cousin Dinorah Rosenthal in 1940.
In 1947, Rubinstein and his wife moved to the United States to be educated at the Menninger Foundation
Menninger Foundation
The Menninger Foundation was founded in 1919 by the Menninger family in Topeka, Kansas, and consists of a clinic, a sanatorium, and a school of psychiatry, all of which bear the Menninger name. In 2003, the Menninger Clinic moved to Houston. The foundation was started by Drs. Karl, Will, and...
in Topeka, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, until 1953. Then he opened a private analytical practice in New York. Rubinstein and his wife become naturalized
Naturalization
Naturalization is the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth....
U.S. citizens
Citizenship in the United States
Citizenship in the United States is a status given to individuals that entails specific rights, duties, privileges, and benefits between the United States and the individual...
in 1957.
Benjamin B. Rubinstein wrote extensively on the philosophy of psychoanalysis, including articles on the mind–body dichotomy, motivation
Motivation
Motivation is the driving force by which humans achieve their goals. Motivation is said to be intrinsic or extrinsic. The term is generally used for humans but it can also be used to describe the causes for animal behavior as well. This article refers to human motivation...
, metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
, the logic of psychoanalytic explanations, and metapsychology
Metapsychology
Metapsychology is the philosophical study of psychology. Metapsychology, a speculative psychology, is a systematic attempt to discern and describe what lies beyond the facts and laws of psychology, such as the relations between body and mind or concerning the place of the mind in the universe...
. His collected papers were published in 1997: Psychoanalysis and the Philosophy of Science: Collected Papers of Benjamin B. Rubinstein, M.D.
Sources
- Holt, Robert R. 1997: Editor's Introduction: The Life and Work of Benjamin Bjorn Rubinstein. — Psychoanalysis and the Philosophy of Science: Collected Papers of Benjamin B. Rubinstein, M.D. (edited by Robert R. Holt), pp. 1–21. International Universities Press, Madison. ISBN 0-8236-5245-9
- Ihanus, Juhani & Talvitie, Vesa 2007: Benjamin Rubinstein — psykoanalyysin tuntematon suuri suomalainen. — Psykoterapia 4, pp. 226–242.