Dr George Berguno

Associate Professor of Psychology

George Berguno was born in Princeton, New Jersey, of Chilean parents. He lived in New York City for a brief period of his childhood, but then moved to Virginia, where he grew up. Between 1973 and 1975, he studied at the American University in Paris; and in 1976 he transferred to Brunel University in Middlesex, where he completed his B.Sc. (Hons) in Psychology. Upon graduation he trained as a psychotherapist in the existential-phenomenological tradition and for many years he worked in the mental health field, both as a counsellor and clinical researcher. In 1991 he completed his M.Sc. in Cognitive Neuropsychology at Birkbeck College (University of London), and received his Ph.D. from City University (2000). He was Visiting Lecturer at University College London (1997-8), Summer Tutor for the Open University (1997-2001), Consultant Lecturer for the New School of Psychotherapy & Counselling (1998-2003) and Visiting Research Fellow at City University (2001-4). He was granted an academic sabbatical in 2007, during which time he visited and made research links with Saint Petersburg University, Russia; and the Institute of Human Sciences in Vienna, Austria.

Courses Taught

• Psy 221 Developmental Psychology
• Psy 310 Phenomenological Psychology
• Psy 384 Mind & Language
• Psy 385 Childhood, Socialization & Culture
• Psy 388 Psychology & Cinema
• Psy 400 Theories & Systems in Psychology
• Psy 412 Psychoanalysis
• Psy 413 Developmental Psychopathology

Publications

• George Berguno “The role of constraints on descriptions in phenomenology” European Journal of Psychotherapy, Counselling and Health, Volume 1, 271-279, 1997. Click here to view abstract: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a783440699~db=all~order=page
• George Berguno “Teaching phenomenology as a social activity” Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis, Volume 9.2, 18-23, 1998.
• George Berguno “The phenomenology of waiting” Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis, Volume 12.2, 154-159, 2001.
• George Berguno “The Unforgiven: A phenomenological study of revenge” Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis, Vol. 13.2, 214-220, 2002.
• Catherine Dorrell & George Berguno “A Comparative Analysis of Zen Buddhism and Heidegger” Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis, Vol. 15.1, 162-171, 2004.
• George Berguno “Encountering the dark spaces of selfhood” In: Personhood, Publications in Philosophy, Volume 68, 29-35, 2004. Click here to view abstract: http://www.jyu.fi/yhtfil/fil/person/conference/ABSTRACTS.pdf
• George Berguno Penny Leroux, Katayoun McAinsh, & Sabera Shaikh “Children’s experience of loneliness at school and its relation to bullying and the quality of teacher interventions” The Qualitative Report, 9, 483-499, 2004. Click here to view complete paper: http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR9-3/berguno.pdf
• George Berguno & Dermot Bowler “Communicative interactions, knowledge of a second language and theory of mind in young children” Journal of Genetic Psychology, 165 (3), 293-309, 2004. Click here to view abstract: http://lib.bioinfo.pl/auid:6562427
• George Berguno & Dermot Bowler “Understanding pretence and understanding action. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 22, 531-544, 2004. Click here to view abstract: http://www.chapitre.com/CHAPITRE/fr/REVIEW/george-berguno-dermot-bowler/understanding-pretence-and-understanding-action,12285081.aspx
• Nour Loutfy & George Berguno “The existential thoughts of the Sufis” Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis, 16.1, 144-155, 2005.
• George Berguno “The existential elucidation of evil” Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis, 17.1, 117-122, 2006.
• George Berguno “The Body as Limit and as Speech” Metaphysical Researches, March Issue, St. Petersburg University Press, 2006. (Published in Russian)
• George Berguno “The Duel for Existenz: An Existential Reading of Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s The Fencing Master” Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis, Volume 18.1, 60-69, 2007.
• George Berguno “Towards a New Conception of the Human Condition” Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis, Volume 19.2, 246-253, 2008.

Conference Presentations & Guest Lectures

• George Berguno “Young children's understanding of representations do not provide them with a theory of mind” Paper presented at SRCD Biennial Conference, held in Washington DC, April 1997.
• George Berguno “Counselling and psychotherapy as descriptive practices” Paper presented to the Department of Educational Studies, Surrey University in June 1997, by invitation.
• George Berguno “Understanding solitude in adolescence” Paper presented to the Department of Human Communications, University College London in March 1997, by invitation.
• George Berguno “A reference to a deceptive interaction facilitates young children's understanding of false belief” Paper presented at SRCD Biennial Conference, held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 1999.
• George Berguno “A theory of mind is a theory of communication” Paper presented to the Developmental Research Seminar, City University in February 2000, by invitation.
• George Berguno “The phenomenology of waiting” Paper presented to the Society for Existential Analysis, London in May 2000, by invitation.
• George Berguno “The interpersonal world of the child with autism” Paper presented to the Department of Psychology, Bath University in December 2001, by invitation.
• George Berguno “Children’s experience of loneliness at school and its relation to bullying and the quality of teacher interventions. Paper presented to the Third Phenomenological Psychology Forum held in London, April 2002, by invitation.
• George Berguno “Autism and loneliness” Paper presented to the Department of Psychology, Bath University in December 2002, by invitation.
• George Berguno “Understanding self through others: An existential-phenomenological approach to human development” Paper presented at the XIth European Conference on Developmental Psychology held in Milan, Italy, August 27-31, 2003.
• George Berguno “Encountering the dark spaces of selfhood” Paper presented at Dimensions of Personhood, International Conference, Jyväskylä, Finland, August 13-15, 2004.
• George Berguno “The existential elucidation of evil” Paper presented at the Third Central- and Eastern European Conference on Phenomenology: Subjectivity, Intentionality, Evil (In memory of Józef Tischner, 1931-2000), held in Warsaw, Poland, November 26-28, 2004.
• George Berguno “Towards a New Conception of the Human Conception” Paper presented at the Laboratory for Metaphysical Researches, Saint Petersburg University, June 2007, by invitation.
• George Berguno “A Schützian Critique of Contemporary Psychological Research” Paper presented at the Alfred Schütz und die Hermeneutik, International Conference, held in Vienna, September 2007, by invitation.
• George Berguno “Tragedy and Paradox of the Human Condition” Talk given to the Annual Student Conference of the Richmond University Philosophy Society, held in London, April 11, 2008.