The discovery of mirror neurons in the 1990s led to an explosion of research and debate about the imitative capacities of the human brain. Some herald a paradigm shift on the order of DNA in biology, while others remain skeptical. In this revolutionary volume, Jean- Michel Oughourlian shows how the hypotheses of Rene Girard can be combined with the insights of neuroscientists to shed new light on the "mimetic brain".

Offering up clinical studies and a complete reevaluation of classical psychiatry, Oughourlian explores the interaction among reason, emotions, and imitation and reveals that rivalry - the blind spot in contemporary neuroscientific understandings of imitation - is a misunderstood driving force behind mental illness. Oughourlian's analyses shake the very foundations of psychiatry as we know it and open up new avenues for both theoretical research and clinical practice.