Doctoral research

Maastricht University

• PhD, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Section Applied Social Psychology

My research explores the evolving relationship between psychoanalysis and male homosexuality. I examine how the field has historically approached homosexuality, how this shaped clinical practice and training, and how these views have changed over time. The study looks at both the personal and institutional dynamics involved, such as silence, concealment, and shifting norms, and reflects on their impact on psychoanalytic theory and identity formation. Drawing on psychoanalytic thinking, queer theory, and social philosophy, the project aims to understand how the discipline is transforming and what a more inclusive and ethically attuned psychoanalysis might look like in the future.

Publications:  

Molinari, R.C., Jonas, K.J., Stutterheim, S.E. and van den Hengel, L. (2026), 'It is no longer a problem'—An examination of the evolution of psychoanalytic ideas in relation to male homosexuality using interpretative phenomenological analysis. British Journal of Psychotherapy. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjp.70040

Cané Molinari, R., & Lobbestael, J. (2017). Trauma und Persönlichkeit. In: M. Sprung (Ed.). Die Vielgestaltigkeit der Psychosomatik, Psychosomatik im Zentrum. (pp. 15-33). Deutschland: Springer-Verlag GmbH.

Lobbestael, J., & Cané Molinari, R. (2016). Personality disorders and crime. In Handbook of forensic psychopathology and treatment. (pp. 183-205). Taylor and Francis.