We Could Do Much Better With the Clinical Theory of Psychoanalysis

Abstract

I argue that the clinical theory of psychoanalytic technique is flawed because of the absence of the conceptualization of the patient and analyst as whole people who are vital alive agencies. This flaw interferes with the effectiveness of psychoanalytic technique and limits the description of what actually takes place in psychoanalysis. It is then difficult to focus on the transformational changes in the present moment with its issues of closeness, intimacy and responsibility in an evolving self.

Notes

Dr. Melvin Bornstein is Supervising and Training Analyst, Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute; Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University and University of Michigan; Editor, Psychoanalytic Inquiry.