Longings for Fusion and Autonomy in the Relation between the Female Analyst and the Female Patient

Abstract

Flordh C. Longings for Fusion and Autonomy in the Relation between the Female Analyst and the Female Patient. Int Forum Psychoanal 1992;1:175-179. Stockholm. ISSN 0803-706X

The relation between the female analyst and the female patient is discussed from a gender specific point of view. It is proposed that gender specific trends may be expressed in different transference patterns towards the female analyst. It is also proposed that the female analyst is often sought by the female patient who needs help to work through the unconscious conflicts between fusion and autonomy. It is crucial that the analyst accepts both longing and distancing tendencies, that is the erotic as well as the aggressive side of the conflict. Some countertransference problems are discussed.