Interpretation as a Relational Process

Abstract

To say that interpretation is a relational process means that any useful understanding achieved is a joint creation, emerging from the interaction, rather than an objective truth about one person discovered by another. We are interested in how the dyad interacts and what emerges from a specific interaction. The interaction between patient and therapist facilitates or constrains the range and depth of what can be thought about and communicated in treatment. The perception of the receptivity of another—whether partner, parent, or therapist—may facilitate putting experience into language or render that difficult or impossible. Such “emotional perception” operates consciously, unconsciously, and non-consciously. We have evolved beyond an exclusive focus on the content of what the analyst illuminates and the insight achieved by the patient, and recognize the need to strive for an emotional atmosphere in which experience may be known and shared—a quintessentially dialogic activity at the heart of the therapeutic enterprise.

Decir que la interpretación es un proceso relacional significa que cualquier comprensión adquirida es una creación conjunta, que emerge a partir de la interacción, en lugar de una verdad objetiva que una persona descubre sobre otra. Lo que nos interesa es cómo interactúa la díada y qué emerge de una interacción específica. La interacción entre paciente y terapeuta facilita y/o restringe la variedad y profundidad de lo que puede ser pensado y comunicado en un tratamiento. La percepción de la receptividad del otro, sea pareja, padre o terapeuta, puede facilitar el poner lenguaje a la experiencia o hacer que esto sea difícil o imposible. Esta “percepción emocional” opera conscientemente, inconscientemente y no-conscientemente. Hemos evolucionado más allá del foco exclusivo en el contenido de lo que el analista ilumina y del insight conseguido por el paciente y empezamos a reconocer la necesidad de esforzarnos por conseguir una atmósfera emocional en la que la experiencia puede ser conocida y compartida, la actividad dialógica por excelencia que está en el centro de la labor terapéutica.

Dire que l'interprétation est un processus relationnel signifie que toute compréhension utile à laquelle on arrive est une création conjointe, émergente de l'interaction, plutôt qu'une vérité objective au sujet d'une personne découverte par une autre. Nous sommes intéressés à comment la dyade interagit et à ce qui émerge d'une interaction spécifique. L'interaction entre le patient et le thérapeute facilite et/ou contraint l'étendue et la profondeur de ce qui peut être pensé et communiqué dans le traitement. La perception de la réceptivité d'un autre, que ce soit celle d'un partenaire, d'un parent, ou d'un thérapeute, peut faciliter la traduction de l'expérience en langage ou la rendre difficile ou impossible. Une telle “perception émotionnelle” opère consciemment, inconsciemment, et non consciemment. Nous sommes allés au-delà d'une attention exclusive portée au contenu de ce que l'analyste éclaire et à l'insight atteint par le patient et nous reconnaissons le besoin de tendre vers une ambiance émotionnelle dans laquelle l'expérience peut être connue et partagée, une activitié dialogique par excellence au coeur de l'entreprise thérapeutique.

Dire che l'interpretazione è un processo relazionale significa affermare che ogni proficua comprensione conseguita è una creazione congiunta, emergente dall'interazione, piuttosto che una verità oggettiva riguardante una persona scoperta da un'altra persona. Siamo interessati a come la diade interagisce e a ciò che emerge da una specifica interazione. L'interazione tra paziente e terapeuta facilita e/o vincola l'ampiezza e la profondità di ciò che può essere pensato e comunicato nel corso dell'esperienza clinica. La percezione della recettività dell'altro, partner, genitore o terapeuta che sia, può facilitare la verbalizzazione dell'esperienza oppure renderla difficile o impossibile. Tale “percezione emotiva” opera consciamente, inconsciamente e non-consciamente. All'interno di un processo evolutivo, stiamo ampliando il focus dell'attenzione dapprima concentrato esclusivamente sul contenuto di ciò che l'analista porta alla luce e che il paziente può acquisire tramite l'insight, e riconosciamo il bisogno di un'atmosfera emotiva in cui l'esperienza possa essere conosciuta e condivisa, attività che costituisce la quintessenza dialogica dell'impegno terapeutico.

Wenn wir sagen, dass Interpretation ein relationaler Prozess ist, dann meinen wir damit, dass jedes nützliche Verstehen gemeinsam erzeugt wird, dass es aus der Interaktion stammt und dass es keine objektive Wahrheit über eine Person ist, die von einer anderen entdeckt wurde. Unser Interesse richtet sich nun darauf, wie die Dyade funktioniert und darauf, was aus einer spezifischen Interaktion entsteht. Die Interaktion zwischen Patientin und Therapeutin fördert und /oder beschränkt den Umfang und die Tiefe dessen, was in der Therapie gedacht und kommuniziert werden kann. Die Wahrnehmung der Aufnahmefähigkeit des Anderen, ob es sich nun um Partner, Eltern oder Therapeutin handelt, kann es erleichtern, erschweren oder unmöglich machen, Erfahrung in Sprache zu bringen. So geartete „emotionale Wahrnehmung“ funktioniert bewusst, unbewußt und nicht-bewußt. Wir haben uns weiterentwickelt über den exklusiven Fokus auf den Inhalt dessen hinaus, was die Analytikerin (durch ihre Erkenntnis) erhellt und die Einsicht, die die Patientin gewinnt. Wir nehmen nun das Bedürfnis wahr, eine emotionale Atmosphäre anzustreben, in der Erfahrung bewusst wahrgenommen und geteilt werden kann, was das Wesen der dialogischen Aktivität der therapeutischen Untersuchung ausmacht.

Keywords:

• self psychology
• intersubjectivity
• relational process
• dyadic interaction
• emotional atmosphere
• emotional perception
• dialogic activity

Notes

This paper was presented at the 29th annual conference on the Psychology of the Self in Panel III: Evolving Perspectives on Interpretation, on October 28, 2006, in Chicago.

¹Only a fraction of his influence is explicitly identified in this paper.

²“Every transference interpretation that successfully illuminates for the patient his or her unconscious past simultaneously crystallizes an elusive present–the novelty of the therapist as an understanding presence. Perceptions of self and other are perforce transformed … to allow for the new experience” (Atwood and Stolorow, 1984, p. 60; see also Stolorow, 2003, p. 218).

³Because privacy and confidentiality are the essential elements that make it possible for the patient to put his or her trust in another human being (Caligor, Fieldsteel, and Brok, 1984, p. xiv), the clinical cases illustrating my thesis are composites–each an amalgamation of several patients.

⁴ Paralinguistic is a term that refers to aspects of speech that accompany the words and provide powerful cues about the meaning of what is said.

⁵“… Since the essential driving force of the analytic process in the disturbances of the self is provided by the reactivation of the thwarted developmental needs of the self [Kohut, 1970, 1971], since in other words the renewed search of the damaged self for the development-enhancing responses of an appropriate empathic selfobject always occupies center stage in the analysand's experiences during the analysis, it follows that the analyst's pivotal communications to the analysand are those that focus on the psychic configurations to which we refer as selfobject transferences” (Kohut, 1984, p. 192).

⁶“Selfobject relatedness is the person's experience, at any age, of a significant human other or attachment figure as support for the establishment, development, and maintenance of continuous, cohesive, and positive self-experience” (Orange, 1995, p. 177).

⁷ Stolorow (2006b) named this process “linguisticality.” His description of the loss of and the refinding of a context within which he could speak of his experiences and how that affected his very sense of being has stimulated my ideas about the “emotional perception of the impact of speaking of experience.”