Abstract
This commentary has as its point of departure essential questions about selfhood, self-knowledge, and therapeutic action. Frank's contemporary redefinition of “mutual analysis” and its impact on the clinical surround are examined, with a special emphasis placed on the willingness of the analyst to change and grow. The vital role and theme of the analyst's emotional honesty are explored with an eye toward the clinical impact of contextualism, psychoanalytic complexity, and the personal attitudes that inevitably permeate the analytic relationship and its trajectory. This commentary, in concert with Frank's paper, encourages clinicians to embrace a more collaborative, mutually analytic posture in their clinical endeavors.
Notes
2See CitationCoburn (2007, Citation2009) for an examination of the importance of distinguishing between “the explanatory” and “the phenomenological” dimensions of discourse.
3I do not imply that these perspectives are mutually exclusive—it depends on how they might be elaborated and understood—but rather that they reflect contrasting “language games” (CitationWittgenstein, 1953). Among other considerations, understanding their meanings rests on determining whether we are thinking phenomenologically or explanatorily.
5In contexts of danger and fear (given a sound responsiveness from the environment), while the child is learning that he can be safe, calm, and secure in the presence of a stronger, idealized figure, the idealized figure is learning, via the responsiveness of the child, that she can be, in fact, a strong, idealizable, efficacious, and nurturing person. Each is learning something about oneself and about the other, and each is becoming a self and an other as well.
6For a thorough explication of the application of complexity theory to a variety of fields, including psychoanalysis, see CitationPoincaré et al. (1900); CitationThom (1983); CitationBak (1996); CitationWaddington (1966); CitationKauffman (1995); CitationLorenz (1993); CitationCilliers (1998); CitationTaylor (2001); CitationPrigogine and Holte (1993); CitationCoburn (2002, Citation2007); CitationGalatzer-Levy (1978); CitationSashin and Callahan (1990); CitationMoran (1991); CitationSpruiell (1993); CitationThelen and Smith (1994); CitationStolorow (1997); M. CitationShane, Shane, and Gales (1997); CitationPalombo (1999); CitationMiller (1999); CitationLichtenberg, Lachmann, and Fosshage (1992); CitationVarela, Thompson, and Rosch (1991); CitationScharff (2000); CitationBeebe and Lachmann (2001); CitationTrop, Burke, and Trop (2002); CitationCharles (2002); CitationMagid (2002); CitationBacal and Herzog (2003) CitationGhent (2002); CitationHarris (2005); E. CitationShane and Coburn (2002); CitationSeligman (2005); CitationThelen (2005); CitationWeisel-Barth (2006); CitationPickles (2006); CitationSucharov (2002); CitationSander (2002); CitationPiers (2005); CitationOrange (2006); CitationDubois (2005); and CitationSteinberg (2006).
7Emotional experience emerges always at the interface of one's history, one's current state, and one's environment, and the lines of demarcation between each can never be clearly drawn, if at all. This psychoanalytic complexity sensibility helps subvert our natural human propensity to simplify reductionistically emotional experience and meaning into neat, understandable components.
9For an extensive treatment of the distinctions between empathy and authenticity, see CitationOrange (2002).
Stolorow
,
R. D.
2005
.
The contextuality of emotional experience
.
Psychoanalytic Psychology
,
22
:
101
–
106
.
Wittgenstein
,
L.
1953
.
Philosophical investigations
,
New York
,
NY
:
Macmillan
.
Orange
,
D. M.
2003
.
Antidotes and alternatives
.
Psychoanalytic Psychology
,
20
:
472
–
486
.
Coburn
,
W. J.
2007
.
“
Psychoanalytic complexity: Pouring new wine directly into one's mouth
”
. In
New developments in self psychology practice
,
Edited by:
Buirski
,
P.
and
Kottler
,
A.
3
–
22
.
New York
,
NY
:
Aronson
.
Coburn
,
W. J.
2009
.
“
Attitudes in psychoanalytic complexity: An alternative to postmodernism in psychoanalysis
”
. In
Beyond postmodernism: New dimensions in clinical theory and practice
,
Edited by:
Frie
,
R.
and
Orange
,
D.
183
–
200
.
New York
,
NY
:
Routledge
.
Wittgenstein
,
L.
1953
.
Philosophical investigations
,
New York
,
NY
:
Macmillan
.
Lichtenberg
,
J. D.
,
Lachmann
,
F. M.
and
Fosshage
,
J. L.
2011
.
Psychoanalysis and motivational systems: A new look
,
New York
,
NY
:
Routledge
.
Poincaré
,
L.
and
Guillaume
,
C. E.
1900
.
Rapports présentés au Congrès international de physique réuni à Paris en 1900 sous les auspices de la Société française de physique
,
Paris
,
, France
:
Gauthier-Villars
.
Thom
,
R.
1983
.
“
Mathematical models of morphogenesis
”
. In
Ellis Horwood Series: Mathematics and Its Applications. Ellis Horwood Ltd
,
Edited by:
Brookes
,
W. M.
and
Rand
,
D.
New York
,
NY
:
Halsted Press [John Wiley & Sons, Inc.]Chichester
.
Bak
,
P.
1996
.
How nature works : the science of self-organized criticality
,
New York
,
NY
:
Copernicus
.
Waddington
,
C. H.
1966
.
Principles of development and differentiation
,
New York
,
NY
:
Macmillan
.
Kauffman
,
S. A.
1995
.
At home in the universe: The search for laws of self-organization and complexity
,
New York
,
NY
:
Oxford University Press
.
Lorenz
,
E. N.
1993
.
The essence of chaos
,
Seattle
:
University of Washington Press
.
Cilliers
,
P.
1998
.
Complexity and postmodernism: Understanding complex systems
,
London
,
, UK
:
Routledge
.
Taylor
,
M. C.
2001
.
The moment of complexity: Emerging network culture
,
Chicago
,
IL
:
University of Chicago Press
.
Prigogine
,
I.
and
Holte
,
J.
1993
.
Chaos: The new science: Nobel Conference XXVI
,
St. Peter
,
MN
:
Gustavus Adolphus College
.
Coburn
,
W. J.
2002
.
A world of systems: the role of systemic patterns of experience in the therapeutic process
.
Psychoanalytic Inquiry
,
22
:
655
–
677
.
Coburn
,
W. J.
2007
.
“
Psychoanalytic complexity: Pouring new wine directly into one's mouth
”
. In
New developments in self psychology practice
,
Edited by:
Buirski
,
P.
and
Kottler
,
A.
3
–
22
.
New York
,
NY
:
Aronson
.
Galatzer-Levy
,
R.
1978
.
Qualitative change from quantitative change: mathematical catastrophe theory in relation to psychoanalysis
.
Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association
,
26
:
921
–
935
.
Sashin
,
J. I.
and
Callahan
,
J.
1990
.
A model of affect using dynamical systems
.
Annual of Psychoanalysis
,
18
:
213
–
231
.
Moran
,
M. G.
1991
.
Chaos theory and psychoanalysis: The fluidic nature of the mind
.
International Review of Psycho-Analysis
,
18
:
211
–
221
.
Spruiell
,
V.
1993
.
Deterministic chaos and the sciences of complexity: psychoanalysis in the midst of a general scientific revolution
.
Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association
,
41
:
3
–
44
.
Thelen
,
E.
and
Smith
,
L. B.
1994
.
A dynamic systems approach to the development of cognition and action
,
Cambridge
,
MA
:
MIT Press
.
Stolorow
,
R. D.
1997
.
Dynamic, dyadic, intersubjective systems: An evolving paradigm for psychoanalysis
.
Psychoanalytic Psychology
,
14
:
337
–
364
.
Shane
,
M.
,
Shane
,
E.
and
Gales
,
M.
1997
.
Intimate attachments: toward a new self psychology
,
New York
,
NY
:
Guilford
.
Palombo
,
S. R.
1999
.
The emergent ego: Complexity and coevolution in the psychoanalytic process
,
Madison
,
CT
:
International Universities Press
.
Miller
,
M. L.
1999
.
Chaos, complexity and psychoanalysis
.
Psychoanalytic Psychology
,
16
:
355
–
379
.
Lichtenberg
,
J.
,
Lachmann
,
F.
and
Fosshage
,
J.
1992
.
Self and motivational systems: Toward a theory of psychoanalytic technique
,
Hillsdale
,
NJ
:
The Analytic Press
.
Varela
,
F. J.
,
Thompson
,
E.
and
Rosch
,
E.
1991
.
The embodied mind: Cognitive science and human experience
,
Cambridge
,
MA
:
MIT Press
.
Scharff
,
D. E.
2000
.
Fairbairn and the self as an organized system
.
Canadian Journal of Psychoanalysis
,
8
:
181
–
195
.
Beebe
,
B.
and
Lachmann
,
F. M.
2001
.
Infant research and adult treatment: A dyadic systems approach
,
Hillsdale
,
NJ
:
The Analytic Press
.
Trop
,
G. S.
,
Burke
,
M. L.
and
Trop
,
J. L.
2002
.
“
Thinking dynamically in psychoanalytic theory and practice
”
. In
Progress in self psychology
,
Edited by:
Goldberg
,
A.
129
–
147
.
Hillsdale
,
NJ
:
The Analytic Press
.
Charles
,
M.
2002
.
Patterns: Building blocks of experience
,
Hillsdale
,
NJ
:
The Analytic Press
.
Magid
,
B.
2002
.
Ordinary mind: Exploring the common ground of Zen and psychotherapy
,
Boston
,
MA
:
Wisdom
.
Bacal
,
H. A.
and
Herzog
,
B.
2003
.
Specificity theory and optimal responsiveness: An outline
.
Psychoanalytic Psychology
,
20
:
635
–
648
.
Ghent
,
E.
2002
.
Wish, need, drive
.
Psychoanalytic Dialogues
,
12
:
763
–
808
.
Harris
,
A.
2005
.
Gender as soft assembly
,
Hillsdale
,
NJ
:
The Analytic Press
.
Shane
,
E.
and
Coburn
,
W. J.
2002
.
Prologue
.
Psychoanalytic Inquiry
,
22
:
653
–
654
.
Seligman
,
S.
2005
.
Dynamic systems theories as a metaframework for psychoanalysis
.
Psychoanalytic Dialogues
,
15
:
285
–
319
.
Thelen
,
E.
2005
.
Dynamic systems theory and the complexity of change
.
Psychoanalytic Dialogues
,
15
:
255
–
283
.
Weisel-Barth
,
J.
2006
.
Thinking and writing about complexity theory in the clinical setting
.
International Journal of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology
,
1
:
365
–
388
.
Pickles
,
J.
2006
.
A systems sensibility: Commentary on Judith Teicholz's “Qualities of Engagement and the Analyst's Theory
.
International Journal of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology
,
1
:
301
–
316
.
Sucharov
,
M.
2002
.
Representation and the intrapsychic: Cartesian barriers to empathic contact
.
Psychoanalytic Inquiry
,
22
:
686
–
707
.
Sander
,
L. W.
2002
.
Thinking differently
.
Psychoanalytic Dialogues
,
12
:
11
–
42
.
Piers
,
C.
2005
.
The mind's multiplicity and continuity
.
Psychoanalytic Dialogues
,
15
:
229
–
254
.
Orange
,
D. M.
2006
.
For whom the bell tolls: Context, complexity, and compassion in psychoanalysis
.
International Journal of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology
,
1
:
457
–
463
.
DuBois
,
P.
2005
.
Perturbing a dynamic order: Dynamic systems theory and clinical application
,
Prepublished paper
.
Steinberg
,
M. C.
2006
.
Language, the medium of change: The implicit in the talking cure
,
Prepublished paper
.
Layton
,
L.
1999
.
A review of “Pillar of Salt: Gender, Memory, and the Perils of Looking Back
.
Contemporary Psychoanalysis
,
35
:
712
–
718
.
Orange
,
D. M.
2002
.
There is no outside: Empathy and authenticity in psychoanalytic process
.
Psychoanalytic Psychology
,
19
:
686
–
700
.