Transference, relationship and the analyst as object: Findings from the north american comparative clinical methods working party

Abstract

Data from the North American Comparative Clinical Methods (CCM) Working Party a is used to 1) explore how psychoanalysts in North America conceive and address the transference and the relationship between analyst‐analysand and 2) to study what kinds of ‘objects’ psychoanalysts become, explicitly and implicitly, within psychoanalytic treatments.

The North American CCM Working Party closely studied 17 clinical cases presented by North American psychoanalysts across the spectrum of analytic schools at their meetings. We found that the 17 analysts fell into three different groupings according to the internal consistency of their method and their approaches to transference, relationship and analyst‐as ‐object. We also found that analysts' individual work, while heavily influenced by their schools of thought, also involved unique interpretations of their particular paradigms.

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Translations of summary

Übertragung, Beziehung und der Analytiker als Objekt: Ergebnisse der nordamerikanischen Comparative Clinical Methods Working Party

Daten der North American Comparative Clinical Methods () Working Party werden benutzt, um 1. zu untersuchen, wie Psychoanalytiker in Nordamerika die Übertragung und die Analytiker‐Analysand‐Beziehung begreifen und ansprechen, und um 2. zu analysieren, zu welcher Art von „Objekten” Psychoanalytiker in psychoanalytischen Behandlungen explizit und implizit werden. Die North American Comparative Clinical Methods () Working Party hat 17 klinische Fälle, die nordamerikanische Psychoanalytiker aus dem gesamten Spektrum der analytischen Schulen auf ihren Tagungen vorgestellt haben, sorgfältig untersucht. Wir haben festgestellt, dass die 17 Analytiker sich in drei unterschiedliche Gruppen aufteilten, und zwar nach Maßgabe der inneren Konsistenz ihrer Methode und ihres Verständnisses von Übertragung, Beziehung und Analytiker‐als‐Objekt. Wir sind außerdem zu dem Ergebnis gelangt, dass die Arbeit des individuelle Analytikers zwar von seiner jeweiligen Denkschule gravierend beeinflusst wird, häufig aber mit auch unverwechselbaren Deutungen, die seinem spezifischen Paradigma entsprechen, einhergeht.

Le transfert, la relation et l’analyste en tant qu’objet. Les résultats de l’étude menée par le Groupe de travail nord‐américain sur les méthodes cliniques. comparatives

Les données du Groupe de travail nord‐américain sur les Méthodes cliniques comparatives () sont utilisées pour 1) explorer comment les psychanalystes nord‐américains conçoivent et abordent le transfert et la relation entre analyste et analysant, et 2) pour analyser quels sont les types d’ « objets » que les psychanalystes se voient explicitement et implicitement incarner dans le traitement analytique. Le Groupe de travail nord‐américain () a étudié attentivement 17 cas cliniques présentés par des psychanalystes nord‐américains appartenant à un large éventail d’écoles analytiques. Cette étude a fait ressortir qu'on pouvait répartir les 17 analystes en trois groupes différents selon la cohérence interne de leur méthode et leur approche du transfert, de la relation et de l'analyste‐comme‐objet. Elle a également montré que le travail individuel des analystes, tout en étant fortement influencé par l’école de pensée de ces derniers, pouvait aussi donner lieu à des interprétations issues de paradigmes qui leur étaient propres.

Transferencia, relación y el analista como objeto. Hallazgos del Grupo de Trabajo Norteamericano sobre Métodos Clínicos Comparados

Se utilizan los datos del North American Comparative Clinical Methods () Working Party (Grupo de trabajo norteamericano sobre métodos clínicos comparados) con la finalidad de 1) explorar cómo conciben y abordan la transferencia y la relación analista‐analizando los analistas norteamericanos y 2) analizar en qué clase de “objetos” se convierten los analistas, implícita y explícitamente, dentro de los tratamientos psicoanalíticos. El Grupo de trabajo norteamericano sobre métodos clínicos comparados estudió detenidamente 17 casos clínicos presentados en actividades científicas por analistas norteamericanos de todas las escuelas psicoanalíticas. Encontramos que los 17 analistas podían dividirse en tres grupos, según la coherencia interna de su método y su abordaje de la transferencia, la relación analista‐ analizando y la situación del analista como objeto. También descubrimos que, si bien el trabajo individual de los analistas estaba sumamente influido por sus corrientes de pensamiento, a menudo también podía incluir interpretaciones singulares de su paradigma.

Il transfert, la relazione e l’analista come oggetto: i risultati del gruppo di ricerca nordamericano sui metodi clinici comparati

I dati forniti dal Working Party del Nord America sui Metodi Clinici Comparati () vengono utilizzati per 1) esaminare come gli analisti americani concettualizzano e affrontano clinicamente il transfert e la relazione tra analista e analizzando e per 2) analizzare che tipo di ‘oggetti’ gli psicoanalisti diventano sia esplicitamente che implicitamente nel contesto della cura analitica. Il Working Party nord americano ha studiato attentamente 17 casi clinici prsesentati agli incontri di psicoanalisti americani appartenenti a scuole di tutto lo spettro teorico. Abbiamo riscontrato che i 17 analisti rientravano in tre diversi raggruppamenti secondo la coerenza interna del loro metodo e del loro approccio al transfert, alla relazione e all'analista‐come‐oggetto. Abbiamo inoltre riscontrato che il lavoro individuale dell'analista, sebbene profondamente influenzato dalla scuola di pensiero di appartenenza, al contempo mette in gioco una singolare interpretazione di quel particolare paradigma.

Key words:

• transference
• therapeutic relationship
• working alliance
• analyst as object

Notes

1. Abbot Bronstein brought The Working Party Groups (Comparative Clinical Methods, Specificity of Psychoanalytic Treatment and Initiating Psychoanalysis) to North America, with a steering committee made up of representatives from all the IPA component groups (The American Psychoanalytic Association, The Canadian Psychoanalytic Association, NAPsaC, and CIPS). These WP groups were funded for 7 years by the IPA. The project is indebted to David Tuckett and Jorge Canestri for their consultation and support in starting this project.

2. Presenting analysts were chosen who not only represented theoretically diverse backgrounds, but who also represented the different regions and constituencies of IPA psychoanalysts within North America. These four groupings represent the major theoretical orientations found among North American psychoanalysts.

3. Research by Kantrowitz et al. (1990, 1995) and Bachrach et al. (1985) have described that “something other than interpretation” was transformative in many analyses, beyond working with the transference or the resolution of what was called a transference neurosis. One aspect of this was thought by Kantrowitz to be the particular ‘match’ between patient and analysts, on conscious but also unconscious levels. Elaboration of this is beyond the scope of this present paper.

4. Cases were chosen for this paper that were felt by the authors to be good representatives of each category, but furthermore were those in which enough session description could be offered to illustrate our points without violating the confidentiality of either presenter or patient. All four analysts gave permission for these written descriptions to be included.