Should supportive measures and relational variables be considered a part of psychoanalytic technique? Some empirical considerations

Abstract

This article presents some quantitative findings from a survey of 89 psychoanalysts (all members of the American Psychoanalytic Association or the International Psychoanalytical Association) about their own experiences in analysis. A comprehensive questionnaire was used to collect retrospective data about (1) how participants felt they benefited from their analyses and (2) how they remembered their analysts’ technique, personality, and style of relating. A correlational analysis found that, according to our participants’ ratings, the most beneficial analyses were associated with having a caring and emotionally engaged analyst who possessed positive relational and personality qualities, used supportive techniques in addition to classical techniques, and pursued therapeutic as well as analytic goals. Outcomes rated as successful were also associated with experiencing a good ‘fit’, a good working relationship, and a positive therapeutic alliance. Our results support the call for an expanded view of acceptable analytic technique (e.g. Schacter and Kächele, 2007).

Key words:

• history of psychoanalysis
• interpretation
• psychoanalytic psychotherapy
• research
• therapeutic alliance

Notes

9. The majority of our participants reported having more than one analysis, which is a common research finding among psychoanalysts (Curtis et al., 2004; Shapiro, 1976; Tessman, 2003).

10. A copy of the questionnaire can be obtained by emailing Marshall Bush at <[email protected]>

11. The honorariums and statistical consultation fees were provided by a grant from the Windholz Foundation. The statistical consultants were Dr. Ira Lansing and Fred Loya.

12. In order to preserve confidentiality, participants were not asked to identify the institutes at which they trained or to which they now belong.  After the data was collected, all identifying information was destroyed and code numbers were assigned to each questionnaire.

13. Two subjects were excluded from the data analysis because they skipped too many questions.

14. Mean scores were used to replace the missing data.

15. The average age of the APsaA membership in 2002 was provided courtesy of Ms. Debra Steinke Wardell.

16. It should be borne in mind that the results of this type of regression analysis are determined by the order in which the variables are entered.

17. One question asked: ‘To what extent did your analyst seem to understand your therapeutic goals?’