Stephen A. Mitchell (1946–2000).

Memorializes Stephen A. Mitchell, a teacher, administrator and practitioner in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. Mitchell was a leading proponent of an integrative, relational perspective in psychoanalysis. Mitchell was sympathetic to the plight of psychologists and others excluded from established organizations, and he helped them to establish their own innovative training programs not only in the US but also abroad (e.g., Canada and Israel). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Critique of Relational Psychoanalysis.

Psychoanalysis today is largely a psychology of consciousness: Post- and neo-Freudians form a marginalized community within North America in comparison to contemporary relational and intersubjective theorists, who emphasize the phenomenology of lived conscious experience, dyadic attachments, affective attunement, social construction, and mutual recognition over the role of insight and interpretation. Despite the rich historical terrain of theoretical variation and advance, many contemporary approaches have displaced the primacy of the unconscious. Notwithstanding the theoretical hairsplitting that historically occurs across the psychoanalytic domain, one is beginning to see with increasing force and clarity what S. Mitchell and L. Aron (1999) referred to as the emergence of a new tradition, namely, relational psychoanalysis. Having its edifice in early object relations theory, the British middle school and American interpersonal traditions, and self psychology, relationality is billed as "a distinctly new tradition" (Mitchell & Aron, 1999, p. x). What is being labeled as the American middle group of psychoanalysis (C. Spezzano, 1997), relational and intersubjective theory have taken center stage. It may be argued, however, that contemporary relational and intersubjective perspectives have failed to be properly critiqued from within their own school of discourse. The scope of this article is largely preoccupied with tracing (a) the philosophical underpinnings of contemporary relational theory, (b) its theoretical relation to traditional psychoanalytic thought, (c) clinical implications for therapeutic practice, and (d) its intersection with points of consilience that emerge from these traditions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Response to Joseph Masling's (2003) Critique of Stephen A. Mitchell.

Joseph Masling (2003; see record 2003-09630-001) criticized Stephen A. Mitchell (1997, see record 1997-36625-000; 2000) for (a) recommending that the analyst be more active and involved, thereby increasing the risk of sexual involvement with the patient, and (b) Mitchell's belief that empirical data have little to contribute to psychoanalysis. There are no data supporting the hypothesis that the analyst's activity increases the risk of sexual violation. The author hypothesizes that the risk of such sexual acting out is a function primarily of the unique, unresolved psychopathology of the individual analyst, rather than either the model of treatment used or the opportunity for such a violation. The author does agree that Mitchell's belief that empirical data have little to contribute to psychoanalysis is ill advised. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Self is Alive and Well and Living in Relational Psychoanalysis.

Within relational theory the concept of the self continues to occupy a central role. It has survived the premature reports of its demise through a supposed postmodern dissolution and has changed in significant ways to now include areas of subjective experiencing that were previously excluded from consideration. This article illustrates some of those changes, and the tensions within psychoanalysis that have accompanied them. Suggestion is made for a fresh return to thinking about the self that will continue to expand its boundaries and will embrace an inclusive abundance of experience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Relational theory and the practice of psychotherapy.

Reviews the book, Relational theory and the practice of psychotherapy by P. L. Wachtel (see record 2008-01938-000). Having produced important texts involving the integration of a psychoanalytic perspective with cognitive–behavioral and family systems perspectives, in the current book he turns his attention to seemingly divergent lines of thought within psychoanalysis itself. Psychoanalysis—that variegated, continually branching and diversifying body of theory and practice that started with Sigmund Freud but which has moved so far beyond its origins so as to be almost unrecognizable in some respects—is certainly Wachtel’s primary home. In this book, Wachtel sets out to try and get the house in greater order, both for psychoanalytic inhabitants themselves and for visitors from other theoretical homes. The collection of psychoanalytic perspectives that have gradually taken context into account as being equally important to those factors that are internal are referred to as relational. And it is to these perspectives, which sometimes diverge in significant ways from each other and also from “one-person,” internally focused perspectives, that Wachtel devotes his attention in this book. With Relational theory and the practice of psychotherapy, Paul Wachtel has written an important book, one that will be particularly stimulating and useful to graduate-level-and-above students of psychotherapy. It will also be accessible, thought provoking and clarifying to open-minded psychotherapy practitioners of all stripes, particularly those who do not identify themselves as relational, psychoanalytic, or even psychodynamic. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Marital Status of Psychoanalysis and Learning Theory.

The union of psychoanalytic and learning theory, so strenuously promoted in recent years, may prove to be not much more compatible in certain respects than many another shotgun marriage. Through some peculiar phenomena of isolation, repression, or fixation upon goal object, fundamental areas of disagreement have been enthusiastically neglected. This comment provides a closer look at these areas of contention. Two levels of disagreement are evident here: (a) the factual disagreement as to where the punishments and rewards occur; (b) the theoretical disagreement as to whether the immediate or the long-term consequence has the determining effect. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Relational and Intersubjective Perspectives in Psychoanalysis: A Critique.

Reviews the book, Relational and Intersubjective Perspectives in Psychoanalysis: A Critique edited by Jon Mills (2005). This text contains many well reasoned arguments but the first part is so heavily theoretical and so removed from the consulting room that many clinicians will be unwilling to wade through it to get to the clinical sections. The authors' comments range from reasoned suggestions about areas where further work on the relational and intersubjective approaches is needed to rejecting these approaches as legitimate innovative bodies of work. I have mixed feelings about the book regarding its variable readability, its lack of balance, and its limited direct relevance to clinicians. However, it contains much thoughtful and provocative writing. This book will be of interest to mental health professionals who want detailed explanations of the theoretical, particularly philosophical basis for contemporary psychoanalysis, and to academic psychotherapists and philosophers with a direct interest in the subject. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychoanalysis and Psychodynamics.

W. S. Taylor's ("Psychoanalysis revised or psychodynamics developed?" American Psychologist, 1962, 17, 784-788, see record 1963-05882-001) polemic may be assessed against the background provided by Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions as conveniently reviewed by Gillispie (1962) in a recent issue of Science. The present author comments that Taylor fails to see that psychoanalysis is a relatively coherent system of theories rather than an accumulation of the various theories that Taylor says had been put forward by others, sometimes centuries earlier. A major part of his misapprehension is his overlooking the fact that psychoanalysis is primarily a method of research rather than the body of theories that happen, at the present time, to be based on following that method (for a recent discussion of psychoanalysis as a scientific method, see Ramzy, 1962). More important, however, he adopts an either-or attitude, "Psychoanalysis Revised or Psychodynamics Developed," that is quite unnecessary. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction: Psychoanalysis and sexuality.

Articles originally presented at the 18th annual spring meeting of the Division of Psychoanalysis of the American Psychological Association collected in an issue of Psychoanalytic Psychology are introduced. The title of the conference was "Psychoanalysis and sexuality: Reflections on an old love affair," and articles selected address aspects of this theme. Included in the issue are contributions from R. Schafer (1999a, 1999b), O. Renik (1999), D. Kriegman (1999), D. Schwartz (1999), M. O. Slavin (1999), H. G. Russ (1999), and J. K. Ogden (1999). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Freud, Psychoanalysis and Symbolism: Book review.

Review of book: Agnes Petocz (Au.) Freud, Psychoanalysis and Symbolism. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1999, 284 pp. Reviewed by Nigel Mackay. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychoanalysis, feminism, and the politics of exclusion: A rejoinder.

In a book review published in this journal, Fine (see record 2003-05429-013) criticized Lerner's (see record 2006-00700-000) The Dance of Anger: A Woman's Guide to Changing the Patterns of Intimate Relationships and raised broader concerns about the popularization of psychological ideas and about feminist psychoanalytic theory. This rejoinder takes issue with his criticisms, arguing that there is a legitimate place for careful popular presentation of psychological knowledge and that feminist psychoanalytic writings represent a serious and thoughtful body of theoretical work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A response to my critics.

The author responds to criticisms and personal attacks in defense of his recent controversial article on a critique of relational psychoanalysis. Critics (see records 2006-03254-013; 2006-03254-014; 2006-03254-015) charge that Mills fails to live up to scholarly standards, uses rhetorical devices to unjustly discredit certain relational authors, takes clinical material out of context, and has committed unethical and libelous acts. Mills attempts to show that these criticisms largely lack solid rationale, distort or ignore crucial textual evidence, rely on ad hominem arguments and emotional polemics, and fail to convince the author of their genuine merit. He denies all accusations of professional misconduct and draws into question the political motives and intellectual honesty of some key figures identified with the relational turn. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Selving: A Relational Theory of Self Organization.

Review of book: Irene Fast. Selving: A Relational Theory of Self Organization. Hillsdale, NJ: Analytic Press, 1998, xii + 183 pp. Reviewed by Jeffrey H. Golland. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychoanalysis: Legitimate and illegitimate concerns.

R. F. Bornstein (2001) points to real problems but underestimates what is going on now clinically and scientifically, exaggerates the past acceptance, and undervalues the scientific value of clinical observations. He ignores the role of economic factors in determining the status of psychoanalysis. He rejects repression, castration anxiety, penis envy, free association, and dream analysis. Clinical observations from World War II, ordinary clinical practice, and experiments amply demonstrate the phenomena of repression (painful memories, fantasies, impulses, feelings, or connections being kept out of awareness). Free association and dream analyses are powerful therapeutic techniques. Castration anxiety and penis envy (not innate) can sometimes be observed. Psychoanalysis includes powerful ideas and effective therapy as experienced by patients and reflected in research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Power of Feelings: Personal Meaning in Psychoanalysis, Gender, and Culture: Book review.

Review of book: Nancy J. Chodorow (Au.) The Power of Feelings: Personal Meaning in Psychoanalysis, Gender, and Culture. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1999, 320 pp. Reviewed by L. M. Zabarenko. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychoanalysis, Neuroscience, and Cognitive Psychology: Some Samples From Recent Research.

As a demonstration of ways in which the burgeoning work in neuroscience and cognitive psychology have important relevance for psychoanalysis, samples are offered from the literature of the past 9 months. Reports address such topics as neural transmission at the cellular level; a revolutionary new instrument capable of recording neurons at work in the brain; the latest data on the effect of psychotropic drugs on children; the research validity of measuring emotional expression (e.g., do baby rats cry); longitudinal work on inhibited children; the importance of implicit cognitive processes; emotion, attention, and the amygdala; and recent findings about glutamate, "the workhorse of the brain," and how its deleterious effects in neurodegenerative disorders may be modulated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Identification, repetition, and psychological growth: An expansion of relational theory.

This article extends previous work (S. Stern, 2002) examining the place of identification within a contemporary intersubjective theoretical framework. It is argued that (a) identification is as central to psychological life as Freud thought--we merely have lost the conceptual lens to see its central position--and (b) identification has been implicitly central in many contemporary theories of the self. An unconscious search for a certain kind of identificatory experience animates many instances of pathological repetition as well as many transformative analytic encounters. This idea represents an expansion of current relational theory, which has held to a more conservative, Fairbairnian view of repetition as driven by attachment to old object ties. One extended and 2 brief clinical examples are offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Relational Perspective on Women and Power.

This article focuses on the fact that women and men have equal but different needs for power. Integrating a psychoanalytic relational approach with feminist theory and social psychology, the author explains gender differences and societal influences on the pursuit of power. Social psychology research indicates that women are more likely to pursue power in ways that help others, whereas men are more likely to pursue their own individual ambitions. However, both genders become more nurturing in their expressions of power as they age. The presence of siblings in early life and having children as adults are more likely to produce an individual who demonstrates prosocial power. Young women today appear to be less conflicted about pursuing power in the world than the previous generation, but they are still ambivalent when it comes to making their way in the world. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Partners in thought: Working with unformulated experience, dissociation, and enactment.

Reviews the book, Partners in thought: Working with unformulated experience, dissociation, and enactment by Donnel Stern (see record 2009-17014-000). Following Stephen Mitchell’s untimely death, Donnel Stern is rightly seen as the doyen of Relational Psychoanalysis (RP). In a series of publications he has eloquently and passionately expounded its theoretical-clinical principles in an accessible yet never oversimplified way. This latest volume, mainly a compilation of papers published over the past 10 years or so, further explicates and consolidates his earlier views (Stern, 1997). Relational Psychoanalysis (RP) is perhaps best seen as part of a dialectic, an antiphone to establishment psychoanalysis—if such a thing there still is in an increasingly pluralized world. From a relatively uncommitted perspective, it remains unclear whether RP is a genuinely new set of ideas and practices or a primarily political turn in which traditional ideas are restated in contemporary, and sometimes deliberately contrary, terminology. It is probably both. Reading Stern provides an opportunity to come to a balanced view about this. Whatever conclusions are drawn from his bold assertion of the relational paradigm, listening to Stern’s authentic and enjoyable voice is an experience from which all but the most theoretically blinkered therapists can learn and benefit. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)