| Abstract: | This report summarizes a panel that addressed from a pragmatic point of view the concept of analytic effectiveness. Leston Havens defined effectiveness in terms of the personal qualities of the analyst, suggesting that the fate of treatment depends on who the analyst is. He illustrated this idea with examples drawn from Harry Stack Sullivan, Elvin Semrad, and Havens's own analysis. Stephen Mitchell discussed effectiveness in terms of the interplay of directiveness and nondirectiveness in psychoanalysis and offered an alternative perspective to the classical model for thinking about these modes of intervention. Owen Renik addressed the issue of analytic goals, emphasizing the importance of the analyst openly discussing his or her treatment goals to explore the patients' implicit goals and to confront hidden assumptions about authority that can impede analytic work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
