Communicative psychoanalysis: Contributions to clinical practice and the development of a science of psychoanalysis

Robert Langs' communicative approach to psychoanalysis has lead to new clinical insights and to a promising line of quantitative research. Fundamental concepts of the communicative approach are explained and illustrated with a clinical example. Characteristics of the approach, which distinguish it from other modern, interactive analytic theories are discussed; as well as a critical clinical insight derived from the communicative approach. The approach's unique contributions to the development of a science of psychoanalysis are explained. The advantages and problems of the communicative method are also discussed throughout the paper.     

Regulation and standards for psychoanalysis: The place of the Other in psychoanalysis and its teaching

In numerous Western countries, psychotherapies have come under increasing governmental regulation. A more recent development is the increasing scrutiny given to psychoanalysis in the United Kingdom, in France, and in the United States. This paper examines a particular document that was created by four professional psychoanalytic organizations that are based in the United States. The document called Standards of Psychoanalytic Education aims to develop criteria that would guide accreditation and the organization of psychoanalytic institutes. The document is part of a set of concerns and actions related to the state regulation of psychoanalytic practice, its professional status, and the protection of those who seek its services. The essay examines the putative theoretical neutrality of this document by unfolding its tenets in terms of Lacanian psychoanalysis, a school of psychoanalysis that would take exception to many of the ideas suggested in the document's template for psychoanalytic education. The paper follows one line of argumentation throughout: what is the place of the Social Field, the Symbolic Other, within psychoanalytic process and as a recourse for professional legitimization that stands outside of psychoanalysis? As a practice of particularity, what relation does the discipline bear to other mental health fields and to the norms and knowledge systems of the mental health professions? Using a Lacanian orientation, two senses of the Other are discussed, and the specificity of psychoanalysis is asserted. This specificity is contrasted with some of the goals and constraints that are introduced by current approaches to regulation.      

Developmental psychology and psychoanalysis: I. The context for a revolution in psychoanalysis

After describing the manner in which the integration of psychoanalysis and developmental psychology became a central problem for ego psychology, the author examines the conditions that make it possible for new research and theory in developmental psychology to contribute to a revolution in contemporary psychoanalytic theory. They include: (1) the emergence of a state of "crisis" in American psychoanalysis centering on questions of the nature of early development and how it can be known; (2) the explosive growth of developmental research on early childhood dealing with issues at the heart of that crisis; and (3) the presence of a new generation of psychoanalysts and psychoanalytically oriented researchers capable of bringing that research to bear on those issues.     

Historiography and psychoanalysis

Abstract

The act of writing the history of psychoanalysis poses crucial questions with regard to the openness of society. This article examines the fundamental issues faced by researchers when they set about writing the history of psychoanalysis in a specific country. The significance of reconstructing features of the psychoanalytical practice is discussed. The opposition that exists between the current academic ideals and those of the psychoanalytic societies is outlined with reference to the changes that society has undergone, particularly during the past 30 years. In this context, the stance maintained by psychoanalysts with regard to psychiatry, academic psychology, and the university education of psychotherapists is defined. Government accreditation processes for psychologists and psychotherapists are likewise illustrated in the light of the opinions held by psychoanalysts at different moments in time.     

Ethology and psychoanalysis

Ethology has sometimes been considered a distant, perhaps quaint discipline which on occasion has peripherally enriched psychoanalysis. In contrast to this, it is suggested that the evolution of ethology, which is barely seventy years old, has, to a remarkable extent, mirrored the development of psychoanalysis. A comparison is made between the classical instinct concept in psychoanalysis and the classical ethological concept of instinct; and a parallel between the fate of the concept in each discipline is drawn. It is further suggested that the dialectical relationship and complementary evolution between ethology and psychoanalysis stems from both disciplines having introduced into an explanatory model of human behavior an element that was innate, instinctual, genetic—in short, biological.     

Calvinism and psychoanalysis: A comparative study

Summary Although the title of this essay suggests a comparison of psychoanalysis and Calvinism, I have chosen to compare primarily the two leaders of these movements. On many points they shared similar beliefs. Certain of these areas have been highlighted and discussed briefly: ascetic tendencies, work, religion, concepts of God and of man, actions as symptoms, and predestination and determinism.