Psychoanalysis as science

This work explores two “Copernican shifts” in the history of psychoanalysis. The first is Freud's recognition of the motives behind the constructions of psychic reality; the intrusion of the wish in the subject's perceptions. The author explores the roots of this recognition in the scientific tradition of Kant and Helmholtz, and suggests that these two predecessors were topical for Freud in their deviation from a theory of “immaculate perception”. The other theme of this work is what the author suggests is a contemporaneous “Copernican shift” in psychoanalytic theory. This shift consists in a recognition of the topicalness of the experience of reciprocity. Connections between this experience and the experience of the self are described, and implications for the theory of the psychoanalytic process are suggested.     

Psychoanalysis as a vocation

Psychoanalysis may be seen as caught between two different trends of disenchanted modernity: rationalization, which leads to the framing of our work as a professional discipline subordinate to the dictates of instrumental rationality, and self‐analysis, which frees us from the dictates of orthodoxy, inequality, and authority. But a further difficulty lies within the aspect of enlightenment, which has not only provided a greater role for our subjectivity but disguised relations of authority, conformity, and objectiflcation in our work. Psychoanalysis has objectified the other while idealizing its knowledge as objective, has paradoxically denied the very subjectivity that must serve as the source of the analyst's knowledge. However, the reaction against this condition, which may tend to produce counter‐ideals of not‐knowing and mutuality, must also be carefully deconstructed. Differences in the meaning given by different schools to the use of the analyst's subjectivity suggest that pluralism will make new knowledge demands on psychoanalysts. Analytic training should include the development of critical abilities that help to meet these demands within a context of education as a collaborative, democratic process. Knowledge itself can be used homeo‐pathically as an antidote to the old ideal of the knowing authority.     

Psychoanalysis as medicine,psychoanalysis as religion

The author explores unfavorable comparisons between psychoanalysts and medical psychiatry, tracing the crisis in the mental health fields created by managed care. This current crisis is traced to an historical identification with the medical profession and a more recent dependence on third-party payments. He suggests reorganizing the profession as a religion or spiritual exercise as a way out of the crisis and as a way of revitalizing its practice.Richard A. Friedman, Ph.D., is a psychoanalyst in private practice in New York City, supervisor at the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Study Center, and a faculty member and training analyst at the New York Center for Psychoanalytic Training     

Authenticity at Work: Development and Validation of an Individual Authenticity Measure at Work

Building on the work by Barrett-Lennard (Carl Rogers’ helping system: Journey & substance. Sage, London 1998) and Wood et al. (J Couns Psychol 55:385–399 2008), this study describes the development and validation of a theory-based measure of state authenticity at work, the Individual Authenticity Measure at Work (IAM Work). Even though this construct is obviously relevant to the work context (e.g., as regards issues of work relations, leadership and well-being), none of the instruments currently available focuses on authenticity in the area of work and organizational psychology. A total sample of 646 participants was divided in two equal sized subsamples. Exploratory factor analysis supported the underlying tripartite construct of authenticity at work, resulting in the subscales authentic living, self-alienation, and accepting external influences. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the tripartite construct and showed good psychometric properties of the state-focused measure of authenticity at work. Finally, correlation analysis showed that each subscale and the total score of authenticity was positively related to commonly used work outcomes such as job satisfaction, in-role performance, and work engagement. This study concludes that the IAM Work is a reliable and valid measure of state authenticity at work. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.     

Object Relations Psychoanalysis as Political Theory

This article examines the political contents of object relations psychoanalysis, a theory that perceives dependence as the natural state of all humans. Unlike the views advanced by the classical state-of-nature models of Locke, Hobbes, and Rousseau, object relations perceives humans in their original state as already grouped and driven by an urge to associate. Company (rather than privacy, property, or political participation) stands out as the basic right, and all the other rights follow on it as instruments for fulfilling it. The primacy of care lends itself to the justification of distributive measures meant to bolster family cohesion and individual confidence at the expense of the open market. The theory is therefore compatible with the premises of the social-democratic welfare state.