The seventh penis: towards effective psychoanalytic work with pre‐surgical transsexuals

The author reflects on his contrasting analytic work with two transsexual patients. He uses three previous psychoanalytic studies (Stoller, Morel and Lemma) to explore whether effective analytic work with the issues driving a person's determined wish for sex reassignment surgery (SRS) is possible. Particular consideration is given to how such work might navigate a path between traumatizing and pathologizing the patient on the one hand and avoiding important analytic material out of fear of so doing on the other. The author proceeds to ask whether it is possible to tell in advance, with any degree of reliability, who is and who is not likely to benefit from surgery. He considers certain diagnostic issues in relation to these questions. Illustrations are given of how, in practice, countertransference anxieties about psychopathologizing transsexual patients can contribute to significant difficulties in working clinically with them. It is argued that the understanding and containment of such anxieties could eventually lead to more effective analytic work, and that such work might be further facilitated by considering the contribution of mind‐body dissociation to transsexualism.     

An Elder Sitting by the Fire: My Path to Jung

The author describes the importance of his mentors, his heritage, and early life in Johannesburg, South Africa and the effect that those formative years in a mining community (fueled by migrant labor) had on his embryonic psyche. Attending an Anglican school, he discovered the power of Christianity as a 10-year-old, holding vigil at night “over the body of Christ.” However, his first objective relationship with the psyche, the unconscious, occurred during the Second World War in the desert of Egypt before embarkation for Italy, with a second event occurring shortly after his return to South Africa, where he had been forced by circumstance to seek employment back on the mines. He explores how, despite the vicious and cruel apartheid policy above ground, all men were genuine brothers at the rock face; how the migrant labor rejoiced on reaching the surface after a shift with ritualistic thanks. He relocated to Natal where his relationship with the natural world developed, leading eventually to the founding of both the Dusi canoe marathon and the Wilderness Leadership School. On being employed by the Natal Parks Board he moved to Zululand, a true wilderness, in the early 1950s, where he was exposed to the rituals and beliefs of local tribes. He was impressed by their reliance on and their respect for the spiritual. A series of what he later understood were synchronistic events led him to both his mentors: a Jungian analyst and eventually to Jung himself.     

Pieces of Minds in Psycholinguistics: Steven Pinker,Kenneth Wexler,and Noam Chomsky A Series of Interviews Conducted by Jean A. Rondal

This is the third of a series of interviews featuring Steven Pinker, Noam Chomsky, and Kenneth Wexler, three giant figures in the fields of linguistics, psycholinguistics, and cognitive science. The first two interviews appeared in earlier issues of this journal (Vol. 28, Issue 4, pp. 459–480; Vol. 29, Issue 1, pp. 85–104). Kenneth Wexler teaches and does his experimental work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is well known for his innovative work on language learnability (i.e. the problem of how correct linguistic representations can be attained given the limited data available to the child), which has led to considerable changes in linguistic and psycholinguistic theories and research orientations. More recently, Professor Wexler (in association with Hagit Borer) developed what they call a maturation theory of syntax, suggesting basically, in opposition to the continuity hypothesis, that the formal principles available to the child to fix his grammar mature (i.e. different principles are available at different stages of development). In the interview, Kenneth Wexler speaks about his learnability work, its origins, and how he sees linguistic and psycholinguistic research and theories today. He comments on questions about his maturational point of view in syntax development. The interview took place in Irvine (California) in May of 1988, and was subsequently revised. I am very grateful to Ken Wexler for his kind collaboration. Along with the text of the interview, the reader will find some information on Professor Wexler's background as well as a selected list of his publications.     

Regression in the countertransference: working with the archetype of the abandoned child

Abstract :  The author describes briefly some experiences of his sense of non-existence as an analyst in relation to five patients. He considers the possible countertransference significance of these experiences and puts forward a hypothesis that his sense of non-existence as an analyst might be a clue to regression in the patient to the anxieties of a baby without a mother, even though other clinical evidence of regression might be lacking. Referring back to Jung's early formulation of transference and countertransference as aspects of the unconscious identity shared between analyst and patient, he further develops his hypothesis, suggesting that, in the cases he has presented, analyst and patient were relating through shared dynamic roots in the archetype of the abandoned child. He briefly demonstrates how the understanding thus achieved was of clinical use in the analyses of the patients he has presented.     

ALIVE AND KICKING: A REVIEW OF HANDBOOK OF BEHAVIORISM,EDITED BY WILLIAM O'DONOHUE AND RICHARD KITCHENER

Behaviorists have struggled and continue to struggle with basic questions about behavior, such as how to define behavior, how to talk about behavior in relation to environment, and what constitutes an adequate explanation of behavior. Skinner made huge progress on these questions, because of his emphasis on the generic character of stimuli and responses, his advocacy of rate as a datum, his introduction of stimulus control, and his reliance on selection by consequences as a mode of explanation. By no means, however, did he provide final answers. In particular, Skinner fell short because he never escaped from the limitations imposed by thinking in terms of contiguity and discrete events and because he never specified a useful role for theory. The 14 chapters in this book offer varying degrees of clarity on the ways in which behaviorists and behaviorally oriented philosophers dealt with basic questions in the past and are dealing with them in the present, post‐Skinner. They are reviewed individually, because they are uneven in quality. Overall, the book is a useful tool for gaining historical and philosophical background to behaviorism and for getting some idea of behaviorists' current directions.     

Contemplation and compassion: the heart of a Franciscan spirituality of clinical pastoral supervision

After five years of supervising CPE modules in two different hospitals in South Africa, a chaplain supervisor reflects on how his Franciscan spirituality had impacted his supervisory ministry. He describes how he was able to narrow the impact to two defining Franciscan qualities: contemplation and compassion. This article explores the relationship between spirituality and clinical pastoral supervision. Then the Franciscan dimension of contemplation and compassion of Franciscan spirituality are considered. Finally some contours of a Franciscan spirituality of clinical pastoral supervision are described.     

Reminiscences of a sociologist: Rudolf Herberle.

The author tells of his drift from law and economics into sociology at a time when this field was not yet institutionalized in his native Germany. He describes his research experiences in European countries and in America. He shows how working on a variety of seemingly disconnected subjects contributed to his education as a sociologist. He also discusses his experiences as teacher and author during the first years of the Hitler regime.     

A conversation with Dr Michael Fordham. Interview by James Astor

In this interview in Dr Fordham's 83rd year he describes how he started to work with children, and how Mrs Jung was supportive. He talks about the initial suspicion this interest generated in the wider Jungian community. He refers to his acceptance of and interest in the psychotic elements in child analysis and his transference-based approach to working with these elements. He reflects on his own birth, his work with evacuee children in hostels during the war years and the politics of supervision. He describes the core Jungian concepts which underpinned his work and the theoretical differences from the Kleinian and Anna Freudian positions.     

Bernard Williams on the Human Prejudice

In “The Human Prejudice”, Bernard Williams discusses our treating human beings differently in our moral thinking from the ways we treat other creatures. He criticises the idea that this expresses a prejudice, speciesism, analogous to racism and sexism. His essay has been misunderstood by some of its critics, including Peter Singer and Jeff McMahan. My essay sets out several questions one may have about Williams's essay, and explains how they can be answered. I make clear the connections between “The Human Prejudice” and some main elements in Williams's thinking about ethics, including his criticisms of moral theory.     

Revisionist practical theology and the meaning of public discourse

The author asks how practical theology can help a pluralist public by encouraging a public discussion of value issues. The aim of practical theology is to allow practice to inform theory; he seeks to allow the pastoral and religious praxis of the Christian life and the social, cultural, and political praxis of the wider society to inform each other, and thus practical theology. He begins by stating his assumptions, i.e., his way of understanding the issue of human responsibility in American society, and goes on to suggest religious and theological resources for responding to his questions. He distinguishes three realms comprising our society and suggests that there are value questions demanding discussion that may be differentiated in each as well as appropriate ways of discussing these questions.He is a Roman Catholic priest and has publishedBlessed Rage for Order: The New Pluralism in Theology.     

THE MODERNITY OF CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY OR WRITING KIERKEGAARD AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME

From his first book forward, Stanley Cavell has responded to modernity's demands upon philosophic writing. He has also turned from time to time to remark on the situation of Christian speech or its theological elaboration, especially when commenting on Kierkegaard. Implicit in both gestures are questions about whether Christian theology has ever become modern in Cavell's sense—has ever responded to modernity as a crisis in its relation to received forms. If writers of Christian theology take nothing else from Cavell, they should at least carry away some sense of the demand that Kierkegaard puts on any theology written after him.     

Discomfort in the community. The place of psyche: Between zōē and bios

In this paper, the author considers the treatment of people diagnosed with a psychosis or borderline personality disorder in therapeutic communities from a psychoanalytic perspective, with a particular focus on the work of Jacques Lacan and of André Green. He discusses two key questions. First, how are these patients to recover life? – not just in the biological sense but in terms of subjectivity. Secondly, is it ever really possible to build relationships with them? In relation to this second question, the author emphasizes the importance of the training and supervision of practitioners, as well as their own analysis. Therapeutic communities, above all, he argues, can provide structure and security in a society which is increasingly fragmented and unstable.     

Henry Freund: 1896–1982

Dr. Henry Freund was one of the foremost authorities on stuttering in Europe, and his contributions on the psychology of the disorder continued after emigrating to this country. He was a neurologist and psychiatrist, as well as a speech pathologist. He died in 1982, and in this posthumous paper he describes his career and personal experiences, while undergoing therapy from the most famous European speech pathologists of his time. He also offers some cogent comments about current therapies and future needs.     

Implementing the Boulder Model of Training in a Psychology Training Clinic

The scientist–practitioner (S–P) model of training has guided professional psychology in the United States for nearly six decades. However, since its inception, the model has been hotly debated and implementation of the model has been chronically problematic. One counseling psychologist who is working as both a faculty member and psychology training clinic director describes how scientific principles can be retained in a practice setting. He overviews the Boulder model of training, provides a brief review of the psychology training clinic (PTC), describes his current work setting and unique faculty appointment, and outlines five strategies for integrating science and practice in applied clinical settings. He also highlights how embracing the Boulder model has promoted a strong professional identity and presents the PTC as a model professional home for S–Ps.     

An Interview with Michael Walzer

Michael Walzer is currently at the School of Social Science, Institute for Advanced Study, in Princeton, New Jersey. Professor Walzer has written Just and Unjust Wars; The Revolution of the Saints and has edited Toward A Global Civil Society. In this interview, he discusses some of the current concerns about education, political theory and the current state of the art of toleration, and acceptance and accommodation of different racial, ethnic, social and minority groups. He has published extensively and his work has been translated in several other languages. In this interview, he responds to questions about his work, his writings and his current concerns.     

Metaphilosophy and Relativism

I am concerned with the metaphilosophical questions of how we are to proceed when doing philosophy, and whether there is more than one way of achieving our aim. These questions are tackled initially by an examination of the answers given by Richard Double in his book Metaphilosophy and Freewill . It is argued that the considerations he rehearses in favour of metaphilosophical relativism are inconclusive, and that, in any case, it is a position that contains serious internal difficulties. An analogy is made with the problems encountered by Hume's sceptical theory of the self, and it is suggested that Double, like Hume, is implicitly presupposing the conclusion he is seeking to deny. He does so by relying upon certain critical procedures in the course of his argument. Next, I consider how Double might respond to this criticism, and it is concluded that such a rejoinder fails. Finally, I return to the questions which served as the starting point of this discussion, and I apply the conclusions I have reached to their possible resolution. It is claimed that a form of rationalism has been vindicated.     

Temple Gairdner of Cairo revisited

Temple Gairdner was a prominent and respected figure in his own time, and remains an intriguing and engaging character worthy of occasional re‐examination. This paper presents some of the salient features of his biography and highlights some aspects of his life and work that deserve emphasis because of their continuing importance for the Christian approach to Islam. In particular, it describes the evolution in his assessment of Islam, how this affected his apologetic interpretation of Christianity for Muslims, his contribution to the training of missionaries to Islam, and how his contribution has been creatively continued within the Anglican Communion.     

Quelle thérapie possible pour la pédophilie ?

Are paedophiles treatable? The present case study gives an example of how a paedophile can evolve in group psychotherapy. Didier is a 22 year-old exclusive homosexual paedophile, only attracted by pre-pubescent boys. He has been sentenced for sexual offences on four boys aged four to seven. After three years' therapy, he has experienced seduction, has had his first sexual experience with an adult and is living with a woman. This experience has enlarged his object-choice and Didier describes himself as less obsessed by his paedophilic sexual fantasies. His interest in children has diminished as he got more mature and developed better relational and sexual abilities with adults. Considerations about therapy for paedophiles are developed as a conclusion.     

Coping with the Angry Patient

This patient is enacting two chronic maladaptive patterns. In one he alternates between the role of victim and abuser while inducing the therapist to play the counterrole. He tries to master the abuse he suffered passively as a child by becoming abusive with the therapist and having her experience what it feels like to be mistreated. My effort would be to interpret this pattern even while acknowledging and absorbing some degree of his anger. In a second pattern he acts like an angry, demanding child in an effort to extract nurturance and special treatment from the therapist. I would help him explore this posture in terms of his deprived background and its maladaptiveness in his current life. Finally, I present vignettes from my own practice to demonstrate how I work with patients' anger when it is expressed indirectly rather than in Mr. P's very direct manner.