Robert Waelder and the application of psychoanalytic principles to social and political phenomena

This presentation reveals a little-known area of Robert Waelder's work. As his literary executor, I have been privileged with access to his unpublished material, notes, and correspondence. And, of course, I am familiar with his mode of thinking. I wish to pass on some of this knowledge. What cannot be passed on, however, in some abstract intellectual way, are psychoanalytic principles themselves. Therefore, while this paper sheds light on a very particular aspect of Robert Waelder's work, it is also in some ways a cautionary tale, a plea that the reader understand what is behind the psychoanalytic point of view and its basic concepts--namely, clinical experience.     

The real person of the analyst and his role in the process of psychoanalytic cure

This paper focuses on the real relationship with the analyst in the psychoanalytic situation as an aspect of the therapeutic process that leads to change. The role of free association, clarification, and interpretation of the transference are taken for granted as major activities of the analyst, and the real relationship with him is seen as a complementary but important ingredient for change. In particular, his emotional availability determines the climate of analysis. The concepts of neutrality, anonymity, and abstinence, though of importance as guideposts in the conduct of an analysis, have conceptual limitations that not infrequently bind the analyst in a stance that is not useful for the progress of the analysis. On occasion, confirmation by the analyst of the verity of an experience in the patient's early life facilitates the analytic process. This occurs particularly in situations of early trauma, but at times may include chronically traumatic early life experiences. An important motivating force in analysis is the patient's unconscious wish to find the ideal parent absent in early life experience, a wish that is experienced and ultimately analyzed. This is to be distinguished from a defensive idealized transference. Psychoanalytic developmental psychology contributes to our understanding of how the real person of the analyst, his emotional availability, his responsiveness at particular times, his attitude toward action and progressive change in the patient, affect the therapeutic process that leads to change.     

Perceptual vigilance and defense revisited: evidence against Blum's psychoanalytic theory of subliminal perception.

Blum's (1954) interpretation of psychoanalytic theory leads him to predict that Ss will defend against a threatening stimulus which is just below a recognition threshold and be vigilant toward the same stimulus when it is farther below the same threshold. 7 males and 9 females were presented the same four Blacky pictures, at the same speed and illumination, and using the same procedure as Blum. The results offered no support for the theory of perceptual vigilance or defense. The many weaknesses inherent in Blum's theory and supporting methodology were discussed.