| Abstract: | The concept of the double bind has mainly flourished in the family system therapies. By contrast, it has been overlooked by psychoanalytic therapists. The present paper suggests that the double bind, while not regarded with the same importance as the intrapsychic or interpersonal factors, is certainly real. A concept of the analytic double bind is presented. The analytic double bind is not one of paradoxical, mixed messages and conflicting levels of communication. Instead, it arises from a conflict of incompatible levels of intimacy — specifically, the conflict between technique and intimacy. An attempt is made to delineate the central double bind both from the viewpoint of the analyst and from the viewpoint of the patient. |
