Response to Layton: Considering the Sociopolitical Context of Dialectical Constructivism

What is commonly missing from psychoanalytic formulations, including my own, that Lynne Layton rightfully challenges us to correct is the locating of the possible dysfunctionality of the individual and the family within the context, not just of a brutally indifferent universe but also of an arguably brutally indifferent economic, political, and institutional environment. I differ with Layton in that I am more prepared to consider possible universals that bear on human experience and moral standards. For example, I would say that “reflection on the foundations of knowledge” trumps nonreflective fundamentalist thinking in capturing the best attitude to assume towards pursuit of truth. Also, the universality of the human tendency to deny death may underlie many diverse cultural belief systems. Nevertheless, Layton challenges us to reflect on how conventional psychoanalytic practices may collude with aspects of our own culture we would do well to try to combat, in ourselves and in our patients, through owning and proactively exercising our moral influence.