Importance of countertransference in the initial psychoanalytic interview]

The author points out the responsibilities and difficulties an interviewer faces in the initial psychoanalytic interview and discusses different theoretical positions in dealing with countertransference. Apart from "free floating attention" and "free floating responsiveness" he emphasizes the important diagnostic and therapeutic factor of "free floating introspectiveness". Finally, with a clinical example, he demonstrates that countertransference should already be taking place at the beginning stage of an interview.