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The concept of repression has been relegated to the periphery in current psychoanalytic theorizing. This is in part due to a reflexive and ill-informed avoidance of Freudian metapsychology, and in part due to preoccupation with 'primitive' and 'deeper' states of mind, a perspective that presumes that repression operates exclusively in 'higher level' or 'neurotic' forms of psychopathology. A careful scrutiny of psychoanalytic theory and clinical practice does not uphold such compartmentalization. Repression is ubiquitous in mental life. It contributes to normality (e.g., onset of latency), undergirds the 'psychopathology of everyday life' (e.g., parapraxes), exists alongside splitting in severe character disorders (e.g., borderline patients "forgetting" their appointments) and, by permitting a modified return of exiled mental contents, gives birth to neurotic symptoms as well as creative imagination. Taking Freud's seminal discourse on repression (in: Repression. Standard Edition, vol 14. Hogarth, London, pp 141-158 1915a) as its starting point, this paper elucidates the complex, nuanced, and pervasive nature of this defense. It deconstructs Freud's unitary concept of repression into four implicit binaries and updates his proposals in the light of contemporary psychoanalytic theory. The paper offers clear guidelines for clinical applications of these ideas.

The paper gives a survey of the origin of the concept of the super-ego in Freud's work and its further elaboration within the different psychoanalytic traditions. It introduces three papers on the perverse and psychotic super-ego, the development of the concept in Bion's work and its significance for psychoanalytic social psychology.

This discussion of two related papers on political activism by Bettina von Lieres and Afarin Kohan focuses on the mechanism of transformation from psychic experience into political action. In both papers, the move to political action is seen as a consequence of collectivization, politics being understood as a function of groups, but a distinction is made between brute politics and the elaboration of the political as a psychoanalytic process. The original papers are seen as furthering the aims of social psychoanalysis and community psychoanalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article serves as an introduction to a collection of papers that respond to Jonathan Palmer's paper on the role of creativity in psychoanalytic work. The contributors, who are known for their creative approach to psychoanalysis and art, offer their unique perspectives on the theme of creativity in psychoanalysis. They emphasize the significance of creativity, aliveness, and play in the therapeutic process, drawing on personal experiences and artistic references. The papers encourage readers to reflect on their own sources of creative expression and consider the role of creativity in their own analytic encounters. [Extracted from the article]

In their papers, Sally Bjorklund and Hillary Grill investigate the negative impact of the reversal of Roe v.Wade on women's ability to choose when and how to manage their bodies and minds. Bjorklund offers an historical perspective, while Grill presents personal and clinical material to illustrate how misogyny and male dominance are reinforced through the intersection of externally imposed laws, socially transmitted beliefs, and the perpetuation of such beliefs through models of mind that implicitly devalue women—models such as psychoanalysis. Iinvite psychoanalysts to continue to interrogate misogyny while also asking how our clinical work might challenge and change psychoanalytic theorizing about female development, theorizing that continues to pathologize women and valorize male dominance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Editor's note: Albert Mason discovered an unpublished paper by Donald Meltzer dating from around 1968 and has made the text available to the IJP. He writes "my best guess is that Meltzer gave me the paper to read/approve about the time I was preparing to move to Los Angeles (1968-69) and that I hastily packed it away with other papers. It got buried, and only came to light recently, kind of like a lost score that turns up in someone's attic!" The patient Meltzer discusses in his paper is a patient who Dr Mason treated for approximately 11 years, and about whom Dr Mason consulted with Dr Meltzer early in the treatment. Dr Mason has also provided the original report he wrote about the patient in the 1960s. Following an introduction by Dr Abbot Bronstein, we have published extracts from Dr Mason's report, including the following: details about the case, the two dreams which Dr Mason believes were 'turning point dreams', and a third dream called the 'hula hula dream', as well as the clinical material leading up to it., (Copyright © 2016 Institute of Psychoanalysis.)

In this commentary on Paul Denis's paper 'The drive revisited: mastery and satisfaction', the author defends the idea of a plurality of metapsychologies that must be contrasted with and distinguished from each other while avoiding incompatible translations between models. In this connection he presents various theoretical approaches to aggression and the death drive, and demonstrates the differences between the drive model and the model underlying the theory of internalized object relations. The author holds that the concept of the internal object differs from Freud's notion of the representation (Vorstellung). He also considers that the imago as defined by Paul Denis in fact corresponds to the concept of the internal object. Lastly, he addresses the complex issue of listening to archaic forms of psychic functioning and their non-discursive presentation within the analytic process, which affects the transference-countertransference link., (Copyright © 2016 Institute of Psychoanalysis.)

This article delves into the relationship between art and psychoanalysis, specifically focusing on the concept of aesthetic experience and its impact on therapy. The authors discuss how aesthetic experiences can lead to transformative change for both patients and analysts, allowing for new approaches to life and the ability to confront difficult experiences. They emphasize the importance of the analyst's involvement and openness in creating an environment for these experiences to occur. The article also touches on the role of creativity in therapy and the analyst's responsibility to nurture the patient's own creative self. Overall, the article highlights the interplay between art and psychoanalysis and the potential for aesthetic experiences to deepen the therapeutic relationship. [Extracted from the article]

Rachel Kozlowitz and Kirsten Lentz have challenged psychoanalysis to consider more deeply the impact on analysands when the therapist becomes mortally ill and/or dies, and to make the necessary personal exploration (Kozlowski) and structural and theoretical adjustments in the field (Lentz) required to accommodate this possibility. In this discussion, Blaustein contextualizes their thoughtful arguments in our culture's general aversion to talking about death. Drawing on the work of Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), Blaustein also builds upon the authors' shared recognition that when serious illness or mortality enter the treatment room, the analytic frame must be reimagined and expanded to make room for the positive and loving aspects of the analytic relationship – which may have been latent and unexplored to date – to become manifest and shared consciously between the dyad as a way to help offset the profound feelings of isolation, self-doubt and betrayal often reported by patients whose analysts have died without preparation or warning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When reality is too much to bear, bodymind unity can fracture, creating self-deceptions, distortions, and disguises of emotional experience that amount to unconscious lies. Without clarity regarding what is real and what is imaginary, emotional truth is difficult to discern. Lies disrupt the development of a subjective sense of self, making it difficult to trust sensations, emotions, or thoughts. In the absence of this trust, a patient may form a delusion that they do not exist. Working psychoanalytically with patients traumatized in infancy and early childhood requires the analyst to experience a somatic link between herself and the patient, thereby enabling a process that was inhibited and, in some cases, nearly aborted to resume functioning. Clinical material is presented illustrating a negative hallucination of not existing following an emotional experience that could not be borne as well as bodymind dissociation that separated the patient's psychic pain from her childhood narrative. The author concludes that these methods of coping with trauma prevent the grieving necessary for truth to become bearable and the mind to grow., (© 2023. Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis.)

The author wonders why Hegener perceived May's historical elucidation of Abraham's concept of oral sadism as a threat to his identity as part of the Freudian tradition. Referring to his use of the concept of death drive and to his view of depression, she questions his overall tendency to minimize any differences between Freud and Abraham, while ignoring the temporal sequence of their theory formation.

The Journal has decided to publish a selection of previously unpublished papers from the Michael Fordham archives, which are being prepared for publication by James Astor and Elizabeth Urban, and of which the two papers published here are the first, both dating from the 1950s. 'Analyst and Priest' seems to be addressed to an audience of mainly religious people who are interested in the relation between psychology and religion and to whom Fordham is introducing some basic Jungian concepts and ways of thinking. The analyst in this lecture is the advocate of a new science, the priest an established figure with a role in society and rituals to perform. As the paper progresses he refines the differences between priest and analyst in terms of individual development versus a philosophy of life. The paper ends with a plea for co-operation between priest and analyst. 'Analyst and Scientist' was a radio talk given in 1956. In this paper Fordham makes the case for paying attention to the irrational. He draws support from Pauli and Polanyi. His theme is to show the scientific value of the subjective. From this he describes the scientific basis for Jung's comparative method and consequently of archetypal psychology., (© 2010, The Society of Analytical Psychology.)

The analyst depicted in Freud's Papers on Technique (1911-1915) struggles to split the patient's stubborn desire by reframing it as memory. In contrast, after the structural theory was adopted, analysts could picture themselves as liberating rather than struggling with patients, since their design was to show that the patient's fears are unrealistic. But North American analysts have come to doubt their ability to rule on what is and isn't realistic. They thus find themselves again struggling with stubborn desires, not just easing fears. Their solution has been to emphasize--and thus detach from--enactments. These analysts would seem to be even more in need of the old ideals of procedure than were "classical" analysts, who thought they could use "reality" as a standard.

A personal account of an analysis with Michael Fordham and subsequent conversations with James Astor. A number of themes are developed concerning the expression of feeling, use of language, and the relevance of aesthetic values to the practice and reporting of analysis.

An attempt is made to create a conceptual housing for an increasingly common stance among clinicians who willingly draw from diverse theories as they seem applicable to the immediate clinical moment. The working clinician generally does this without regard to questions of eclectic contradiction or of whether concepts can be extricated from the theories in which they are embedded. The metaphor of a psychoanalytic dictionary is used to create this conceptual housing. Within this metaphor, a psychoanalytic alphabet, vocabulary, and grammar are defined, as well as a set of core assumptions that gives some shape to the boundaries of the psychoanalytic language. Diversity is located in the preferred alphabets and vocabularies of varied psychoanalysts, and unifiers are found in the grammar and core assumptions of the language. Questions regarding internally inconsistent eclecticism and extricability are discussed. The integrative concepts chosen here (among the many that are possible)--concepts defining a shared view of how mind works--are found in such familiar ideas as displacement, condensation, over-determination, and multiple function.

The author discusses the context of the left-wing Freudians in whose circles Edith Jacobson moved in Germany. Her psychoanalytical papers, written and published prior to her emigration, are examined as to whether at all or in which way they are marked by the >>political<< psychoanalysis as represented by W. Reich, O. Fenichel and others. In contrast ot Reich, Jacobson was careful about voicing explicit comments on society and its institutions, even before 1933. She expressed her political opinions in an implicit and hidden way, namely in her clinical work. In particular she emphasized the role of external reality, summed up in the so-called >>original formula of neurosis<< according to which neurotic disorder results primarily from a conflict between drive and social reality rather than from inner conflict. Jacobson and her like minded friends saw this view as an expression of their political attitude, directed both against certain aspects of Freud's (and A. Freud's) theories, e.g. primary masochism, and the emerging Kleinian school. At the same time it was a point of agreement between the left-wing Freudians and their Viennese colleagues. The author highlights the fact that, and explains the reasons why, we no longer perceive the hidden political dimension in the papers of Jacobson (or in those of Fenichel, Gero and others).

In sum, this book is very multifaceted, it covers a lot of ground, it has Eigen's direct response to dozens of critical questions. Only in his late work has Eigen had much to say about a general theory germane to psychoanalysis ( I Image, Sense, Infinities and Everyday Life i ) or more aphoristically and fragmentedly ( I Under the Totem: In Search of a Path i ). Here is some classic Eigen, typical of the flavour of the whole book, from the essay "Psyche Singing", that is picked up in the book's title. Dialogues with Michael Eigen: Psyche Singing: edited by Loray Daws and Michael Eigen, London, Routledge, 2020, 279 pp., £96.00 (cloth), £27.99 (paper), £27.99 (ebook). [Extracted from the article]

The authors point out that psychoanalytic research papers are cited with less frequency than clinical papers, and, presumably, are read with less frequency. Results from two sets of questionnaires from psychoanalysts indicate that a majority of analysts report high levels of conviction in the rationales and techniques in their clinical work. However, analysts with higher degrees of conviction read fewer research papers than analysts with lower degrees of conviction. The authors speculate that analysts with higher degrees of conviction may have an underlying sense of uncertainty about their analytic work. Their uncertainty may generate concerns that research may raise questions and doubts about their rationales and techniques, and, consequently, they have little interest in empirical psychoanalytic research. Such an attitude would be understandable because analysts sense or explicitly believe that confidence in their work is an important, perhaps essential, element in the mutative effects of treatment, and must be maintained and protected. The authors believe that clinical and research approaches have each contributed to the development of psychoanalysis and that both need to be used.

Freud considered 'the psychoanalytic mode of thought' to be an instrument of research. In 'Totem and Taboo', he demonstrated his mode of thinking by applying it to the data of contemporary studies of totemism. While taking the reader along the paths of his selection and weighing of information, he also applied clinical discoveries about mental life in reconstructing 'primitive psychological situations' in the distant past. In the technical papers that appeared concurrently with his book, he applied to the clinical situation the ideas on transference, narcissism, primitive mental mechanisms and unconscious communication that he had explored in 'Totem and Taboo'. In this paper, the author presents material showing the structure of Freud's exposition as a model of analytic exploration. Some of the principles of mental organisation mentioned by Freud are discussed. Examples are given of the close parallels between 'Totem and Taboo' and two technical papers. The author suggests that 'Totem and Taboo' is an important step in Freud's development of his theory of object relations and his ideas about the intersubjectivity of unconscious mental life.

Psychoanalysis has insecure foundations. Many of its core theories and therapeutic principles are contested from both within and without the discipline. While it often has little difficulty embracing new ideas it has terrible trouble rejecting old ones. Typically those within the discipline have dealt with this situation by destructive rationalisation, denial, splitting and idealization. Foremost is the tendency to multiply schools and paradigms and to rely on rhetoric and argument by authority. It is argued that to counter such inevitably destructive processes we need to find a way of improving constructive engagement with each other and to achieve a discipline that can grow on the secure foundations of gradually accumulating knowledge. Giving examples, the author describes the ongoing development of a methodology for evaluating psychoanalytic papers according to a common standard. It is proposed that it is possible to conduct reasoned international and cross-cultural peer review. This means that we can in principle evaluate and reach agreement as to the merit of psychoanalytic papers even though their authors may have backgrounds in profoundly different local style and local traditions of argument. Moreover, it is suggested, this can be done without creating the monster of an internationally homogenised style that would numb creativity and original thought.

This article examines Talcott Parsons's efforts at building the theory of personality system as a special case of his general theory of action and places those efforts in historical context. I demonstrate how, during the middle decades of the twentieth century, Parsons employed elements of classic Freudian thought to advance a new appreciation of the personality system and its relations to other action systems. I begin with an overview of the reception of psychoanalysis at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, the Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Harvard Department of Social Relations, showing how Parsons's thinking on the personality system cannot be understood apart from his association with these three institutions. I then turn to how Parsons endeavored to integrate his particular brand of sociology with his own interpretation of Freud's writings to explain how the personality system functions and develops. I conclude by showing that while Parsons's involvements with psychoanalysis became more intermittent after the mid-1950s, to the end of his life he remained steadfast in his enthusiasm for Freud's theory of personality. In short, Parsons always believed that for sociological theory to progress, it needed to engage with psychoanalysis., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)