Some Stakes of the Psychoanalytic Process
Ferrant, Alain
Some Stakes of the Psychoanalytic Process - 2008.
93
The author explores the stakes and conditions of possibility of the helping relationship within the psychoanalytic setting. First of all, he underlines the mistrust of the psychoanalysts regarding the helping relationship. On the one hand, it can be diverted for the benefit of the “helper” narcissism. On the other hand, the helping relationship can be the result of a return process and feeds destructiveness. Therefore, the helping relationship can implicitly build the feature of an ascendancy tie, of a power if not a tyranny. Still, do we have to condemn such a relationship to the repetition of the narcissistic triumph, of the contraband sadism and of the soft ascendency? Freud’s formulation about the psychoanalytic works – the recovery (the cure) comes “in addition” – can be a guide. The helping relationship can be considered as a result. But a result or a consequence of what? The author argues that any help relationship is fundamentally linked to the work of helping the other to help him/herself. A model of such a relationship is proposed, based upon the three times (or stages) of the famous bobbin game, commented upon by Freud in “Beyond the pleasure principle” (1920). From the transference/counter-transference games, the author shows how the psychoanalytic setting is a priori building such a kind of help relationship and how it can be subverted in certain contexts.
Some Stakes of the Psychoanalytic Process - 2008.
93
The author explores the stakes and conditions of possibility of the helping relationship within the psychoanalytic setting. First of all, he underlines the mistrust of the psychoanalysts regarding the helping relationship. On the one hand, it can be diverted for the benefit of the “helper” narcissism. On the other hand, the helping relationship can be the result of a return process and feeds destructiveness. Therefore, the helping relationship can implicitly build the feature of an ascendancy tie, of a power if not a tyranny. Still, do we have to condemn such a relationship to the repetition of the narcissistic triumph, of the contraband sadism and of the soft ascendency? Freud’s formulation about the psychoanalytic works – the recovery (the cure) comes “in addition” – can be a guide. The helping relationship can be considered as a result. But a result or a consequence of what? The author argues that any help relationship is fundamentally linked to the work of helping the other to help him/herself. A model of such a relationship is proposed, based upon the three times (or stages) of the famous bobbin game, commented upon by Freud in “Beyond the pleasure principle” (1920). From the transference/counter-transference games, the author shows how the psychoanalytic setting is a priori building such a kind of help relationship and how it can be subverted in certain contexts.
Réseaux sociaux