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The Second International Conference on Karen Horney's Psychoanalysis was organized around two themes: theory and clinical applications. This derives from a methodological and practical need that nevertheless refers us to what we often hear in different ways and in different contexts about our profession, that is, that theory should never be separated from clinical practice. Indeed this separation does happen often enough, and it is more frequently that we find clinical practice sacrificed to metapsychology than the other way around. Because of my association with myths from very early in my career, and because of the great interest I have always had for mythology, I am compelled to quote from a story in the Bible.
This is the story of a couple of twins, Esau and Jacob. Esau was born first and was accordingly chosen by his father to be his heir as his people's guide to the kingdom of Israel. Jacob, the second born, first buys the primogeniture from his starving brother in exchange for the famous plate of lentils, then, urged by his mother, presents himself to his old father—now blind—as Esau and receives in inheritance the Kingdom of Israel. When Isaac realizes that he has been tricked by his son, he is very sorry. As a consolation prize, he gives Esau the option of eventually breaking the chains’ of the yoke of his brother. As of this day Esau has not yet broken them: he is the Other, the rebel, the different one.
The rabbinic tradition justifies the bad actions of Jacob with some very convincing arguments: In the first place, Jacob, born second and attached to Esau's heels, would logically be the first born, because when you put two pearls into a narrow bottle, the first to come out is in fact the second to have been put in. Second, Jacob was born circumscribed, and this is a characteristic of the great prophets. Additionally, Jacob was assisted in being born by Michael, Esau by Samuel, a synonym for Satan. Finally, Jacob was in fact obeying his mother. In spite of a