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The concept of symmetry in the analytic situation derives from the fact that this relationship is constituted by a couple. Just as for Winnicott there is no such thing as a baby but only a mother-baby couple, there is no such thing as a patient outside of the therapist-patient couple, or, in the case of the analytic relationship, analyst-analysand.
From another point of view, congruous with the above, Horney says:
Since the relation to others and the attitude toward the self cannot be separated from one another, the contention, occasionally to be found in psychiatric publications, that one or the other of these is the most important factor in theory and practice, is not tenable. (Horney, 1945, p. 47)
The concept of the couple or dyad has an extremely general nature. It can be limited to a purely phenomenological-descriptive level but it can also be conceived methodologically. The description of only one of the members of the couple is necessarily incomplete, while the description of both members cannot be superimposed. At the same time, neither element of the couple can be simply defined as the negation of the other.
These definitions fall more within the realm of philosophy and, although I do not intend to venture further into this field, it seems appropriate to borrow its terms. This allows us to define the analytic couple as one to which the concepts of symmetry, resemblance, complementarity, reciprocity, and contiguity can be attributed. With these concepts in the background, it is then possible to state that the extent to which an analysis is symmetrical or asymmetrical depends largely on the personality of the analyst, as well as on his theoretical frame of reference.
I must first specify that I have deliberately left aside the important contribution of the studies about the pragmatics of human communication. Including it would orient our discussion toward that specific point of view. It is enough to remember that symmetry and complementarity are defined as two bas