Various aspects of the analyst's mental state at work are considered that involve his own personal and professional identity. Areas of thought and experience are identified that confront the analyst with the possibility of expressing emotional openings or closures. A psychoanalyst's commitment tends to configure and to realize «an everyday audacity». The meaning and content of this «daily audacity», a term and a theme originally proposed by Danielle Quinodoz, are articulated and briefly developed.

KEY WORDS: Analyst's mental state, analyst's sense of identity, breadth of experience, emotional closures, emotional freedom, emotional openings, Super-ego, to face, to avoid.