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STEIN'S ARTICLE is a superb piece of applied psychoanalysis. She demonstrates the power of psychoanalytic theory to understand individuals not likely to be seen in the consulting room. By using concepts of dissociated trauma, enactment, symbiotic fusion, engulfment, annihilation anxiety, and reparation, Stein provides a rich and compelling explanation for the motivations of two men who committed sexual murder. She succeeds in making the perpetrators' horrific acts psychologically meaningful, which is an impressive accomplishment.
Equally notable is that Stein's analysis goes far deeper than prevailing theories in the forensic and criminology literature. These theories emphasize paraphilic or sexually deviant fantasies as a cognitive rehearsal for violent crimes, but fail to explain why certain individuals with these fantasies act them out and others do not, or how and why these fantasies emerge and gain psychic prominence in the first place. Stein's method is based on inferring “meaning and agency” through analyzing the perpetrators' words and deeds. There are limitations, of course, to a method not based on data obtained in person. Whereas in-depth evaluations and/or treatment of Justus and Plethory could yield data that would more solidly anchor her hypotheses, Stein's analysis is well-reasoned and highly credible, and skillfully integrates the contributions of seminal writers, including Bromberg, Gilligan, Grand, Lewis, Lifton, Ogden, Searles, Stern, and Stoller. For me, what enhances its credibility is its consistency with my experience evaluating incarcerated sexual offenders' readiness for release from prison and my work in the treatment of adolescent sexual offenders, which I elaborate upon shortly.
It would be easy for most psychoanalysts to dismiss the relevance of Stein's article for their practices, because they do not work with violent individuals. Along with her earlier pieces in this journal (2001, 2003), however, I think this article is relevant to psyc