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Annastina Rilton (Stockholm), the Chairman, introduced the discussion by one or two brief remarks on the main papers by Pearl King (this issue) and David Liberman (this issue). From the floor León Grinberg (Buenos Aires) expressed his admiration for the quality of both papers and recalled Racker's contribution in connexion with Miss King's remarks on countertransference as a technical instrument. Grinberg pointed out that besides projective identification, there is always the possibility that the patient may interfere with the analyst's basic conflicts. Thus the analyst may have difficulties in controlling his counter-identification processes. When Miss King refers to the defence mechanism of identification with the aggressor, other aspects should also be taken into account, in particular those connected with the origin (predominantly external or internal) of the projected object. For example, when a mother is not sufficiently receptive (in Winnicott's terms), she will fail to understand her child by her normal projective mechanisms. Grinberg elaborated on the theme of the way the countertransference can be affected by the patient.
Isidoro Berenstein (Buenos Aires) commented that it was necessary to add to what has been said, the importance of the effect of the object on the developing ego of the child. The idea of the 'disturbed mother' has to be more finely differentiated, and in this it is necessary to understand that the child needs help in order to survive. Both mother and child have the option of accepting or rejecting what is offered, and the mother must not only do things for the child but must also indicate what she is doing. This has technical implications in regard to the formulation of each interpretation.
Pearl King replied that she very much appreciated Racker's contributions to the subject of countertransference. It is possible to differentiate between empathy (two persons putting their feelings in 'tune') and projective identification (a defe