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In this scholarly volume, composed under the aegis of the William Alanson White Psychoanalytic Society, there is a unique convergence and integration of the intrapsychic, or classical, and interpersonal field orientations in psychoanalytic theory. Although most of the 17 contributors are distinguished for their publications in journals representing the interpersonal orientation, the classical viewpoint, at least with regard to countertransference, is well and fairly summarized. Very complete, if somewhat redundant, bibliographies accompany each chapter.
The editors begin with an historical introduction of the two themes of countertransference, analytic hindrance versus analytic help. Relevant works of Freud, Racker, Winnicott, Heimann, Little, Fromm-Reichmann, Cohen and Tauber are thoroughly reviewed. The predominant view in most of the chapters develops the concept of the analyst's intense emotional reactions to borderline patients (from Kernberg) and psychotic patients (Searles) as a tool for help and understanding for all of his patients and personally for the analyst. The continuity of self-analysis is an omnipresent premise.
The phenomenology of countertransference is explored in the initial nine chapters. The analyst's attitude toward his own feelings of greed, jealousy, hatred, cynicism, boredom, guilt, despair and other ignoble affects experienced toward his patient are thoroughly discussed. Attitudes toward the gentler aspects of psoitive countertransference are treated somewhat less thoroughly. A wise caveat by Tauber (p. 68) should precede this entire volume: “What we are discussing here is not for a beginner's manual — it is a subject for serious mature colleagues who apply judgment and wisdom to their task and who are not involved in unconscionable, self-seeking tactics.” Thus, he warns against the youthful passions of therapeutic zeal — “specious dedication” — and the extremes of wild analysis. Some of the varied theoretical positions in this book will p