Introduction

June Bernstein's gaze directed at modern psychoanalytic thinking, writing, and teaching has been penetrating and her reflections on and reconsiderations of some of the central concepts of our theory of technique have been clarifying. And so, equally, have been her open-minded, evenhanded reports on the thinking of other contemporary practitioners and theorists who have paid particular attention to the narcissistic disorders.

The papers draw on a wide range of modern and classical ideas. “There's No Such Thing As a Mother” describes Meadow's drive theory, which focuses on the patient's unconscious rather than on the influence of the mother. “Psychic Truth and the Bible” takes note of the parallels between the account of creation found in Genesis and an infant's developmental sequences, and finds that the wish to be worshipped to the exclusion of all others motivates man as well as God. “Magic in the Analysis” demonstrates the sometimes uncanny effect of analytic work.

Other papers focus on the use of modern analytic techniques and their theoretical underpinnings. These include “An Approach to the Management of Treatment Impasses,” which illustrates the use of emotional communication; “Current Trends in the Treatment Of Narcissism,” which succinctly compares the theories and techniques of Kohut, Kernberg, and Spotnitz; and “Using the Countertransference Resistance,” which demonstrates how the therapist's subjective countertransference can lead to productive investigation. A paper on research shows how