Meeting of the Psychoanalytic Institute of New England, East

DISCUSSION: Dr. Samuel Silverman noted that Fenichel, in his 1941 monograph, Problems of Psychoanalytic Technique, made four points relevant to these issues. (1) Fenichel referred to the misunderstanding of the phrase "the analyst as a mirror" and commented on differences between analysts in their influence on the patient's behavior. (2) He mentioned that Grete Bibring had noted that the sex of the analyst could be a decisive factor for some patients and not for others. (3) He commented on the analyst's feelings of countertransference, suggesting that if the countertransference is primarily of a libidinal nature, it is less troublesome than if it is of narcissistic origin or a defense against anxiety. (4) He wondered how the patient could be protected—i.e., how good was the analyst's own analysis?—and stressed the importance of honesty and integrity as well as the humanness of the analyst. Not only did Fenichel speak of the analyst's own conflicts; he also brought in the concept of reality, i.e., the idea of beginning at the surface and working toward more depth. Fenichel felt that the behavior of the analyst should not be stilted, and he advocated using examples from real life. Dr. Sheldon Roth recalled that Fenichel had talked of countertransference in terms of neutrality in several places. Dr. Robert Kenerson mentioned other contributors to the history of the concept of countertransference, e.g., James T. McLaughlin in his papers, "The Sleep Analyst" and "Transference of the Analyst," in which he suggested a change in the term "countertransference." The problem, Dr. Kenerson felt, lies in the dual role of the analyst as gratifying and frustrating. Dr. Alexandra Rolde raised the question of confusion between the concept of countertransference and neutrality. Dr. Hoffer felt that neutrality includes countertransference but also encompasses the analyst's concept of the goals of psychoanalysis and how they are to be achieved. Dr. Arthur Valenstein commen