In this article, the professional activity of the psychoanalyst is discussed as a crucial feature of his/her working identity. Following an outline of the problems posed by the concept of identity, the author sketches a theory of socialization and professionalism in which the activity of the psychoanalyst is seen as being subject to requirements and forces pulling in two different directions. On the one hand, the psychoanalytic process is an exercise in relation-building, geared to the repetition of primary socialization experience; on the other, it is an exercise in the application of scientific rules. The author discusses the consequences of this dialectic for the analytic situation and the professional organization of psychoanalytic activity.