Theodore J. Jacobs on ‘On Countertransference Enactments’

Theodore J. Jacobs describes how he became convinced of the need to attend to the subtler aspects of countertransference enactments as useful sources of information about both analyst and patient. He argues that attention to these interactions is important not only to facilitate the analyst’s listening but also because they can provide useful information about the patient’s characteristic patterns of interaction. He reflects on the growing interest in countertransference both in the US and worldwide and stresses the need to temper this with awareness of the patient’s life and interests beyond the analytic relationship.