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It is heartwarming to be able to immerse myself in such enriching articles that contribute to psychoanalysis’ much-needed and growing emphasis, on being able to understand, expand, and articulate the process of analytic supervision. I am especially pleased to find that these articles cover collectively what are, for me, the central core issues that require further exploration: a conceptual framework of education; the relationship between theory and practice of psychoanalysis and supervision; relating candidate learning objectives to goals of supervision; and the how-to of practice, and, very important, research.
The analytic model based on the wise elders’ stance of, I know, I teach, you learn, has prevailed now for too long. This collection of articles has certainly helped to lead readers away from what has essentially been, a deterministic, ordered, and knowing framework, toward I inspire, stimulate, influence; you learn, essentially a postmodern view, where immediacy, ambiguity, and doubt are valued.
I begin with Gábor Szőnyi’s article. Without offering his direct opinion, Szőnyi describes the Budapest model of supervision, where the analyst provides a dual function of analyst and supervisor. He points out that this practice of the analysts’ dual roles continued until after WWII, when the Hungarian Society joined the International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA) and, thereby, (with reluctance) were obliged to abide by their standards of separate roles for analysis and supervision.
There is nothing like a Ferenczian-type controversy to awaken our thinking about theory and practice of supervision. It was Gregory Bateson who stated, “Information is a difference” (Bateson, 1972). Without a continual flow of new information and ideas, we are destined to remain stagnant and soon become outmoded!
Szőnyi describes variations on this theme, such as initiating supervision during the termination phase, using one of three sessions per week, and conducting on the couch versus fa