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Organizations on the Couch, edited by Kets de Vries, comprises 16 original essays by a group of management specialists from several countries—about half of them are also psychoanalysts—on issues related to the use of psychoanalytic frameworks in the study of organization, organizational behavior, and organizational culture. The purpose of this volume, as explained by Manfred Kets de Vries in the “introduction,” is to introduce readers to a clinical approach to consulting that takes into account phenomena such as: the role of irrationality and emotions; the impact of unconscious wishes, needs, and conflicts; the use of psychic processes like transference, identification, projection, and projective identification; modes of psychic adaptation (such as boundary maintenance and splitting), to cope with libidinal and aggressive drives; and the use of individual and collective defenses against stress and anxiety in the work sphere.
This book is primarily directed toward managers and consultants in an attempt to show that the traditional study of organizations and the role of consultant are incomplete, without looking at the “hidden” (unconscious) side of organizational life. The book provides a clinical paradigm for applying psychoanalysis to management by presenting examples of how psychoanalytic frameworks—including Freudian, object relations, self psychology, Bion's theories of group process, and developmental theories—can be used to study and intervene in organizations. Incorporated throughout are discussions about the value and limitations of utilizing clinical techniques in consulting.
In order to understand the essays of the book it is important to stress the theoretical assumptions that they are based on. First, most authors assume that it is possible to draw parallels between the dynamics of family life and organizational systems. Second, there is a parallel between therapist-patient relationships and organizational consultant-client relationships. What is argued is