Remembering Leo Rangell

Leo Rangell: The great Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute had only two new candidates. The fact that there are few candidates in many institutes is not an accident. That is our current state. The onus for the current status does not lie in either the public disillusioned with psychoanalysis or that the theory has been found to be deficient, but precisely the phenomenon of “transference to theory.” The differentiation between psychoanalysts is based on passionate and heartfelt and intense feelings of difference. Psychoanalysts are at war with each other and are killing psychoanalysis! The movie Love Story has a phrase, “never having to say you are sorry.” To me the phrase reflects a relationship where a person who has deserted a relationship wishes to return, but does not feel there is a need to say he is sorry. This separation has caused irreparable harm, but such a person does not wish to acknowledge it or see that he or she has wrecked the relationship. It is very instructive in describing such a situation and characterizing the dynamics of psychoanalytic splits.

Bhaskar Sripada: What do you think of the development of Kohut's self psychology or the split it caused?

L.R.: I appreciate Kohut's specific contributions, but object to his alternate self theory. Kohut's first theory of narcissism was within the framework of psychoanalysis as a special aspect of drive. I subscribe to that view. In the second phase, Kohut extended the scope of narcissism beyond the implications of his original theory. In this phase, he went on to describe two separate lines of development: an object-related aspect of development that was sexual and aggressive and a narcissistic line of development related to the self. Well, a separate, narcissistic line of development could still be part of general psychoanalytic theory, even though I do not agree with it. In the third phase, Kohut postulated that narcissism is superordinate. Now the drives, sexuality, and aggression are secondary and are fragmentation products of narcissism. Here Kohut's theory becomes an alternate theory. It is here that I reject it.

I knew Kohut through all his phases. You know he was secretary of the American Psychoanalytic Association when I was its president. He was vice president of the IPA and then I became president when he thought he would, but didn't. It was a very crucial event in 1969 in Rome, after which Kohut became a Kohutian. He was not a Kohutian, although his name was Kohut, until 1970. Anna Freud and he were working together to get him elected president of the IPA. In '69 he lost the election for president. He would never, never, never have changed his theory if he were president. But when he lost the election and I won, he became a Kohutian. I am sure he agonized as he created an alternate theory. You don't live more than one life. A lifetime is too quickly over.

You sent me a pre-presentation paper “Whither the Psychoanalytic Method?” by [Michael Franz] Basch. Here, Basch says that Kohut “made it possible to adhere to Freud's clinical method in the interest of transference analysis.” Basch asserts “psychoanalytic [Freudian?] method, as a tool for research and therapy, is not in need of alteration.” This paper recognizes the wide scope of Freud's ideas. It seems to reflect a turn away from self psychology as an alternate theory and a turn towards the direction of a return by self psychology to some variation of psychoanalysis proper.

B.S.: Why don't you rejoice more in the return of a prodigal analyst? You seem to be first asking for an apology.

L.R.: I do recognize that analysts who contributed to alternate theories have returned to the mainstream. We should not confuse the analyst who has never left the original psychoanalytic fold with the analyst who has formed an alternate school and now returns or wants to return to the psychoanalytic fold. Psychoanalysis is not the study of the self alone; psychoanalysis is not the study of relationships alone. Psychoanalysis never was and can never be complete. It is always in the state of being accumulated. Psychoanalysis needs good leaders. Psychoanalysts must retain their integrity and not seek to acquire a few loyal disciples around some new alternate theory. There are many, many good people who are on the sidelines who have given up the fight. To win they should not give up the fight, I'm still screaming too much. I'm too old to be screaming like this! Generations of analysts hand over the baton to each other and to the next generation of analysts. The time of my generation of analysts is coming to an end. I now hand it to you and the rest of the analysts to carry on the responsibility of furthering psychoanalysis. There is a lot of pain and joy to be had in working as a psychoanalyst.