Chapter 7. Rules

Introduction

Psychoanalytic rules have multiple functions, a fact that is a consequence of the tasks and goals of the psychoanalytic dialogue, as we have explained in Vol. 1 (Sect. 7.1). This is the reason that the corresponding chapter in Vol. 1 is focused on the thesis that the efficacy of each rule has to be proven for each and every patient. The rules are put to a test when the analyst pursues the question of whether the system of rules provides a given patient the best possible conditions for therapeutic change. The issue of the utility of rules is a good starting point for using them in a flexible manner, i. e., one in which they are applied in a manner appropriate to the individual patient, and for guiding the dialogue toward therapeutic goals. Since the rules are subordinate to the dialogue, we assign the latter a prime place in this chapter (Sect. 7.1).

Since the other chapters contain many examples of free association (Sect. 7.2), we restrict ourselves here to excerpts from the initial phases of therapy. The same is true of evenly suspended attention (Sect. 7.3); we describe its fluctuations retrospectively.

A flexible application of the counterquestion rule is possible within the system of rules if the analyst responds to the questions the patient inevitably asks instead of following the rule stereotypically. We criticized this stereotypical application in Vol. 1, and in Sect. 7.4 we give examples of a flexible application of this rule.

The study of metaphors and the changes they undergo in the psychoanalytic process is especially fertile. Since their significance in the language used in therapy can hardly be exaggerated, we cover the psychoanalytic aspects of metaphors in a separate section (Sect. 7.5.1). The linguistic examination of a psychoanalytic dialogue in Sect. 7.5.2 gives special consideration to metaphors and impressively demonstrates that scientists who come from other fields and study analytic texts independently are able to extend our kno