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The role of support in psychoanalysis
F de Jonghe1, P Rijnierse, R Janssen
1University of Amsterdam, Academic Medical Centre.
Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association
|January 1, 1992
Summary
A two-factor theory of clinical psychoanalysis highlights interpretation and insight, alongside the crucial, often nonverbal, support and experience provided by the analyst. This silent factor is vital for effective psychoanalytic treatment.
Area of Science:
- Psychoanalysis
- Psychotherapy Research
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- The structural-adaptational approach in psychoanalysis emphasizes interpretation and insight.
- A growing awareness suggests these factors alone do not explain all treatment outcomes.
- A second, often overlooked, factor is increasingly recognized.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a two-factor theory of clinical psychoanalysis.
- To highlight the significance of the support-experience factor in psychoanalytic treatment.
- To address the gap between theoretical advances and therapeutic practice.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical proposal of a two-factor model.
- Emphasis on the developmental (postclassical) approach.
- Analysis of the role of nonverbal communication in psychoanalysis.
Main Results:
- Interpretation and insight are primary factors in psychoanalysis.
- Adequate analyst support creates a significant analysand experience.
- The support-experience factor is crucial for treating ordinary neurosis.
Conclusions:
- Psychoanalysis involves both interpretation/insight and analyst support/experience.
- The nonverbal support-experience factor is a powerful, yet often silent, component of treatment.
- Integrating theoretical advances in mental development into therapeutic practice requires acknowledging this silent factor.