The self invented personality? Reflections on authenticity and writing analytic papers

Area of Science:

• Literary Studies
• Psychoanalysis
• Psychology

Background:

• American literature often features self-invented personalities, a narrative technique explored by authors like Fitzgerald and Roth.
• Novels frequently tackle life problems by examining the process of writing about them, as seen in Tobias Wolff's 'Old School'.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the similarities between the creative process of writing and becoming a writer, and the process of writing about and becoming an analyst.
• To discuss key issues such as authenticity, fiction, art, identification, the super-ego, supervision, professional integrity, envy, and trust within these contexts.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of literary and psychoanalytic writing processes.
• Discussion of concepts including authenticity, fiction, art, identification, super-ego, supervision, and professional integrity.
• Engagement with existing scholarship on professional communication, the internal world, and internal objects.

Main Results:

• The creative process of becoming a writer shares significant parallels with the process of writing about and becoming an analyst.
• Issues of authenticity, identification, and professional integrity are central to both literary creation and psychoanalytic practice.
• The study highlights the complex relationship between internal worlds, professional conduct, and the mysteriousness of our connection to internal objects.

Conclusions:

• The exploration of the self-invented personality in literature offers insights into the construction of identity in psychoanalytic practice.
• Understanding the creative process in writing can illuminate the developmental journey of becoming an analyst.
• Addressing issues of trust, regulation, and professional communication is crucial for maintaining the integrity of both fields.