The discrete and the continuous in Freud's "remembering, repeating and working through"

Area of Science:

• Psychoanalytic theory and practice
• Psychodynamic psychology

Background:

• Freud's seminal work, "Remembering, Repeating and Working Through," presents a paradox in psychoanalytic thought.
• The text requires analysts to conceptualize the mind as both discrete entities and a continuous activity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the differential reception of two key passages in Freud's work.
• To explore the challenges in integrating the concept of mental continuity with discrete psychic events within psychoanalytic practice.

Main Methods:

• Close reading and conceptual analysis of Freud's "Remembering, Repeating and Working Through."
• Examination of the historical and practical absorption of Freudian concepts into psychoanalytic custom.

Main Results:

• The passage enabling the identification of discrete memories within continuous patient behavior was readily adopted.
• Conversely, the passage describing patients connecting discrete interpretations to their continuous experience of strain was often overlooked or simplified.

Conclusions:

• Psychoanalytic practice has historically favored conceptualizing discrete memories over the integration of interpretations into continuous subjective experience.
• A practical aversion exists towards fully engaging with the patient's continuous experience of strain, suggesting a need for revised clinical approaches.