The reconstruction of childhood in psychoanalysis

Reconstructions are defined as genetic propositions showing not only what happened to the individual in childhood, but also how he adopted his particular solutions to conflict situations in the past and how he continues to be guided today by that experience of the past. The relative neglect of environmental failures in psychoanalysis is traced to Freud's shift from physical to psychic reality, although the gains from this shift are acknowledged. The discussion of fantasy and historical fact proceeds to an examination of the case for and the case against the use of reconstructions, and the nature of memory in psychoanalysis. A clinical illustration leads to a synthesis of the conflicting views, emphasizing that both the analyst and the patient need to remain in touch with the past, the current life, and the transference relationship. The paper is concluded with the views of modern historians.