["Mother" and "father" in psychoanalytic case vignettes. On some latent rules in the discourse of psychoanalysis]

Proceeding from the conviction that there is a collective gender-specific unconscious within the community of psychoanalysts which determines latent rules operative in psychoanalytic discourse, the authors have conducted a research project extending over a number of years and systematically examining case descriptions in psychoanalytic journals to see to what extent those latent gender-specific rules are in fact observed in such publications. The project examines the way in which male and female analysts employ the terms "mother" and "father" in these publications and also the frequency and connotations of concepts related to "mother" and "father". Significant differences between male and female analysts become apparent, substantiating the assumption of a collective gender-specific unconscious. The authors conclude that this unconscious finds its way into psychoanalytic therapy, leading to unconscious counter-transference reactions that are acted out rather than worked on.