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Safety, danger, and the analyst's authority

S T Levy1, L B Inderbitzin

  • 1Emory University Psychoanalytic Institute, Emory University Medical School, USA.

Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association
|January 1, 1997
PubMed
Summary
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This study challenges the assumption that psychoanalytic settings are inherently safe, arguing that this "illusion of safety" hinders therapeutic progress. Examining danger and aggression is crucial for genuine insight and mastery in psychoanalysis.

Area of Science:

  • Psychoanalytic theory
  • Clinical psychology
  • Psychotherapy research

Background:

  • Traditional psychoanalytic thought presumes the therapeutic setting is safe, fostering self-disclosure and change.
  • This presumption often goes unquestioned, overlooking potential risks and complexities within the analytic relationship.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically examine the concepts of safety and danger in the psychoanalytic situation.
  • To challenge the uncritical acceptance of the "illusion of safety" and its therapeutic utility.
  • To explore how this illusion impacts the analysis of aggression and transference.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis of psychoanalytic theory and clinical practice.
  • Examination of the role of perceived safety in therapeutic outcomes.

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  • Exploration of the analyst's and analysand's experiences of aggression and vulnerability.

    • Main Results:

    • The "illusion of safety" can impede the full expression of transference and the analysis of aggression.
    • This illusion may stem from a desire to protect the analyst from the analysand's aggressive potential.
    • Challenging the illusion of safety allows for the exploration and mastery of inherent psychological and biological vulnerabilities.

    Conclusions:

    • Viewing the psychoanalytic situation as neither inherently safe nor dangerous offers a more therapeutically viable perspective.
    • Addressing the illusion of safety is essential for deeper therapeutic work, including the analysis of aggression.
    • Contemporary shifts in understanding analyst authority may inadvertently reinforce the illusion of safety, hindering exploration of real dangers.