Recent developments in psychoanalytic technique: a review

This article provides an update on recent trends in psychoanalytic theory, particularly the theory of technique. It discusses several trends that have coalesced into a major shift in emphasis. Psychoanalysis is moving to embrace a two-person psychology, focused on the relations between patient and analyst. In this new perspective the analyst is no longer seen as an objective observer, even potentially free from unconscious influences. These trends are discussed in terms of their origins in analytic experience, contemporary science, and philosophy. The struggle within psychoanalysis to deal with these new views is examined, and some implications for the practice of psychotherapy are offered.