Training Analysis: A Historical View

L’analisi didattica: una prospettiva storicaRiassunto: Il carattere obbligatorio dell’analisi didattica, ossia l’analisi personale cui ogni candidato a diventare psicoanalista deve sottoporsi, era una pratica vigente presso tutte le istituzioni psicoanalitiche già al tempo di Freud. E tuttavia, quel che all’inizio si era configurato come un’aggiunta non particolarmente gravosa all’addestramento analitico, si è poi trasformato in qualcosa di molto diverso. Le scuole psicoanalitiche hanno mostrato scarso impegno nello stabilire l’efficacia dell’analisi personale, mediante la promozione di studi empirici o semplicemente tramite un più dettagliato esame della sua legittimità teorica (questione che esula dalla necessità della sua completezza, costantemente rimarcata), nonostante si tratti di una pratica che richiede centinaia di ore di analisi e un ingente esborso di danaro per il candidato analista. La grande resistenza versola messa in questione di questa pratica va di pari passo con la persistente circolazione di una serie di leggende sulle sue origini. Una dettagliata disamina storica offrirà del materiale interessante per proporre alcune considerazioni che mostrano come il costume di chiedere l’analisi didattica sia sostenuta da motivazioni di natura istituzionale piuttosto che da necessità teoriche o da evidenze empiriche.Parole chiave: Analisi didattica; Storia della psicoanalisi; Sigmund Freud; Carl Gustav Jung; Sandor Ferenczi. Abstract - The obligatory nature of training analysis, i.e. of the personal analysis of every candidate analyst, was adopted by all psychoanalytic institutes in Freud’s lifetime. But what had initially been a not particularly burdensome addition to training was subsequently transformed into something quite different. Years of analysis: hundreds of hours at vast expense to the candidate, in the face of a basic unconcern on the part of the schools about undertaking empirical studies or even just examining more closely the theoretical justification (apart from the constantly reasserted need for completeness) for such a commitment. The considerable resistance to questioning this practice goes hand in hand with the persistent circulation of a series of legends about its origin. An accurate historical review should offer interesting matter for consideration, showing how the custom of requiring training analysis is underpinned by reasons of an institutional nature rather than by theoretical necessity or empirical findings.Keywords: Training Analysis; History of Psychoanalysis; Sigmund Freud; Carl Gustav Jung; Sandor Ferenczi

Training Analysis: A Historical View

The obligatory nature of training analysis, i.e. of the personal analysis of every candidate analyst, was adopted by all psychoanalytic institutes in Freud’s lifetime. But what had initially been a not particularly burdensome addition to training was subsequently transformed into something quite different. Years of analysis: hundreds of hours at vast expense to the candidate, in the face of a basic unconcern on the part of the schools about undertaking empirical studies or even just examining more closely the theoretical justification (apart from the constantly reasserted need for completeness) for such a commitment. The considerable resistance to questioning this practice goes hand in hand with the persistent circulation of a series of legends about its origin. An accurate historical review should offer interesting matter for consideration, showing how the custom of requiring training analysis is underpinned by reasons of an institutional nature rather than by theoretical necessity or empirical findings

Lo specchio dell'ambivalenza: Wittgenstein e la psicoanalisi

Riassunto - Il rapporto tra Wittgenstein e Freud è stato oggetto di interesse da parte di diversi critici ed è stato variamente interpretato. Questo scritto prende spunto da un fatto apparentemente poco notato: l’atteggiamento di Wittgenstein verso la psicoanalisi risulta oltremodo ambivalente: viene evidenziato come tale circostanza costituisca una delle necessarie chiavi di lettura sia delle critiche, sia degli apprezzamenti verso Freud. Viene esaminato quanto delle critiche di Wittgenstein sia legittimamente indirizzato contro il pensiero freudiano e quanto sia frutto di una lettura fortemente idiosincratica. Viene anche evidenziato come tali critiche, anche quando legittime nei confronti di Freud, risultino superate dagli sviluppi post-freudiani della psicoanalisi. Viene infine esposta l’ipotesi che la psicoanalisi come tale, postulando l’esistenza dell’inconscio, sia incompatibile con una delle idee più radicate nel pensiero del secondo Wittgenstein: l’impossibilità del “linguaggio privato”.Parole-chiave: Wittgenstein; Freud; Epistemologia; Psicoanalisi; Filosofia della psicologia.  The Mirror of Ambivalence: Wittgenstein and PsychoanalysisAbstract - The relationship between Witt-genstein and Freud has intrigued many critics and has been interpreted in various ways. However,  few people have noted how Wittgenstein’s view of psychoanalysis is marked by deep ambivalence – a fact that cannot be overlooked in interpreting both his appreciation and criticism of Freud. This paper discusses how Wittgenstein’s arguments contra Freud, even where justifiable and not merely idiosyncratic, have been surpassed by the post-Freudian developments in psychoanalytic theory. Moreover, it is suggested that psychoanalysis itself, by  postulating the existence of the unconscious, is incompatible with one of the most deep-rooted ideas in the “second Wittgenstein” – that is, the impossibility of a “private language”.Keywords: Wittgenstein; Freud; Epistemology; Psychoanalysis; Philosophy of Psychology

Therapeutic Cycles and Referential Activity in the Analysis of the Therapeutic Process

The present study was designed to show the usefulness of a process analysis based on a joint use of two computerized methods – Mergenthaler’s Therapeutic Cycle Model (TCM) and Bucci’s Italian Weighted Referential Activity Dictionary (IWRAD). This analysis focused on the transcripts of six sessions from the first eight months of a three-year, face-to-face psychodynamic psychotherapy. Both qualitative and quantita-tive analyses were conducted. Results showed the presence of specific indicators of a good outcome, according to the two approaches, such as the patient’s ability to link re-flective processes and felt emotions, the occurrence of referential cycles, and the pres-ence of organized and coherent narratives

Maternal depression and attachment: the evaluation of mother–child interactions during feeding practice

Internal working models (IWMs) of attachment can moderate the effect of maternal depression on mother-child interactions and child development. Clinical depression pre-dating birthgiving has been found to predict incoherent and less sensitive caregiving. Dysfunctional patterns observed, included interactive modes linked to feeding behaviors which may interfere with hunger-satiation, biological rhythms, and the establishment of children's autonomy and individuation. Feeding interactions between depressed mothers and their children seem to be characterized by repetitive interactive failures: children refuse food through oppositional behavior or negativity. The aim of this study was to investigate parenting skills in the context of feeding in mothers with major depression from the point of view of attachment theory. This perspective emphasizes parents' emotion, relational and affective history and personal resources. The sample consisted of 60 mother-child dyads. Mothers were divided into two groups: 30 with Major Depression and 30 without disorders. Children's age ranged between 12 and 36 months The measures employed were the Adult Attachment Interview and the Scale for the Evaluation of Alimentary Interactions between Mothers and Children. Insecure attachment prevailed in mothers with major depression, with differences on the Subjective Experience and State of Mind Scales. Groups also differed in maternal sensitivity, degrees of interactive conflicts and negative affective states, all of which can hinder the development of adequate interactive patterns during feeding. The results suggest that IWMs can constitute an indicator for the evaluation of the relational quality of the dyad and that evaluations of dyadic interactions should be considered when programming interventions

Dropout from cognitive behavioural treatment in a case of bulimia nervosa: The role of the therapeutic alliance

Despite the refinement of the cognitive treatment for eating disorders, relatively high dropout rates represent a major problem for therapists and researchers. This study investigated the case of a patient with a diagnosis of bulimia nervosa, who dropped out of outpatient CBT after 28 weekly sessions. In addition to standard clinical outcome assessment, we examined how patient's psychological functioning and therapeutic alliance changed across sessions by applying observer-rating scales to the therapy transcripts. Although the patient reported some improvement at the six-month retest, observer ratings showed persistence of impaired functioning and frequent ruptures in the patient-therapist relationship throughout the treatment. We concluded that a thorough examination of the therapy process might help to understand the factors that lead to premature treatment termination

Motivational Areas Rating Scale: Sviluppo di un metodo di valutazione empirica delle psicoterapie

Concetta Pastorelli, Anna Maria Giannini, Caterina Arcidiacon

Lo specchio dell'ambivalenza. Wittgenstein e la psicoanalisi

The Mirror of Ambivalence: Wittgenstein and Psychoanalysis - The relationship between Witt-genstein and Freud has intrigued many critics and has been interpreted in various ways. However, few people have noted how Wittgenstein’s view of psychoanalysis is marked by deep ambivalence – a fact that cannot be overlooked in interpreting both his appreciation and criticism of Freud. This paper discusses how Wittgenstein’s arguments contra Freud, even where justifiable and not merely idiosyncratic, have been surpassed by the post-Freudian developments in psychoanalytic theory. Moreover, it is suggested that psychoanalysis itself, by postulating the existence of the unconscious, is incompatible with one of the most deep-rooted ideas in the “second Wittgenstein” – that is, the impossibility of a “private language”