Der Gegenübertragungstraum – oder: Das Ping-Pong-Spiel der beiderseitigen Unbewussten

In einem Brief an Freud hatte Lou Andreas-Salomé wegen des ihr unverständlichen Stillstands einer Analyse um Rat gefragt. Freud antwortete: >>Was man nicht deklinieren kann, das sehe man als - Übertragung an<< (Freud und Andreas-Salomé, 1966/1980, S.  133, Brief vom 23.3.1923). Er variiert damit die alte Grammatikregel: Was man nicht deklinieren kann, das sehe man als ein Neutrum an. Es handelt sich um keine feste grammatische Gesetzmäßigkeit wie >>Alle Substantiva mit der Endung -um sind Neutra<<, sondern um eine mehr pragmatische Regel zum Einsortieren. Diese Äußerung mag belegen, wie Freud die Übertragung auffasste: nicht als etwas faktisch Gegebenes, sondern als etwas zu Unterstellendes und - vor allem modischen Konstruktivismus - in der Analyse zu >>Konstruierendes<< (vgl. Freud, 1937d). Es ist nützlich, sich immer wieder Stellen wie diese in Freuds Schriften vor Augen zu halten, um nicht dem verbreiteten trügerischen Begriffsrealismus zu verfallen: Wenn es das Wort gibt (Übertragung, Ödipuskomplex oder was auch immer), dann gibt es auch den damit bezeichneten Sachverhalt

Navigating the relational psychic economy of disability: The case of M

This paper presents a theoretically-informed psychosocial analysis of the case of M, a physically disabled man from South Africa. We use M’s account as a platform from which to consider projection, melancholic suspension and grief, as these are played out in the negotiation of dependency in relationships for disabled people. Making use of a case study methodology, we examine the various strategies through which M manages those disability stereotypes which are ascribed to him, creating a picture of how ident ity is negotiated in the face of interpersonal dependency as well as disablist prejudice. A central proposition is that, for M, upholding relationships which bring much - needed assistance means caring for the emotional lives of his carers, in a manner which leaves him more vulnerable to internalizing identity insults, and less able to resist his own oppression. Employing a psychoanalytic frame, we suggest that the ‘melancholic suspension’ which some disabled people may be subject to, may lead to the necessity to ‘take on’ certain projections, in the process of accessing much-needed care. As shall be seen, M maneuvers creatively through this relational realm by engaging in trade-offs between positive identity and physical need, employing strategies which include self-deprecation, the performance of mastery, playing with gender, and humor. With these and other techniques, he navigates the relational and psychic economy of his dependency

A Racist Attack Managing Complex Relationships with Traumatised Service Users – a Psychodynamic Approach

Notions of whiteness, white supremacy and racial hatred such as the recent multiple racist murders by a white supremacist in New Zealand are at the forefront of public consciousness. How does whiteness and racism play out in a clinical and social welfare context? This article illustrates the impact of trauma on a vulnerable young white woman who although was not the direct target of a racist assault was left traumatized by witnessing it. It discusses how initially she sought refuge in a racist solution synonymous with a psychic retreat to her own detriment. Working with such complex, unconscious and bewildering dynamics are extremely challenging for clinicians. It describes the impact of these dynamics on a clinician of colour who attempted to work with this young woman in a child and adolescent mental health service after the family were referred as a consequence of her assaulting her child shortly after witnessing the racist attack. The unconscious responses to trauma and challenges for clinicians and clinician of colour in particular when working with racism in the consulting room are also discussed

Paradox in the pursuit of a critical theorization of the development of self in family relationships

This article starts with my dissatisfaction with the post-structuralist treatment of the production of subjectivity within regulatory discourses and practices due to its neglect of psychological processes. Taking starting points from within the history set out in the previous article, it highlights the paradox for critical psychologists like myself involved in both applying a post-structuralist critique to 'psy' discourses and trying to theorize subjectivity in a way that goes beyond the dualism of individual and society, of psychology and sociology. The relational, or intersubjective, approach to self that originates in object relations psychoanalysis as it emerged in the mid-20th-century UK is central to both of these activities; object of the former and resource for the latter. I explore the paradox that this creates for critical psychology, both epistemological and ontological. In aiming to provide a psycho-social account of self in family relationships, I deploy the radical conceptualisation of intersubjectivity initiated in British object relations theory as a way of going beyond both the individualized self and the neglect of psychological processes in constructionist theorizing subjectivity

Supervising Mental Health Clinicians in The Context of Complex Organisational Dynamics

This article discusses the complex dynamics and challenges of providing supervision to mental health clinicians working within an organisational context when the supervisor is not part of the organisation and has no formal managerial or accountability responsibility. It considers two models of supervision and their application to three supervisory relationships in an organisational context. It concludes that for supervision to be effective there needs to be a consideration of the social defences in operation within the organisation and how they are met by the anxieties and defences of the supervisor and supervisee. This requires a mixed approach by the supervisor of the technical with the inter-subjective as a reliance on one model of supervision risks limiting the effectiveness of the intervention. The role of the supervisor can enable the supervisee to establish a clinical framework and the necessary environment essentials for their practice