(1988). International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, 69:283-296 Freud's 'Analysis terminable and interminable', written in 1937, still presents us with a fundamental challenge concerning our thinking about developmental continuity and change. Can an increased knowledge of innate and motivational factors from infancy help us in our dilemmas about the therapeutic efficacy of psychoanalysis? Part I of this essay began our attempts to answer this question by presenting some theoretical propositions resulting from recent findings in developmental biology and infant observation. I would now like to summarize some diverse propositions from psychoanalytic theorizing. These are rooted in some of Freud's thinking, but they also reflect radical changes in the clinical and scientific world since Freud. I believe these propositions can enlighten our discussion because of a number of advantages. First, they are less abstract than the propositions of Freud's metapsychology and are more easily related to observable phenomena. Second, they may help us [This is a summary or excerpt from the full text of the book or article. The full text of the document is available to subscribers.] |
