Advances in Relational Psychotherapy

Whose Struggle? psychoanalyzis, social forces, and the clinical dilemma of self-knowledge

This presentation is an exploration of a particular theme in relational psychoanalyzis: who does the work. It is possible to think of the analyst as engaged in a struggle to grasp the patient’s internal life, Muriel Dimen argues. However, this struggle does not belong to the analyst. It belongs to the patient. Here, she does not mean that the analyst should not struggle. Rather, that the work of analysis is about patient’s relation to themselves. Insofar as it focuses on the analyst-patient relationship, it does so in order to foster the patient’s understanding of their inner life. Inevitably, this self-knowledge draws both analyst and patient into their social situations, their cultural constructions of themselves, and the distribution of power within and outside the consulting room. These ideas are illustrated by two engaging case studies.