Advances in Relational Psychotherapy

You Must Remember This

The question of a theory of analytic change is approached in this talk through a consideration of analytic impasse. This phenomenon is considered in the light of the analyst’s character formation, the relation of analytic vocations to early attachment, and object ties in the analyst leading to problems with omnipotence. Impasse, Adrienne Harris suggests, is tied to various processes and defenses that shape and contribute to the analyst’s countertransference. Analytic change is considered here in the context of theories of nonlinear development, models of speech practice, and mutative action, explored here through case material and biographical detail.