Intimacy has rarely been discussed in the psychoanalytic literature, although clinicians recognize that problems with intimacy are universal. In this article, intimacy is defined, and the sociocultural factors that serve as obstacles to intimate relatedness are discussed. Closely examined are the intrapsychic conflicts that inhibit the development of intimacy, such as a fear of fusion, a fear of object loss, paranoid-schizoid anxieties, and sexual anxieties. Because analysts help to create an environment where problems of intimacy can best be studied, understood, and treated, implications for psychoanalytic treatment are discussed. A clinical example from the author's psychoanalytic practice is offered to illustrate some of the concepts discussed.Nothing can be seen by examining the page of a book unless at the same time you examine your own heart.
Research results indicate that intimate contact can profoundly affect health and well-being. The capacity for intimacy, however, differs from person to person. Given its origin in the symbiotic phase of development and its being influenced by the separation-individuation process, the capacity for intimacy is subject to disruption by fear of object loss and fear of merger. In this article, I examine these and other fears as impediments to intimacy. Because of the affective engagement between patient and analyst, these impediments can best be studied, understood, and treated within the psychoanalytic relationship.
KEY WORDS: intimacy; love; psychoanalysis.Separation and connectedness exist simultaneously and make each other possible. At the same time I was in here and he was over there, we were also at one -M. Almost all clinicians would agree that intimacy is good. Most people desire it, and most consider it basic to well-being. Research results indicate that, compared with people not in intimate relationships, those in such relationships have lower mortality rates, are less likely to develop mental and physical illnesses, experience fewer stress-related symptoms, and have fewer accidents (Prager, 1995).
The present study compared perceptions held by 180 college students of psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers. The students viewed social workers as warm and easy to relate to but not particularly intelligent. Psychiatrists were viewed as bright but cold and reserved. The students indicated that they would most likely consult psychologists for help with the majority of their problems.
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