Analytic change: Assessing ways of being in a psychoanalytic follow‐up interview

Abstract

The article argues that the concepts of relational scenario, structuralized affect and actualized affect are proposed candidates for observation of changes in relational ways of being as it is expressed in transference. A psychoanalytic follow-up interview of a former analytic patient is presented in order to illustrate how change in relational ways of being may be registered and studied. By triangulating the patient's verbal report of change with nonverbal information and transference-countertransference dynamics, one may grasp qualitative changes in relational ways of being. The case presented illustrates a former patient's on-going process of working towards representing aggression in a more direct manner and how this process is made observable with the aid of the proposed concepts in the interview situation. The proposed concepts of relational scenario, structuralized and actualized affect discussed are compared to the concept of transference used in studies of core conflictual relationship theme (CCRT).

How Do Young People Understand Their Own Self-Harm? A Meta-synthesis of Adolescents’ Subjective Experience of Self-Harm

“…During the interviews, my theoretical interpretations, personal thoughts and affective experiences could provide relevant data in order to better understand each individual case (Finley, 2009;Haavind, 2007a;Holoway & Jefferson, 2012;Stänicke, Strømme, Killingmo, & Gullestad, 2013). During the interview, I noticed my associations to their descriptions and could ask for elaborations or ask whether or not my impressions of an intention behind their action gave meaning to them.…”

“…My interpretation is influenced by an assumption that self-harm can be understood as a part of a whole -Anna's lifeworld, and that it is possible to detect the motivation -conscious or unconscious -behind her act. I tried to be explicit during the interviews to give the participants the opportunity to react, correct, nuance and validate preliminary interpretations (Stänicke et al, 2013).…”

“…During the data analysis, the fieldnotes from my personal relational experience of being with the participants were a possible source for relevant data to obtain a better understanding of each individual case (Finley, 2009;Haavind, 2007a;Holoway & Jefferson, 2012;Stänicke et al, 2013;). When I analyzed patterns of sub-types between the participants, I noticed some differences in my affective responses and feelings.…”

Object trust: A specific kind of analytic change.

“…E was interviewed as part of a follow-up study (Stänicke, 2010). 2 The interview situation aimed to provide as open a dialogue as possible about E ’s experience of his psychoanalysis and how it influenced him after termination.…”

Untitled

“…Vi foreslår at sorteringen også bør gjelde for terapeutens politiske verdier. Tanken om at terapeutens egne verdier og egenskaper er sentrale i terapi, er rådende i psykoanalytisk teori (Stänicke et al, 2019). Dette støttes også opp av den omfattende terapiforskningen, arbeid som viser at terapeutens egenskaper er bidragsytende i terapi (Wampold, 2014).…”