Becoming an Individual: Technically Subversive Thoughts on the Role of the Analyst's Influence

The Dignity in Multiplicity: Human Value as a Foundational Concept in Relational Thought

“…However, unlike many recent models of agency (Gentile, 2010;Rustin, 1997;Slavin, 2010;Weisel-Barth, 2009), this freedom is not associated with psychological health, nor does it derive from optimal developmental experiences. Rather, it is grounded in the structure of human consciousness and thus is accessible to everyone.…”

From Dead to Alive: Desire, Dissociation and Passion in the Analytic Dyad

“…The analyst is no longer seen as an empty container but a fellow subject with a wish to have his individuality recognized (J. Slavin, 2010). As Slochower (2003) noted, therapists may deliberately withdraw as an expression of their disavowed need in the face of an ungratifying client.…”

Between the Familiar and the Stranger: Attachment Security, Mutual Desire, and Reclaimed Love

“…However, he developed no conception of the child's desire or curiosity orienting him toward the attachment figure him/herself, beyond his/her status for relieving distress through proximity seeking. This omission was reinforced once the Strange Situation Paradigm became the sine qua non for classifying attachment patterns: Neither the child's desire toward (or interest in) the "stranger" nor the child's desire (upon reunion) toward the caregiver as personal subjects (Slavin, 2010) becomes relevant variables of empirical study. 8 Despite an earlier optimism, Bowlby (1973) came to concede that internal working models remain incredibly resistant to change despite opportunities for revision in the context of future attachment relationships, an arguably nonadaptive design feature.…”