Self and object in the postmodern world.

Abstract

This article traces some trends in the theory of psychoanalytic technique over the course of the twentieth century. Recently, two paradigm shifts have been identified: from the drive reduction model to the relational one and from positivism to constructivism. The two are probably not independent, but interconnected. Aspects of the metaphor of the self are examined to understand its implications for theory and practice. Changes in basic analytic tools like free association, evenly hovering attention, dealing with transference and resistance are outlined in light of changing paradigms and the theory of the self. A postmodern approach suggests that the therapist's skill is in the spirit of intellectual openness, a penetrating personal understanding, and the ability to observe one's own subjectivity along with the ability to recognize which theories and techniques are applicable to specific situations and then to use them effectively.Postmodern epistemology has become a force in the social sciences compelling us to reconsider traditional views about the nature of man and the nature knowledge. To mention two: truth relates to social consensus as much as reality and different groups of human beings create widely diverse pic-

Synchronicity and psychotherapy: Unconscious communication in the psychotherapeutic relationship.

“…An explanation for its underutilization may also reside in the mechanistic and causal assumptions that underlie much of the science of psychology as it is applied to psychotherapy research, practice, and training. Overreliance on objectivist modes of thought that emphasize universal truths that are verifiable through the senses, representations of the “real” world, and causal explanations for phenomena (Neimeyer, 1995; Rubin, 1997) can preclude the thoughtful or scholarly consideration of this concept. When a synchronistic event occurs in psychotherapy, a common reaction is to construct a linear causal explanation or, conversely, in the absence of a satisfactory explanation, dismiss the experience altogether as coincidental (Williams, 1957).…”

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“…So wurden etwa die Bedeutung früher Erinnerungen und des Lebensstils in der Individualpsychologie mit der von Metaphern verglichen (Kopp, 1998(Kopp, , 1999. Die Rolle von Metaphern wurde auch in der psychoanalytischen Perspektive (Rubin, 1997;Siegelman, 1990), in kognitiven Therapieformen (Kopp & Craw, 1998) und in der Hypnosetherapie (Barker, 1985) untersucht. Obwohl jedoch gerade der phänomenologische Zugang der Personzentrierten Therapie so (Greenberg, Rice & Elliott, 1996).…”

Metaphern in der Psychotherapie

“…So wurden etwa die Bedeutung früher Erinnerungen und des Lebensstils in der Individualpsychologie mit der von Metaphern verglichen (Kopp, 1998(Kopp, , 1999. Die Rolle von Metaphern wurde auch in der psychoanalytischen Perspektive (Rubin, 1997;Siegelman, 1990), in kognitiven Therapieformen (Kopp & Craw, 1998) und in der Hypnosetherapie (Barker, 1985) untersucht. Obwohl jedoch gerade der phänomenologische Zugang der Personzentrierten Therapie (Hutterer, 1998) so…”