Formlessness and countertransference: Discussion of J. Press, 'Metapsychological and clinical issues in psychosomatics research'

Starting with Press's questioning of Marty's 'paradigm', that there is an 'inverse relationship between the quality of mental functioning and the risk of somatization', he puts forward a number of points which I will summarise: 1) The 'heuristic value' of the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of psychoanalysis 2016-02, Vol.97 (1), p.115-122
Main Author: Bronstein, Catalina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Countertransference (Psychology)
Humans
Illnesses
Patients
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalytic Therapy
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Summary:Starting with Press's questioning of Marty's 'paradigm', that there is an 'inverse relationship between the quality of mental functioning and the risk of somatization', he puts forward a number of points which I will summarise: 1) The 'heuristic value' of the idea of formlessness developed by Winnicott (1971a). Press's contribution, highlighting the importance of looking at the patient's defences, and the impact these patients have on the analyst's countertransference with the possibility of making use of this understanding for the formulation of meaningful interpretations could be seen to support the idea that psychosomatic patients can be effectively helped by 'traditional' psychoanalysis.
ISSN:0020-7578
1745-8315
DOI:10.1111/1745-8315.12498