Psychoanalysis Av Anders Zachrisson

Psychoanalysis is no longer one theory; it is multifaceted, with different models, often supplementing each other rather than competing. Psychoanalysis, like many other sciences, has no absolute truths. It is approaching truth from various points of departure. So, .my way is the author's attempt to orient himself in this fascinating landscape, and offer his modest contributions to the development of psychoanalytic knowledge. The texts in the book are grouped into four sections; foundations, clinical conceptions, education and literature. They reflect and illuminate central issues in contemporary psychoanalysis. Among the themes in the first section are an interpretation of the meaning of an external object as distinct from a person, a discussion of the problematic validation of psychoanalytic concepts, and reflections on the epistemology of psychoanalysis. In the next section, transference and countertransference, therapeutic neutrality and the complex connection between ethical stance and therapeutic method are thoroughly discussed. In the last two sections, the author presents a heuristic model of psychoanalytic supervision and applies psychoanalytic reflection on the characters of Hamlet and Peer Gynt. The author tries to present quite sophisticated conceptions in ways that are accessible to psychoanalysts and to clinicians and students of psychodynamic psychology. The theoretical themes are illustrated by clinical vignettes, and in some places the text is supplied with figures picturing conceptual connections, hopefully to facilitate the reader's understanding of the text. <br/> <br/>ANDERS ZACHRISSON <br/>Associate professor emeritus, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo. He has been president of the Norwegian Psychoanalytic Society and editor in chief, The Scandinavian Psychoanalytic Review.