Dreaming is PlayBulkeley, Kelly
doi: 10.1037/h0079500pmid: N/A
The psychoanalytic understanding of dreams has traditionally been expressed in metaphorical terms drawn from the physical sciences; since Freud, we have conceptualized dreams as a kind of work. The "dreaming is work" metaphor, although originally helpful, has come to impede the further development of psychoanalytic knowledge about dreams. This article argues that a "dreaming is play" metaphor provides us with a more helpful conceptual framework for understanding dreams. By seeing dreams as a kind of play, we are able to (a) make better sense of new research on the formation and the functions of dreams and (b) appreciate certain valuable new roles for dreams in contemporary Western culture.
Significance of the Unconscious Plan for Psychoanalytic TheoryRosbrow, Thomas
doi: 10.1037/h0079504pmid: N/A
Weiss, Sampson, and the San Francisco Psychotherapy Research Group (formerly the Mount Zion Psychotherapy Research Group, 1986) asserted the central role of the patient's unconscious plan in analytic treatment. The analyst listens, albeit unconsciously, to the patient with respect for the patient's capacity to spell out his or her goals, the blocks to achieving these goals, and what the analyst needs to do and avoid doing for these goals to be accomplished. The plan approach is based on a distinct theory of therapy and psychopathology conceived by Weiss and validated through research.This article first summarizes the key ideas of this approach and then compares and contrasts it with other contemporary theories from the writings of Emde, Schafer, Stolorow, and Bowlby. After highlighting the theory's unique features, I discuss how this point of view offers potential solutions to chronic problems—theoretical, cultural, and clinical—that afflict psychoanalysis today.
Primitive Defenses and the Borderline Patient's Perceptions of the Psychiatric Treatment TeamGreene, Les R.
doi: 10.1037/h0079506pmid: N/A
This study investigated the construct validity of several recently devised self-report measures of splitting and related primitive defense mechanisms and undertook a preliminary quantitative analysis of the relation of these defenses to here-and-now social perceptions in borderline psychopathology. Based on an integrated framework of object-relations theory, psychoanalytic group psychology, and social cognition theory, the study explored associations between the use of primitive defenses by borderline inpatients and their perceptions of the various staff roles that constitute their treatment teams (e.g., individual psychotherapist and ward chief).Multivariate statistical analyses revealed that the reliance on image-distorting defenses and the holding of fragmented images of self as omnipotent and as "bad" were significantly associated with borderlines' perceived proximity to specific members and subgroups of their treatment teams. The findings further validate selected measures of primitive defenses and suggest that such defenses serve a variety of self needs.
Borderline Personality Organization and Prognosis in Eating DisordersNorring, Claes
doi: 10.1037/h0079502pmid: N/A
A widely held clinical opinion is that borderline functioning in patients with eating disorders implies a long and difficult treatment with an uncertain outcome. Johnson, Tobin, and Dennis (1990) found that borderline bulimics had a markedly worse prognosis over 1 year than bulimics without borderline features. The present study used interview-based assessment of level of personality organization and confirmed the finding in an unselected group of eating disorder patients at 1-year follow-up. However, after 2 and 3 years, no such indications were evident. Instead, the borderline patients unexpectedly caught up, eliminating the initial advantage held by the neurotics, and after 3 years, there were no differences in outcome between the groups. Implications of these results are discussed.
Pathological Narcissism in an Eight-Year-Old Boy: An Example of Bellak's TAT and CAT Diagnostic SystemAbrams, David M.
doi: 10.1037/h0079501pmid: N/A
Narcissistic pathology is difficult to assess in psychological testing of children and adults. Contemporary psychoanalytic diagnosis is based on Freud's (1915) metapsychological points of view and A. Freud's (1965) developmental profile, as in Schafer's (1954) Rorschach approach and Bellak's (1986) system for the Thematic Apperception Test and Children's Apperception Test. Bellak (1986) provided an analysis of the relation of the ego (self-concept characteristics of the main hero, conception of the world, interpersonal object relations, defense mechanisms, and 12 ego functions), id (thematic analysis, needs, anxieties, and significant conflicts), and superego. A case example of narcissistic pathology in a young child's Children's Apperception Test demonstrates this method of psychoanalytic diagnosis.
Homophobia and Psychoanalysis: A Reply to RoughtonFlaks, David K.
doi: 10.1037/h0079507pmid: N/A
Ralph Roughton's response to my article, "Homophobia and the Psychologist's Role in Psychoanalytic Training Institutes" (Flaks, 1992), outlines recent developments within the American Psychoanalytic Association. This commentary commends the attempts to combat homophobia within the organization and suggests potential problems that might limit their success.