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Political and clinical developments in analytical psychology, 1972‐2014: subjectivity, equality and diversity—inside and outside the consulting room
Author(s) -
Samuels Andrew
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of analytical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.285
H-Index - 23
eISSN - 1468-5922
pISSN - 0021-8774
DOI - 10.1111/1468-5922.12115
Subject(s) - confession (law) , psychoanalysis , diversity (politics) , politics , psychoanalytic theory , interpretation (philosophy) , interrogation , countertransference , sociology , psychology , subjectivity , human sexuality , field (mathematics) , analytical psychology , epistemology , social psychology , gender studies , anthropology , philosophy , law , linguistics , mathematics , political science , pure mathematics
Utilizing Jung's idea of theory as a ‘personal confession’, the author charts his own development as a theorist, establishing links between his personal history and his ideas. Such links include his relationship with both parents, his sexuality, his cultural heritage, and his fascination with Tricksters and with Hermes. There follows a substantial critical interrogation of what the author discerns as the two main lines of clinical theorizing in contemporary analytical psychotherapy: interpretation of transference‐countertransference, and the relational approach. His conclusion is that neither is superior to the other and neither is in fact adequate as a basis for clinical work. The focus then shifts to explore a range of political and social aspects of the clinical project of analytical psychology: economic inequality, diversity within the professional field, and Jung's controversial ideas about Jews and Africans. The author calls for an apology from the ‘Jungian community’ for remarks about Africans analogous to the apology already issued for remarks about Jews. The paper is dedicated to the author's friend Fred Plaut (1913‐2009).