Problems with the concept 'interpretation'

Abstract

Consensus on the conceptualisation of 'interpretation', the most characteristic feature of psychoanalytic technique, has proven elusive. Attempts at precising the meaning of this term are reviewed. The role of intuition and suggestion in interpretation are commented upon. There seem to exist polarities in interpreting styles. It is the author's contention that these are mostly contingent on the practitioner's adscription to the topographical or the structural model of the mind. The tendency to interpret deeply unconscious elements would correspond to pre-structural technique, whereas the tendency to direct the patient's attention to preconscious manifestations would be characteristic of the structural orientation. Clinical material is provided to illustrate the divergence of underlying theories of technique. The topographical interpreting of Freud and his early followers is different from the interpreting used in contemporary structural technique. 'Deep' interpreting approaches continue to be used side by side with clarification-like interpretations. The reasons for this coexistence are examined. There are powerful motivations for the adherence to pre-structural interpreting. It seems to gratify the analysand's dependency wishes and the analyst's narcissism more directly. It also provides a less sublimated satisfaction of epistemophilic drives. Maintaining ill-defined the concept 'interpretation' facilitates the application of the topographical technique with its irrational gratifications.

Some Notes on the Epistemology of Empathy

“…Similar views were expressed byReik (1948) andBucci (2001). A cautionary note also came fromPaniagua (2003), who observed that the analyst's reliance on intuition tends to limit the patient's role in interpreting and discourages patient collaboration.…”

Psychotherapy and close‐process technique

“…Among these reasons are the stimulation of the patient's dependency wishes and, also, a more direct gratification of the analyst's desire to possess tools for the translation of unconscious contents. Obviously, ''the adoption by the analysand of a regressively accepting attitude in front of a supposedly omniscient analyst is a practice more syntonic with the traditional 'passive patientknowledgeable doctor' relationship'' (Paniagua, 2003b(Paniagua, , p. 1118. Gray (1987) placed great emphasis on the understanding of the transference of authority as a cornerstone of his technique.…”

Penultimate interpretation

“…Interpretation is necessary. There are different psychoanalytic conceptions and strategies of interpretation (Paniagua, 2003), but they seldom focus on the dialectical tension between the two languages and the way this dialectical tension may be constructively used. In this paper, I have tried to propose a different kind of interpretation which is faithful to Bion's theory but, at the same time, introduces a more structural and practical way of interpretation and of constructively exploiting the dialectical tension between the language of achievement and the language of substitution.…”