The repulsive client

Lieberman, Florence; Gottesfeld, Mary L.

doi:10.1007/bf01798792

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Students also frequently experience discomfort if they do not like a client. In an article, bravely titled: 'The repulsive client', Lieberman and Gottesfeld (1973) stress the importance of social workers acknowledging their strongly negative feelings towards a client (even though such feelings are generally felt to be 'unacceptable') and then use their insights to reach out to, rather than reject the client: 'Essentially the repulsive client is one who induces a powerful feeling of rejection and disgust in the therapist; this occurs in reaction to the need on the part of the client to repeat an early history of rejection . .…”

Section: The Nature Of the Casework Relationshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Awareness of Self—A Critical Tool

Urdang

2010

Social Work Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: The Nature Of the Casework Relationshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Awareness of Self—A Critical Tool

Urdang

2010

Social Work Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Baudolino cannot comprehend the mother's indifference; he wants to believe that if she does not love him, it cannot be because she does not want to love him (p. 30). Deprivation of the primitive need for early mothering can lead to a repetition compulsion that locks the individual into seeking it from all potential maternal surrogates (Lieberman and Gottesfeld, 1973). Baudolino deals with the prospect of malevolent mothering and reduces his feelings of resentment by splitting the mother image.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Romancing the Family: Umberto Eco’s Baudolino

Francese

2005

Am J Psychoanal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Referencing Umberto Eco's novel Baudolino, the author discusses issues concerning the authenticity of the narrative, specifically the distortions in the story presented to the audience and doubts surrounding the veracity of the tale. The act of narration is associated with the shame caused by the abuse and neglect that is an integral part of this story. The ambivalence of the protagonist--to tell his story and to keep it (and his true identity) concealed--associates narration, a creative act, with lying. Trauma generates the lies and hiddenness as a means of coping with abuse and indifference. In order to deal with the feelings of inadequacy caused by his humble birth, the traumatized protagonist lies: he romanticizes his family origins, the illusion of being the offspring of distinguished parents. His attempt to win the love of the parents, by being both good and all-knowing, is one of the motivating forces of his family romance. Telling lies makes the protagonist omniscient: he is the only one who knows if and when he is telling the truth. Paradoxically, the narrator creates and undermines that image of omniscience by revealing the thought processes of one character while leaving opaque those of the protagonist, and by denying the trueness of the tale affirmed when he presents as objective his own subjective sentiments by indirectly attributing them to the protagonist. The uncertainty that underpins the narration is indicative of the storyteller's absence. This vacancy structures the work because it allows kindred spirits, nonjudgmental readers (listeners) who willingly suspend disbelief, to enter the world of the narrator. This uncritical participation counters the chaos of the storyteller's reality, as they create their own new world where the split parental images are united.

show abstract

Reflections on ‘The Treatment Relationship, Real or Symbolic?’ by Jean Stewart: An examination of the relationship between countertransference, Langs' concept of the “frame” and compensatory treatment technique

Schamess

1986

Clin Soc Work J

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The repulsive client

Cited by 8 publications

References 1 publication

Awareness of Self—A Critical Tool

Awareness of Self—A Critical Tool

Romancing the Family: Umberto Eco’s Baudolino

Reflections on ‘The Treatment Relationship, Real or Symbolic?’ by Jean Stewart: An examination of the relationship between countertransference, Langs' concept of the “frame” and compensatory treatment technique

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About