One thing, of course, still remains: Personal Equation, which, as an
element of individuality, is destined to play a much more important part
in psychoanalysis than anywhere else. Although an abnormal man may
develop into an expert physicist, an analyst will always be handicapped
by his own anomalies, when it comes to conceive pictures of soul life,
free from distortions.
Inasmuch as it is impossible to prove to anybody his anomalies, general
unanimity in the matter of Psychology of the Depths will prove
especially difficult to achieve. There are even a handful of
psychologists who claim it to be practically impossible ever to achieve
such unanimity, and who also insist that every fool is entitled to
proclaim his special brand of foolishness as wisdom.
I admit I am more optimistically inclined. After all, our experiences
prove that, even in psychology, harmony of opinion may be achieved to a
tolerably satisfactory degree. No doubt, each individual realm of
science presents its own individual difficulties which have to be
eliminated. Moreover, there are some aspects of the art of
interpretation, as applied in analysis which, like some other knowledge,
may be acquired by study. For example, those aspects pertaining to the
peculiarly indirect representation by symbols.
“To be frank with you: I have lost all ambition, even to dabble
theoretically with the application of psychoanalysis. Heaven knows what
further surprises are still in store for me!”
You are perfectly correct to abandon such an intention.
You have already convinced yourself how much training and practice is
necessary. And once you have found the correct interpretations, a new
problem presents itself. It is then up to you to lay in wait and
virtually pounce upon the correct, the psychological moment, if you wish
to acquaint your patient of your interpretations with the idea of
benefiting him.
“How to tell what is the psychological moment?”
That is a matter of extreme tact which, by the way, may be greatly
improved through experience. You would commit a very grave error if you
would fling your interpretation, as soon as it had been ascertained, at
the patient. This would only lead to resistance, refusal, indignation,
but never result in his “I” getting a firm hold of whatever it was that
caused his repressions. It is an iron clad rule to permit your patient
to approach this elusive cause of repression close enough, to make it
possible for him to obtain an immediate and strong grip on it, under the
correctly timed guidance of the interpretation you may suggest.
“I am very much afraid that I would never master this art. But suppose
that I observe this rule strictly, then what?”
Then it will be your lot to make a discovery which you did not expect to
make.
“What kind of a discovery?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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