Review Essay: Our Rules Leave a Backdoor Open—At the Heart of the Radically Incomplete Psychoanalytic Process

Abstract

Practical work in psychoanalytic practice is a core component of the enhancement of psychoanalytic knowledge. Despite its importance it is a rather dark chapter in the research history of psychoanalysis and empirical research into what actually happens in practice has been rare. The book by Andreas STRATKÖTTER reviewed here takes psychoanalytic practice as the empirical basis of an extensive qualitative study. The psychoanalysts interviewed by STRATKÖTTER describe the criteria they take to indicate the need for psychoanalytic treatment, the practical relevance of central psychoanalytic notions, and their professional development after psychoanalytic training. STRATKÖTTER's study can be taken as a reference for demands for improvements in the culture of psychoanalytic training and for further development of qualitative research approaches in psychoanalysis. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0901173