Regent's University London Library
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The reader may be somewhat surprised by the sequence of topics in this book. It does not begin in the logical way with the problems of indications, diagnosis, introductory interviews, etc., and on this basis continue parallel to the development of psychoanalytic treatment, with the introductory period, transference relationship, and its analysis. Instead, this book begins with the emotions of the analyst, and in this connection--contrary to all safe and sound procedure gives the student seemingly unlimited freedom in his approaches. Some of the reasons for this approach will become clear to the reader as he reads, I hope. At this stage I only want to point out one reason: the resistance encountered in psychoanalytic students if one starts with enumerating the rational parts of the treatment. They frequently react to this as an irritating postponement of ""the real work."" This feeling of frustration should be taken into consideration, because they have waited much longer than other students of therapy before getting an opportunity to do what they really want to. The student's impatience expresses his eagerness and warmth. By understanding that, and emphasizing that this eagerness and warmth constitute one of his best qualifications for a work that will need all his patience and wisdom, one has a better chance to make him relax and disposed to listen to older colleagues' descriptions of the rational conditions and details--the necessary technical parts of wisdom in any field. In this description, I permit myself from time to time to digress outside psychoanalysis proper. The reason is that every psychoanalytic treatment transcends the limits of ""proper psychoanalysis."" Students of psychoanalysis are not sophomores or freshmen; they are adults with long academic training. On top of this, they have had experiences as physicians and psychiatrists in settings in which they have faced problems beyond the experiences of many of their teachers. In their analytic work, they will discover over and over again that moral and social problems and obligations play an essential part in the treatment. That such problems can be faced in a questioning, scientific spirit is therefore part of psychoanalysis, but this psychoanalysis must transcend the jargon one meets--not only in students--in which ""compulsive"" is used as a synonym for ""conscientious,"" and ""precision"" is translated into ""anal."" In other words, the teacher must stick his neck out in teaching, as every good psychoanalyst must in therapy, because both have to face problems that are greater than themselves and go far beyond the psychoanalytic framework."