Basic psychoanalytic concepts. VII. The negative therapeutic reaction

The clinical concept of thenegative therapeutic reactionhas been included in this series for a number of reasons. It is a concept of particular importance in the history of psychoanalysis, for it represents the clinical phenomenon chosen by Freud (1923) to illustrate the workings of an ‘unconscious sense of guilt’ and to indicate the existence of what he conceived of as a special mental agency—thesuperego.Moreover, it is a concept widely used in clinical psychoanalysis, although little has been written on the subject since Freud's original formulation of it. Unlike such concepts astransference(Sandler, Dare and Holder, 1970) andacting out(Sandler, Holder and Dare, 1970a) it has not been extensively applied outside clinical psychoanalysis. This may be regarded as surprising in view of the fact that it would seem to be readily capable of application without alteration to a wide variety of clinical situations.

Some observations on the creative process

A study of formation of visual imagery during various conditions yielded observations supporting the assumption that the creative process reflects both special inborn qualities and a postpartum lifelong adaptational process consisting of cultivation of mental mechanisms that significantly differ from the thinking processes of the average human. Better understanding of these mental mechanisms may promote our skills to help the newborn generation to develop their creative potentials fully.

Is there an ultraconscious beyond the unconscious?

The Ultraconscious (nirvana, satori, samedhi, ‘cosmic consciousness’, unto mystica, etc.) is a supra-sensory, supra-rational level of expanded consciousness which has been known since antiquity, yet has received little attention from modern psychiatry. Dr. Richard Bucke in his book Cosmic Consciousness listed the following phenomena at the ultimate peak of ultraconsciousness, regardless of the procedure by which it is achieved:

1) Awareness of intense light.

2) Emotions of supreme rapture and transcendental love.

3) Intellectual illumination and uncovering of latent genius.

4) Identification with creativity, infinity and immortality.

5) Absence of all physical and mental suffering.

6) De-emphasis of material wealth.

7) Enhancement of physical vigour and activity.

8) A sense of mission.

9) A charismatic change in personality.

Freud, through his concepts of free association and the unconscious, dared to challenge the supremacy of pure reason and helped to free psychiatry from the grip of an ‘exact science’, thereby paving the way to greater rapprochement between Eastern and Western thought.

Kelman believes that ultraconsciousness (kairos) can be recognized by the knowledgeable psychiatrist, can be encouraged in the patient and can be an important aid to psychotherapy, for kairos is probably latent in all of us.

Effects of sex, race, and class on self, ideal-self, and parental ratings in southern adolescents

This study replicated an earlier one in evaluating the effects of sex, race, and social class on the self- and ideal-self ratings of adolescent Ss. The effects of these three factors on Ss' parental ratings and self-parental congruency were also assessed. Interpersonal Check List data were obtained from 218 Negro and 310 white high school seniors from rural segregated schools whose social class was determined from parental occupations as reported by the students. The results largely replicated the earlier findings on self- and ideal-self-ratings for the sex and race variables. In addition, lower class students obtained higher self- and ideal-self-love scores than upper-class students. The major findings involving the parental ratings and self-parental congruency pertained to the females who described (1) their fathers as possessing more interpersonal warmth than their mothers and (2) greater self-father than self-mother congruency.

Values and psychotherapy: a review of the literature

This paper reviews theoretical literature and empirical investigations concerning the role of values in psychotherapy. Contrary to traditional psychoanalytic conceptualization, the psychotherapeutic relationship is viewed in terms of interpersonal attraction and interpersonal influence and some degree of therapist-patient value similarity is considered a prerequisite for positive attraction, effective communication, and influence of therapist over patient. The importance of matching therapist-patient pairs on the value dimension is stressed. Psychotherapy-analogue research is cited as a vehicle for exploring the role of values in psychotherapy.