Discipline and Freedom in Relational Technique

Abstract

Relational theorists have been reluctant to codify technical principles, advocating instead a broad menu of sanctioned interventions and considerable freedom in the analytic moment. This stance, however, conflicts with the need for structure and discipline, which are necessary to conduct a coherent and purposeful analytic treatment. The attempts by four influential Relational theorists to resolve this tension are reviewed, as is the role of implicit community norms in shaping analytic conduct. A conceptualization of Relational technique, resting on the notion of therapeutic intent rather than on the antiquated criterion of objective correctness, is proposed.