Idiom as an inherent intelligence of form thoughts on Lawrence Jacobson's essay on the work of Christopher Bollas

Abstract

In this commentary, Jacobson's exploration of Bollas's notions of “true self and “idiom”; is discussed. I underline Bollas's focus on unconscious processes in general and in the psychoanalytic relation in particular and—referring to Bion and Bollas—discuss the importance of the analyst's intuitive capacity in sensing these processes. Winnicott's and Bollas's formulations on the notion of true self/idiom are briefly reviewed and its unknowable quality is emphasized. While being in many respects appreciative of Jacobson's essay, I argue against his position of not considering idiom as something inherent and unique to each person, claiming that Jacobson's understanding of Bollas's notion sometimes is too concrete. I argue as well against Jacobson's view of Bollas as a “one‐person theorist”; and as holding a position leading to “a distancing of the social world.”;