Relational models in psychoanalytic theory.

Abstract

The present state of theoretical pluralism requires continued efforts to define an integrative perspective. The complexities of the biopsychosocial determinants of human experience underscore the need for this integration. Contributions from relational and interpersonal thinkers focus our attention on important issues (e.g., the impact on the analytic process of the person of the analyst, the nature of interaction and the structure of the unconscious). This focus has enriched psychoanalytic dialogue but has also generated questions concerning the theoretical foundations of the relational model. In this article, we attempt to make explicit and critically evaluate some basic relational tenets that affect the psychoanalytic situation. Concepts of transference, the dynamic unconscious, resistance, the method of free association, and the nature of conflict are discussed