Click on the book image to buy it
HISTORY OF COUNTERTRANSFERENCE
From Freud to the British Object Relations School
ā
The constant and polymorphous development of the field of psychoanalysis since its inception has led to the evolution of a wide variety of psychoanalytic ‘schools’. In seeking to find common ground between them, Alberto Stefana examines the history of countertransference, a concept which has developed from its origins as an apparent obstacle, to become an essential tool for analysis, and which has undergone profound changes in definition and in clinical use.
In History of Countertransference, Stefana follows the development of this concept over time, exploring a very precise trend which begins with the original notion put forward by Sigmund Freud and leads to the ideas of Melanie Klein and the British object relations school. The book explores the studies of specific psychoanalytic theorists and endeavours to bring to light how the input from each one may have been influenced by previous theories, by the personal history of the analyst, and by their historical-cultural context. By shedding light on how different psychoanalytic groups work with countertransference, Stefana helps the reader to understand the divergences that exist between them.
This unique study of a key psychoanalytical concept will be essential reading for psychoanalysts in practice and in training, and academics and students of psychoanalytic studies and the history of psychology.ā
Traduzione in italianoāā
ā
«The present volume is a comprehensive, detailed, and eminently fair analysis of the gradual development, problems and increasing sophistication of the concept and therapeutic utilization of countertransference.ć Stefana provides the historical background to the controversial origin of the discovery of the countertransference complications in the management of transference, and appropriately deepens the description of new theoretical and clinical developments to permit the reader to reach his own conclusion regarding the contemporary controversies of countertransference management.ć This book is a fascinating history of psychoanalytic discoveries, and should of great practical interest not only to the psychoanalytic clinician, but it is also a scholarly contribution to the study of developing psychoanalytic science.»
Otto Kernberg, MD; psychoanalyst and professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, USA.
«This superb history of the concept of countertransference makes an invaluable contribution to our field. ćThe depth, breadth and range of Alberto Stefana’s understanding and his outstanding scholarship make this book essential reading for anyone who is engaged in the study and practice of analytic therapy.»
Theodore J. Jacobs, M.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, USA.
ā
«Despite his intractable subject matter, Stefana has performed an invaluable service to the psychoanalytic community by creating what is essentially a reference guide to the plethora of writings on countertransference. He enables us to go back to the original authors, and the rich clinical material on which they based their ideas, and thereby discover the theorists who work best for us individually as we navigate the many challenges of the clinical situation with our patients.»
Hilary J. Beattie, Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 2019, 67/3.
ā
«In his book-length essay Alberto Stefana outlines the history of psychoanalysis itself through the lens of a single, pivotal concept. I think the conceit works rather well in this case. Allowing for the distinction between clinical and metapsychological concepts, I think the concept of transference-countertransference is wellāchosen as an exemplar of clinical thinking. Most importantly, it reveals the extent to which the analytic encounter is above all a relationship; moreover, we are encouraged by Stefana to treat transference and countertransference as a single clinical phenomenon.»
Steven Groarke, Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, 2019, 55/1.ā
«This is a fascinating and nuanced history of psychoanalysis through the singular lens of countertransference. Though focused, it has a wide sweep, as the deepening of this concept has had huge impact on the whole of psychoanalytical practice and training.»
Barbara Faden, Journal of Analytical Psychology, 2019, 64/3.ā
«the book is rigorously informative, for clinicians as well as academic researchers, about the clinical and historical developments of British object relations, as well as encouraging about how countertransference can be valued as a tool to affect and become affected by another in a clinical setting.»
Valerie O. Giovanini, Psychoanalysis and History, 2019, 21/2.āāā
«We all can benefit from Stefana’s labor of love. His insight and nuanced reading of many analytic giants (some well known, others less so) help us understand the varied terrain of countertransference.»
Leslie Wells, Psychoanalytic Psychology, 2019, 36/4.
MARION MILNER
A Contemporary Introduction
This focused and thorough book by Alberto Stefana and Alessio Gamba delves into Marion Milner’s contribution to psychoanalytic clinical theory and technique.
The authors offer an overview of Milner’s work as a psychoanalyst, writer, and gifted painter. They bring to light how each of her clinical concepts and theorisations have been shaped by predecessors and, in turn, have inspired subsequent analysts. The importance of imaginative scenarios for both patient and therapist within the analytic context is particularly emphasised. The authors conclude by focusing on the retained clinical relevance of Milner’s contribution for contemporary psychoanalysis.
Marion Miler: A Contemporary Introduction is essential for students of psychoanalysis, as well as academics and psychoanalytic practitioners interested in the clinical-theoretical work of this pioneer in psychoanalysis.
«A beautiful book about a beautiful person and her work. Marion Milner fused therapy and art and continued making significant contributions till her last day when she was 98. She had a gift for combining domains that this introduction well illuminates. Stefana and Gamba go into Milner’s work in fine details and inspiring overviews, bringing out her fertile influence. She mediates creative spirit wedding psychoanalytic schools and broader culture, opening fecund dimensions of experience.»
Michael Eigen, Ph.D.
«Stefana and Gamba’s book is a very useful introduction to Marion Milner and the centrality of art for the kind of psychoanalysis she endorsed and practised, but it is far more than that. The authors’ thorough grounding in all aspects of her work together with their own extensive clinical experience foregrounds art and the kinds of more general questions to which it gives rise. They show how closely her psychoanalytic practice is linked to her own creative work. Her writing and her continuing exploration of the possibilities of the image enrich a clinical practice grounded in the earliest experiences of differentiation and non-differentiation and a willingness to accept whatever her patients bring.»
Lesley Caldwell, Visiting Professor Psychoanalysis Unit, UCL.