TOWARDS A DEFINITION OF THE TERM AND CONCEPT OF INTERACTION

Although often used descriptively, the concept 'interaction' has not b een an inherently psychoanalytic term. It suggests an external or soci al purview, rather than an intrapsychic one. If, however, the term wer e qualified to convey 'experienced' interaction and a clear delineatio n were maintained between the point-of-view of the patient and that of the analyst or other outside observer, 'interaction' might then be cr edibly employed within the psychoanalytic lexicon. For in this way the investigative terrain remains the patient's psychical reality-with it s conscious and unconscious, conflictual defensive and imaginative exp ressions still our fundamental purview. Clinical examples are offered to illustrate a sharpened focus on interaction as seen from the patien t's point-of-view to highlight the implications of this position in fu rthering our psychoanalytic inquiry.