MOTHER AND FATHER IN PSYCHOANALYTIC CASE DESCRIPTIONS - SOME LATENT RULES IN PSYCHOANALYTIC DISCOURSE

Proceeding from the conviction that there is a collective gender-speci fic unconscious within the community of psychoanalysts which determine s latent rules operative in psychoanalytic discourse, the authors have conducted a research project extending over a number of years and sys tematically examining case descriptions in psychoanalytic journals to see to what extent those latent gender-specific rules are in fact obse rved in such publications. The project examines the way in which male and female analysts employ the terms >>mother<< and >>father<< in thes e publications and also the frequency and connotations of concepts rel ated to >>mother<< and >>father<<. Significant differences between mal e and female analysts become apparent, substantiating the assumption o f a collective gender-specific unconscious. The authors conclude that this unconscious finds its way into psychoanalytic therapy, leading to unconscious counter-transference reactions that are acted out rather than worked on.