THE ANALYSTS MISTAKES

The analyst's mistakes are an inevitable aspect of his conduct of psyc hoanalysis. They result from the inherent uncertainties and ambiguitie s of the analytic process itself, and from the continuing effect upon analytic technique of the analyst's unresolved conflicts, as manifeste d in countertransference attitudes and enactments. Variables of clinic al experience, skill, and the vicissitudes of the analyst's life also contribute to the susceptibility to error. When the analyst's mistakes result from his active engagement in the psychoanalytic process, they yield important clues for understanding clinical material as well as present potential obstacles to analytic progress.