Interpretation: A Contemporary Introduction invites readers into the evolving heart of psychoanalytic practice, where interpretation stands as both central mystery and transformative tool.
Throughout the book, Aner Govrin traces the evolution of interpretation from Freud's archaeological model of uncovering unconscious wishes, through Klein's immediate interpretive acts in early childhood, Bion's emphasis on containment and creative uncertainty, Winnicott's focus on relational presence and Kohut's revolution of empathic immersion. Contemporary relational and field theories receive in-depth treatment through analyses of landmark papers and clinical moments that illuminate how interpretation heals, transforms and sometimes provokes crisis. Rich clinical vignettes and philosophical reflections bring theoretical debates to life, making complex ideas both rigorous and accessible. Readers gain practical understanding of how different interpretive approaches work in real therapeutic encounters while grappling with fundamental questions about meaning, relationship and therapeutic change. Far from a simple technique, interpretation emerges as a paradoxical process that shapes psychic reality and bridges the gap between knowing and not-knowing.
Offering a concise yet thorough introduction to interpretation, this book is a perfect guide for practicing clinicians, graduate students, supervisors and scholars alike interested in psychoanalysis as both clinical practice and intellectual tradition.
Table of Contents:
Introduction 1. Interpretation in Sigmund Freud’s Writings 2. Interpretation in Melanie Klein’s Writing 3. Interpretation in Wilfred Bion’s Writings 4. Interpretation in Donald Winnicott’s Writing 5. Interpretation in Heinz Kohut’s Self Psychology 6. Interpretation in Relational Psychoanalysis 7. Essential Writings on Interpretation: Five Landmarks in the Evolution of Psychoanalytic Thinking Afterword: The Interpretive Paradox
About the Author :
Aner Govrin is a psychoanalyst, philosopher and clinical psychologist based in Tel Aviv, Israel. He is the director of the doctoral track, ‘Psychoanalysis and Hermeneutics’, at Bar-Ilan University and is a member of Tel Aviv Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis. He is the series editor of the Routledge Introductions to Contemporary Psychoanalysis book series, author of How Philosophy Changed Psychoanalysis (2024) and Ethics and Attachment (2018), and editor of The Routledge International Handbook of Psychoanalysis and Philosophy (2024) and Innovations in Psychoanalysis (2019).
Review :
‘Aner Govrin is one of the most scholarly psychoanalytic thinkers of our time. In this contemporary critique of the cornerstone of clinical technique, he explores and dissects the many varied interpretations of interpretation itself. Whether as conviction or hubris, epistemological certainty or humility, Govrin casts new critical insight on the very nature of psychoanalytic hermeneutics. This should be mandatory reading for anyone in the field.’
Prof. Jon Mills, author of End of the World: Civilization and Its Fate
‘I wish Aner Govrin’s little book on interpretation had been available to me when I was a graduate student and a candidate. And now, too, I am glad to have it. Interpretation intrigues us from the very beginning of our work as psychotherapists, and we never outgrow that sense of wonder, because to study interpretation is to study the birth of meaning. Our fascination with the topic is well served by the kind of fair minded, comparative consideration Govrin gives it. He offers an overview of how interpretation has been conceptualized in the various psychoanalytic traditions; and then, in his excellent final chapter and his afterword, he leads the reader into current controversies and new ideas about interpretation. I know I will recommend this small gem to both students and contemporaries, because its straightforward examination of mysteries will relieve them, on one hand, and encourage their appreciation of the marvels of our work, on the other.’
Donnel B. Stern, Ph.D., William Alanson White Institute
‘Aner Govrin’s, Interpretation: A Contemporary Introduction, offers an important discussion about this central psychoanalytic concept. As psychoanalysis changes, there are many competing definitions about what interpretation is and how it works, and Govrin rightly points out that they are in need of exploration. He takes us through Freud’s idea of interpretation, through the Kleinian development of interpretations of the pre-verbal world of the infant, and includes Betty Joseph’s subsequent shift of emphasis from interpretations of the content, to the process between analyst and analysand. He explores Winnicott, as well as Bion’s many revolutionary theoretical and clinical ideas, and other contemporary work that provides an overview of how ideas about interpretation have changed. While Freud’s and Breuer’s so-called “talking cure” was about verbal interpretation, we see here that as psychoanalysis continues to evolve, there are mysteries in silence to which analysts also need to attend, and interpret. This is a well-needed discussion, and the profound questions that Govrin explores are not easily resolved. He wisely states that his book is “an invitation to join an on-going conversation.” Those who accept that invitation will be rewarded by new questions and new thoughts about this fundamental aspect of analytic work.’
Annie Reiner, Ph.D., Psy.D., LCSW. Member and senior training analyst, Psychoanalytic Center of California (PCC)
