Autonomy, Relatedness and Oedipus: Psychoanalytic Perspectives

Table of Contents:
vii  Acknowledgments ix  About the author xi  Introduction Prologue 3  Chapter 1: Psychoanalysis: a matter of trust Part I: Foundation 21  Chapter 2: The basics 43  Chapter 3: Attachment and development 61  Chapter 4: Separateness and intimacy 73  Chapter 5: The return of the unconscious and sexuality Part II: Praxis 119  Chapter 6: Development of the psychoanalytic frame 147  Chapter 7: A second road 169  Chapter 8: Diagnostics 193  Chapter 9: Various psychoanalytical forms of individual treatment 225  Chapter 10: Working with dreams 247  Chapter 11: Treatment and change Epilogue 269  Chapter 12: Oedipus: dyadic and triadic functioning 293  References 309  Index

About the Author :
Thijs de Wolf is a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist and psychoanalyst. He is a training and supervising psychoanalyst. His PhD project was about the process in short term psychoanalytic psychotherapy. He was chairman of the board of the Dutch Psychoanalytical Institute. Next to this, he has been the head of the postmaster psychotherapeutic training of both universities in Amsterdam (the Netherlands) for many years. He has taught a lot, both in Eastern and Western Europe, and has several books to his name about the theory and practice of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy. In 2018 he was knighted in The Netherlands for his achievements.

Review :
[A] masterclass in the exploration of the polarity in psychoanalysis between relatedness and autonomy […] by the final chapter, I felt I had internalised a helpful new framework for understanding the current plethora of psychoanalytic treatments and I have a much stronger grasp of what works for who and why that might be. In this book, Thijs de Wolf generously shares the valuable and unique perspective that can only come from a lifetime of experience as a psychoanalyst and researcher. Revisiting the variegations of the Oedipus myth, he examines what is surely a central question for psychoanalysis: how to understand what it means to be autonomous. A consummate psychoanalytic educator, de Wolf deftly examines both theory and practice as he explores the themes of autonomy and relatedness in the psychotherapeutic process. This text will satisfy clinicians at all levels of experience. Thijs de Wolf provides us with a much-needed book. At a time when the field of psychoanalysis is increasingly splintering, de Wolf has written a work that communicates, in highly accessible language, the continuing relevance of analytic thought and practice. De Wolf manages to link trends in analysis while still respecting diversity. His position is that there is not one correct reading but readings that speak to each other and enrich each other. In making his arguments, de Wolf’s text remains very experience-near rather than abstract and intellectualized. The book ends with a fascinating and long overdue revisiting and expansion of our appreciation of the Oedipus story, weaving in the strong narcissistic trends and ultimately emphasizing the heart of the analytic project – to find a balance not only between internal forces but also between those forces and external reality. The emphasis on dynamism continues in his reflection on the oedipal story, with the important message that development and psychological structure are intertwined and that development does not so much leave behind prior structures but creates layers that interact with the potential to either enrich our experience or lead to pathology. This book is actually an amazing masterclass in psychoanalysis. Writing in a most accessible and scholarly way, Dr. de Wolf has provided us with a synthesis of contemporary ideas, which is firmly rooted in classical thinking. From Freud, Ferenczi, and Klein to Fonagy, Faimberg, and Kernberg – and more – the theory and practice of psychoanalysis is presented in a lucid, thoughtful way. This gem of a text then culminates in a reinterpretation of our “creation myth”, giving us fresh insights into the fundamental oedipal constellation. It is a must-read for analysts, analysts in training, and students of the mind at all levels.