Presenter: |
Maxwell S. Sucharov, MD |
Chair: |
Gianni Nebbiosi, PhD |
Discussant: |
Robert M. Galatzer-Levy, MD |
Self Psychology Page | 20th Conference Program
This paper explores the personal issues that shape our theoretical convictions. A guiding principle to this exploration is that all psychoanalytic theoretical discourse, both oral and written, cannot be separated from the human subjective contexts in which this discourse takes place. A re-examination of my earlier work on the status of self psychology and intersubjectivity theory with the lens of intersubjective contextualism illuminates the extent to which my arguments and conclusions are embedded in the overlapping psychological life of myself and the self psychology community. My choice to focus on the epistemological dimension of the theories served a personal and group need to accentuate similarity and to minimize potentially disruptive differences. My self reflective exercise brings to the foreground neglected perspectives that highlight serious incompatibilities at both clinical and theoretical levels. The emergence of this added dimension of understanding emphasizes the importance of developing a systematic methodology for the investigation of theoretical discourse as a psychological product. The paper concludes with a brief discussion on the need for both self psychology and intersubjectivity to continue their maturation on separate paths before their relationship can be clarified.