The interpretive process in psychoanalytic therapy

Abstract

Interpretation is crucial in the theory and practice of psychoanalysis. Notwithstanding this fact, the active construction of hypotheses, and their subsequent utilization in therapy, is rarely explicitly dealt with. The present article adresses the question of what should be the optimum distance between the patient and the theoretical speculations of the psychoanalist, arguing for the use of theory as a bridge that should serve as a meeting place between therapist and patient, and not as a point of contention that gives rise to resistance.