The person of the analyst: Interpreting, not interpreting, and countertransference

Abstract The author focuses on the person of the analyst and particularly how it helps shape two key factors in psychoanalysis: clinical narration and the analyst's interpretations. Freud's comments on how treatment is influenced by the analyst's individuality are briefly reviewed; and Winnicott's notion of how the individual analyst relates to the patient--including how he does and does not interpret--is also discussed. Following a detailed description of an analytic treatment, the author discusses various aspects of the analyst's attitude and functioning, including countertransference, and how these are affected by the person of the analyst.