For and Against Psychoanalysis

320 Pages·2006·2.95 MB·English

by  Stephen Frosh

For and Against Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis has always been a source of controversy throughout
academic and popular culture. This controversy relates to questions of
its true value, its scientific status, its politics and its therapeutic effec-
tiveness. Psychoanalysis’ defenders regard it as a body of knowledge built
on careful and painstaking exploration of complex clinical encounters,
offering more detailed and valid insights than can be obtained from other
sources. Psychoanalysis is also a building block for considerations of
human subjectivity in a wide range of academic disciplines and practical
areas of work, from social theory to feminist studies, to counselling and
psychotherapy.
In this thoroughly revised and updated second edition of For and
Against Psychoanalysis, Stephen Frosh examines the arguments surround-
ing psychoanalysis at some key points: its standing as a scientific theory,
its value as a method of therapy and its potency as a contributor to debates
around identity construction, gender, homosexuality and racism. At
each of these points, there is something to be said ‘for and against’
psychoanalysis, with the balance depending on whether it deepens our
understanding of human functioning, whether it is consistent with its own
perceptions and theories or seems subservient to social pressures and
norms, and whether it is coherent or muddled, evocative or sterile.
For and Against Psychoanalysisprovides an accessible introduction
and critical guide to the current standing of psychoanalysis. It is essential
reading for students of psychoanalysis, counselling, psychotherapy and
psychology, and for social researchers and social theorists, as well as for
those who are simply interested in what place psychoanalysis has in the
modern world.
Stephen Froshis Pro-Vice-Master, Professor of Psychology and Director
of the Centre for Psychosocial Studies at Birkbeck College, University
of London. He was previously Vice Dean and Consultant Clinical
Psychologist at the Tavistock Clinic.
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For and Against
Psychoanalysis
2nd Edition
Stephen Frosh
First published 1997
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RN
Second edition published 2006
by Routledge
27 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2FA
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
711 Third Ave, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 1997, 2006 Stephen Frosh
Typeset in Times by
Keystroke, Jacaranda Lodge, Wolverhampton
Paperback cover design by Terry Foley
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Frosh, Stephen.
For and against pyschoanalysis/Stephen Frosh.—2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1–58391–778–0 – ISBN 1–58391–779–9 (pbk.) 1. Psychoanalysis.
I. Title.
BF173.F897 2006
150.19′5–dc22 2005029277
ISBN13: 978–1–58391–778–7 (hbk)
ISBN13: 978–1–58391–779–4 (pbk)
ISBN10: 1–58391–778–0 (hbk)
ISBN10: 1–58391–779–9 (pbk)
In memory of my mother,
Ruth Frosh
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Beginning . . .
A story, apparently true, is told about the funeral of a famous
psychoanalyst. Being a secular funeral, the coffin was brought into a
hall prior to the body’s cremation. The hall was full of the friends
and colleagues of the dead person; no doubt it also contained a fair
sprinkling of enemies. The body, as is usual in such circumstances, was
lying down. As the wish of the deceased had been that there should be
no religious ritual at the funeral, the respectful crowd stood for a few
minutes in the presence of the corpse, and then sat down. No-one spoke.
After several minutes of silence, a few people crossed their legs. Still
no-one spoke. About a quarter of an hour passed, with little more than
a few coughs and grunts, and the rather over-regular breathing of a
number of elderly analysts who had fallen asleep. Then, clearly thinking
that the silence had gone on for long enough, the most senior training
analyst present said, apparently to the body, ‘Seemingly, you are finding
it hard to know where to begin.’
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Contents
Preface and acknowledgements xi
Introduction 1
1 The psychoanalytic heritage 3
PART I
Knowledge 27
2 Science, mysticism and subjectivity 29
3 Knowledge and interpretation 47
PART II
Psychotherapy 83
4 Psychoanalytic psychotherapy – does talking
make things worse? 85
5 The rules of the game 109
6 The outcome of psychoanalytic psychotherapy 134