Interpersonal Psychoanalysis: the collected papers of Clara M. Thompson

413 Pages·1964·6.353 MB·English

by  Clara M. Thompson

Interpersonal
Psychoanalysis
Clara M. Thompson
PAPERs oF
Edited by·MA UR/CE R. GREEN
Foreword by ERICH FROMM
BASIC BOOKS, Inc., Publishers
New York, London
THIS IS THE FIRST WORK to bring to
gether the outstanding contributions of
one of the key figures in the develop
ment of psychoanalysis.
From the entire body of Clara Thomp
son's writings, Dr. Green has selected
the most lasting contributions to theory
and technique. Among them are those
on the changes that she helped to bring
about in the psychiatric concepts of
homosexuality and transference and
her major contributions to clinical tech
niques and the psychology of women.
Dr. Green has also included the extant
portions of Dr. Thompson's unfinished
manuscript, Problems of Womanhood.
A popular and dedicated teacher, lec
turer, and supervisory analyst, Clara
Thompson, notes Erich Fromm in his
Foreword, "was one of those rare per
sons who could take a leading role in
the formation of an independent psy
choanalytic group and continue to
guide it."
She was the first president of the
Washington-Baltimore Psychoanalytic
Society and the first executive director
of the William Alanson White Institute.
But her extensive involvement in the
organizational structure of psychoanal
ysis did not prevent her from maintain
ing a full practice and functioning as a
prolific and gifted writer.

Copyright© 1964 by Maurice R. Green
Library of Congress Card Catalog Number: 64-22599
Manufactured in the United States of America
Designed by Jacqueline Schuman
FOREWORD
I have known Clara Thompson over a period of many years as a colleague,
friend, and administrator. She played an important role in the develop
ment of psychoanalysis in the United States because the needs of psycho
analysis and her personal qualities complemented each other in a remark
able way.
Psychoanalysis, which is a theoretical system of dynamic psychology and
at the same time a therapy for mental disorders, has had a peculiar fate.
Instead of remaining a scientific discipline and a therapeutic art, it devel
oped a "movement." The apparent reasons for this development were:
(1) The need to establish standards of training for those who wanted to
become psychoanalysts. This was a particular problem for psychoanalysis,
in contrast to medicine for instance, because universities refused to offer
such training; thus private training centers had to be established, and
they had to develop their own standards and training methods.
(2) The problem became aggravated by the general hostility against
psychoanalysis current among most professionals until the late twenties
combined with the tendencies of some psychoanalysts to make concessions
to the currents of public opinion by softening and emasculating Freud's
theory. For these reasons Freud and his early disciples felt compelled to
establish not only strict criteria for training, but also to lay down rules
concerning the legitimate application of the terms "psychoanalysis" and
"psychoanalyst." In addition, and less explicitly, Freud and some of his
pupils had aims which transcended theory and therapy. Freud was pro
pelled by a sense of a mission to give man full knowledge of himself and
thus to realize the aims of Enlightenment philosophy in a more profound
and penetrating way.1
Such motivations for the formation of a psychoanalytic movement are
understandable; however, they implied grave dangers. Once one tries to
determine what is "legitimate" in theory, there are individuals and groups
who are empowered to lay down the rules. This in turn leads to the forma
tion of a bureaucracy in charge of the development of theory and therapy
1 For the details of this thought cf. Erich Fromm, Sigmund Freud's Mission (New
York: Harper Be Row, 1959).
V
vi Foreword
which tends to become a power apparatus precisely because it controls not
only theory and therapy but the professional existence of those who prac
tice psychoanalysis.
This is what happened to the psychoanalytic movement, with the result
that a bureaucratic and often fanatical spirit took hold of the leadership
of the movement, which tended to exclude psychoanalysts who held di
vergent or critical opinions. As a result, various groups of analysts declined
to accept this situation and formed independent training groups and so
cieties of their own. In this, and in other similar situations, the danger
exists that in turn the leaders of such opposition groups develop into
bureaucrats and show the same fanaticism which they previously com
batted. If this danger is to be avoided, very special personalities are
needed.
Clara Thompson was one of these rare persons who could take a leading
role in the formation of an independent psychoanalytic group and con
tinue to guide it. She was a thoroughly independent person, averse to rules
and principles with which she did not agree; at the same time she did not
endow her 0wn theoretical principles with a halo that would make her
fight all others. But while she was never a fanatic or one to intimidate
others, it was one of her remarkable characteristics that she could not be
intimidated. She acted according to her convictions, and she stood by her
friends. No threat or bribery could move her to change her position. This
integrity within and loyalty to friends made it possible for others to trust
her and rely on her. She was a person with fine appreciation of theory and,
at the same time, with excellent common sense. But beyond all this, she
was a warm, devoted, and nurturant person. When she began to guide the
William Alanson White Institute, she did so with a deep concern for her
students and colleagues, with great patience, and with remarkable mod
esty. All these qualities made it possible for her to lead the institute with
out ever permitting it to become the center of a "school" in which one
special theory was taught as the right and orthodox one.
This spirit, so characteristic of her, was also characteristic of her great
teacher, Sandor Ferenczi. A gifted and brilliant analyst, he, too, was al
ways ready to listen seriously to opinions that differed from his own. Clara
Thompson continued his tradition, and it may be said without exaggera
tion that this objectivity, tolerance, and concern made it possible for the
William Alanson White Institute to grow as an independent psycho
analytic institute and to avoid bureaucratic restrictions or fanatical claims
that it represented the "one and true" theory.
This volume will impress the reader with the same qualities in the
theoretical writings of Clara Thompson which I have tried to describe as
characteristic of her personality.
PREFACE
Psychoanalysis in recent years has undergone a major development away
from Freud's libido theory toward ego psychology, a more flexible tech
nique, and a psychosocial or interpersonal approach. Clara Mabel Thomp
son, a descendant of hardy New England whalers, gave great impetus to
this development in America. More than anyone else in the field of psy
choanalysis, she stretched the parameters of the discipline encompassing
diverse points of view while constantly reaching toward new frontiers. Her
book, Psychoanalysis: Its Evolution and Development, was the first effort
made by a psychoanalyst to integrate the various theories of Freud, Fer
enczi, Adler, Jung, Reich, Horney, Sullivan, Fromm, and others. Unlike
many other classic psychoanalysts, she did not restrict her practice to "suit
able" neurotic patients. She recognized the potentialities of those whose
problems often involved overt conflict with the conventional restraints of
our society-the homosexual, the single woman, and the schizophrenic.
Consequently she attempted the treatment of many who were rejected as
hopeless by other analysts.
Although not an innovator herself, she had the astute clinician's gift for
recognizing in the innovations of others what was relevant and useful for
the welfare of her patients. This clinical orientation gives a refreshing
breadth and clarity to her written work. She believed passionately in the
value of psychoanalysis for enhancing the humanity of persons, no matter
how sick they seemed to be. Her emphasis, in theory as well as practice, was
always concentrating on and analyzing what went on between persons to
facilitate the growth of a human relationship-what I would call inter
personal psychoanalysis. Sandor Ferenczi, one of the first psychoanalysts
to emphasize this interpersonal approach, had been recommended to her
by Harry Stack Sullivan, a leading theoretician in America of the clinical
vii
Preface
viii
significance of interpersonal relations. Her friend, colleague, and analyst,
Erich Fromm, was a leader of the interpersonal approach in social psy
chology. He has been outstanding for his unique insights into the human
wastefulness of our contemporary culture. Her critical appraisals of Fer
enczi, Sullivan, and Fromm, stemming from her close personal involve
ment with them, are invaluable guides to their work and their significance
for psychoanalysis in America.
Clara Thompson was a popular and dedicated teacher, lecturer, and
supervisory analyst. Like others in her position, she tended to evoke ex
tremes of cultlike loyalty and bitter opposition. She respected hostile oppo
sition without giving quarter to ingratiating or placating maneuvers.
She was suspicious of cultist devotion, avoiding any dogma that could be
used as a banner and skillfully reflecting responsibility back to her stu
dents with a salty Yankee wit.
She began her psychoanalytic career as a classic psychoanalyst, teaching
and training other analysts at the conservative New York Psychoanalytic
Institute. In her professional growth she repeatedly had to stand up
against prevailing authorities. Nonetheless, in doing so she built on what
was valid to her in their work. She began with Freud's basic contributions
in spite of their unpopularity with her chief, Adolf Meyer, dean of Amer
ican psychiatry, while she was still training at Johns Hopkins. Later she
championed Ferenczi when he lost favor with Freud and Jones. In the
same spirit, she opposed the New York Psychoanalytic Institute in support
of Karen Horney. Under an appearance of almost na'ive simplicity and
femininity, she was a skilled organizer, ingenious tactician, and an elo
quent speaker. She enjoyed prestige and power, and she gained a prom
inent position in all the groups in which she participated. She was the first
president of the Washington-Baltimore Psychoanalytic Society, instructor
and training analyst of the New York Psychoanalytic Institute, first vice
president of the American Association for the Advancement of Psycho
analysis, the first executive director of the William Alanson White In
stitute, and a trustee of the Academy of Psychoanalysis.
During the last thirty years of her life, Clara Thompson published fifty
seven papers, articles, interviews, and book reviews. In addition, there
were eight unpublished papers and an uncompleted manuscript for a book
on the psychology of women. While editing this material I have selected
what is primarily addressed to a professional audience, omitting what
was merely popularizing or repeating her earlier work. Among the se
lected papers, I have tried to cut out as much as possible of what is re
dundant without disturbing the continuity of her thought. In Part I I have
presented her papers on the changes that she helped bring about in the
psychoanalytic concepts of some difficult problems, such as those of homo-
Preface ix
sexuality and transference, using the analyst's personality and psycho
therapy. Part II consists in her papers on Ferenczi, Sullivan, and Fromm
which lucidly spell out the basis of her clinical techniques. Part III com
prises eight short papers on clinical problems such as treating alienated
and detached personalities, masochism, hostility, and frequently en
countered crises. These papers illustrate her clinical acumen and her con
cern for the patient's spontaneity and authenticity. Part IV is on the
psychology of women, brought together here for the first time. Part V is
her unfinished manuscript entitled Problems of Womanhood. Part VI is
a brief biographical sketch.
I wish to thank her brother and sister-in-law, Frank and Peggy Thomp
son, for their warm encouragement and collaboration. In addition, the
following colleagues and friends of Clara Thompson have been of in
estimable help with each of their contributions: Eugene Eisner, M.D.,
Ruth Moulton, M.D., Lloyd Merrill, Rose Spiegel, M.D., Anna Goure
wich, Ph.D., Ilona Vass, M.D., Lucille Dooley, Ph.D., M.D., Adelaide
Smith, M.D., William Silverberg, M.D., Raymond Sobel, M.D., Albert V.
Jessen, M.D., Margaret Tsaltas, M.D., and Mrs. Charles J. Field (Edith
Sprague Field).
I also wish to thank Miss Sally Gallagher, Miss Edna Salinger Lyons,
Allen S. Cutts, D.D., and Elizabeth S. Noton (United Baptist Church),
William T. Macdougald (Principal, Classical High School, Providence),
Dorothy S. Horton (Recorder, Pembroke College), Lillian Kaplan, M.D.,
Dexter Bullard, M.D., Mary E. Burke (Registrar, Johns Hopkins Uni
versity School of Medicine), Mrs. Adolf Meyer, Smiley Blanton, M.D.,
Miss Dorothy A. Plum (Bibliographer, Vassar College), Earl Witenberg,
M.D., Janet Rioch, M.D., Lawrence S. Kubie, M.D., Leo H. Bartemeier,
M.D., Ruth E. Fairbank, M.D., Henry H. Hart, M.D., Mary F. McGuin
ness, Clement J. Hasenfus (Principal, The Henry Bernard School of
Rhode Island College), Loretta E. Blais (Assistant Archivist, Special
Collections Library, Brown University), Winfred Overholser, M.D., and
Jerome Frank, M.D.
I also wish to thank Thelma Babbitt and the Spring Lake Ranch for the
quiet retreat they provided for my work; Martha Gibbon for help in pre
paring the manuscript; Sondra Wilk and Helen Eckstein for research
assistance; and my wife, Amelia, for her sensitive and perceptive criti-
cism.
MAURICE R. GREEN
New York City
June z964