The Metapsychology of Christopher Bollas: An Introduction

129 Pages·2016·10.725 MB·English

by  Sarah Nettleton

The Metapsychology of
Christopher Bollas
The Metapsychology of Christopher Bollas: An Introduction explores
Bollas’s extraordinarily wide contribution to contemporary psychoanaly-
sis. The book aims to introduce and explain the fundamentals of Bollas’s
theory of the mind in a systematic way, addressing many of the questions
that commonly arise when people approach his work.
Through chapters on topics such as the receptive unconscious, idiom,
the unthought known, and the implications of Bollas’s metapsychol-
ogy for the technique of free association, the book enables the reader to
acquire an understanding of his unique psychoanalytic language, to grasp
the conceptual building blocks of his thinking and how these interrelate,
and to appreciate the theoretical and clinical coherence of his thinking.
The Metapsychology of Christopher Bollas: An Introduction will be
of use to psychoanalysts, psychotherapists and counsellors, as well as
psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers wishing to explore the
applications of psychoanalytic thinking to their practice. It will be of
great value to trainees in these disciplines, as well as to postgraduate
students and academics interested in contemporary psychoanalysis.
Sarah Nettleton is a psychoanalyst in London. Originally a piano
accompanist, she has written on music and the internal world and on
the psychodynamics of musical giftedness. For the past 7 years she has
taught seminars on the work of Christopher Bollas extensively in the UK,
and in Norway, Israel, France, the USA and Turkey.
‘Sarah Nettleton’s excellent guide to the work of Christopher Bollas is
written with accuracy, detail and brilliance. Her clear explanation of his
central theories – including the receptive unconscious, psychic genera,
idiom, character, and the unthought known – allows us to go deep into
Bollas’s metapsychology. She shows us the depth and originality of his
thinking, enabling even those who are approaching this for the first time
to acquire a thorough synthesis of his ideas. It is a pleasure to recommend
this book as a “must read”!’
– Sergio Eduardo Nick, Vice President Elect,
International Psychoanalytical Association
‘Sarah Nettleton takes us on a deep and fascinating tour through the
metapsychology of Christopher Bollas, presenting his distinctive model
of the structure and functioning of the mind as he has developed it over
the course of many years. She emphasises his theoretical pluralism and
his focus on unconscious expression, allowing us to understand his con-
cept of “transformative self-experiencing”. Her book demonstrates how
Bollas’s work awakens the reader’s own creativity, achieving a broader
view of the relationship between the patient and analyst.’
– Silvia Flechner, Past President, Uruguayan
Psychoanalytical Association
‘This wonderful book focuses on the theoretical thinking of an interna-
tionally admired and deeply inspiring master of contemporary psycho-
analysis. Sarah Nettleton illuminates the richness, variety and conceptual
coherence of Bollas’s many innovative ideas, providing us with both a
clarifying exploration and an integrative reflection on his work.’
– Stefano Bolognini, President, International
Psychoanalytical Association
‘Sarah Nettleton’s readers will encounter a double pleasure: both the
enjoyment of this book and the encouragement to engage with the original
works of Christopher Bollas. Those who already appreciate the extreme
creativity of his writings will be delighted to discover in her penetrating
study a fresh inspiration to re-read them. I highly recommend this book.’
– Haydée Faimberg, author of The Telescoping
of Generations
The Metapsychology
of Christopher Bollas
An Introduction
Sarah Nettleton
First published 2017
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2017 Sarah Nettleton
The right of Sarah Nettleton to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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.
Trademark notice : Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
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
Names: Nettleton, Sarah, 1955– author.
Title: The metapsychology of Christopher Bollas : an introduction /
Sarah Nettleton.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2016. |
Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015048761 | ISBN 9781138795549 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781138795556 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781315758374 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Bollas, Christopher. | Psychoanalysis. | Spiritualism.
Classification: LCC BF109.B6435 N47 2016 | DDC 150.19/5—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015048761
ISBN: 978-1-138-79554-9 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-79555-6 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-75837-4 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
For John and Deirdre
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Contents
Foreword by Vincenzo Bonaminio ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgements xiii
Abbreviations xiv
Introduction 1
1 Psychic dualities 6
2 The receptive unconscious and psychic genera 10
3 Idiom 19
4 The unthought known 27
5 Self relationships 33
6 Character and interrelating 41
7 Evocative objects 46
8 Unconscious complexity 56
9 Free association 62
10 The Freudian Pair 74
viii Contents
11 Worlds apart 83
12 An integrated theory 93
Appendix 97
Index 109
Foreword
I n introducing Sarah Nettleton’s indispensable book, I would like to start
with a personal reminiscence.
M y acquaintance with Bollas goes back to the late ’70s when, invited
by Adriano Giannotti and Andrea Giannakoulas, he would come every
six months or so as visiting professor to the renowned Istituto di Neu-
ropsichiatria Infantile (as it was then called) at the University of Rome
‘Sapienza’.
His visits were always an event. Many of the papers that were to be
published later in T he Shadow of the Object (1987) were presented in
Rome for the first time, to an audience delighted by the crystalline trans-
parency and clarity of his thinking, which was combined with great com-
plexity. In the hall you could have heard a pin drop.
T hose who, like me, would sit in the front row, could observe Bol-
las’s expression during the consecutive translation. In that brief interval
between the previous phrase and what he would say next, one sensed that
Bollas was spontaneously rethinking, then and there, continually com-
ing up with new clinical and theoretical ideas. It was as if we were see-
ing, in statu nascendi , a surge of creative thinking. Sometimes he would
apologize for contradicting something he had just said: he had rethought
it as the translator was speaking, and a more convincing formulation had
come to mind. It was always a work in progress.
In individual supervision I had a similar experience: Bollas had an
unparalleled capacity for listening (even to my halting English), paying
infinite attention to the precise phrasing of both patient and analyst. He
would often ask to hear how the patient had expressed himself in Italian,
and exactly how I had responded. The way in which each unique uncon-
scious speaks has continued to be a central theme in his work.
Many contemporary psychoanalysts have developed, often very pro-
ductively, the ideas of the great psychoanalytic figures of the last half