The refinding of theory in clinical practice

Abstract

The analyst's use of his preconscious is central to understanding how clinical practice in psychoanalysis is informed by theory. One view is that we have a definitive conception of our theory, from which we derive our clinical practice by largely preconscious deliberation. Another view sees psychoanalytic concepts as elastic, related to each other along dimensions of meaning in a finite but flexible theoretical space. We do not, on this view, determine once for all what our theory is, but continually have to discover it by exploring our preconscious as we watch ourselves at work. Some detailed clinical material shows how I observed the evolution of my use of theory in a particular case. I had to refind theory which I already knew; familiar concepts had to become surprising. This also allowed theoretical understanding to emerge which was new to me. This implies an act of personal engagement with our theoretical concepts, rather than the pseudo-objective application of what are taken for facts. A survey of various positions in the philosophy of science shows that this is entirely consistent with the nature of scientific activity.