'You were not born here, so you are classless, you are free!' Social class and cultural complex in analysis

Abstract

The unconscious impact of differences in culture and social class is discussed from the perspective of an analyst practising in London whose 'foreign accent' prevents patients from placing her within the social stratifications by which they feel confined. Because she is seen by them as an analyst from both 'inside' and 'outside' the British psycho-social fabric and cultural complex, this opens a space in the transference that enables fuller exploration of the impact of the British social class system on patients' experience of themselves and their world. The paper considers this impact as a trans-generational trauma of living in a society of sharp socio-economic divisions based on material property. This is illustrated with the example of a patient who, at the point of moving towards the career to which he aspired, was unable to separate a sense of personal identity from the social class he so desperately wanted to leave behind and walk the long avenue of individuation. The dearth of literature on the subject of class is considered, and the paper concludes that not enough attention is given to class identification in training.

Keywords: Kultureller Komplex; accent étranger; accento straniero; acento extranjero; clase social; classe sociale; complejo cultural; complesso culturale; complexe culturel; coциaльный клacc; coциo-культуpныe paздeлeния; cultural complex; division socio-économique; divisione socio-economica; división socio-económica; foreign accent; fremder Akzent; social class; socio-economic division; soziale Klasse; sozioökonomische Trennung; trans-generational trauma; transference; transferencia; transfert; transgenerationales Trauma; trauma trans-generacional; trauma transgenerazionale; traumatisme trans-générationel; Übertragung; инocтpaнный aкцeнт; культуpный кoмплeкc; мeжкпoкoлeнчecкaя тpaвмa; пepeнoc; 代际创伤; 外国口音; 文化情结; 社会经济分层; 社会阶层; 移情.