Contemporary Psychoanalytic Practice

André Green revisits the very foundations of the analytic method. He traces a new map of the psychoanalytic field and proposes a contemporary clinical approach informed by the analytic framework, notably introducing the concept of the analyst’s internal framework. It includes a preface from Fernando Urribarri and introduction from Howard B. Levine.

Aiming to theoretically re-establish clinical practice, Green revisits the very foundations of the analytic method. He traces a new map of the psychoanalytic field, now redefined by the predominance of non-neurotic structures, and follows the Freudian technical model centered on the notion of transference, and the post-Freudian model emphasizing countertransference (or the "analyst's desire").

From this innovative perspective, Green distinguishes the myths from the realities of the analytic process, questions the extension of the concept of countertransference, reevaluates the technical articulations of interpretation and construction, and reformulates the relationships between repetition, memory, and elaboration. This volume closes with three essays on functioning at the limits of analyzability, including the remarkable theoretical-clinical study: “Sexuality in non-neurotic structures”.

The essays in this book were selected by Green in dialogue with Fernando Urribarri to make them accessible to a wider readership. They reflect the post-1974 elaborations and conclusions drawn from Green’s extensive clinical experience treating and supervising analytic work. They are a testament to Green’s determination to extend Freudian theory to adapt to contemporary clinical challenges, while consistently remaining within the Freudian paradigm.

This is the perfect book to launch the pivotal French Psychoanalysis: Contemporary Voices, Classical Texts series. Filled with fresh ideas, it is essential reading for all psychoanalytic clinicians, academics, and trainees.