Working Intersubjectively

by Donna M. Orange

Working Intersubjectively: Contextualism in Psychoanalytic Practice satisfies the need for an up-to-date and practice-oriented introduction to the intersubjective perspective in psychoanalysis. It is premised on the central idea of contextualism, a broad-based philosophy of psychoanalytic practice that encompasses the most recent insights of intersubjectivity theory. From an overview of the basic principles of intersubjectivity theory, Orange, Atwood, and Stolorow proceed to contextualist critiques of the concept of psychoanalytic technique and of the myth of analytic neutrality. They then examine the intersubjective contexts of extreme states of psychological disintegration, and conclude with an examination of what it means, philosophically and clinically, to think and work contextually.