The perpetrator of the unconscious in Davanloo's new metapsychology. Part II: comparison of the perpetrator to classic psychoanalytic concepts

✍ Scribed by Alan R. Beeber

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Weight: 120 KB
• Volume: 13
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1096-7028
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-1182(199909)13:3<159::aid-sho146>3.0.co;2-p

✦ Synopsis

Part I of this paper was a review of the psychoanalytic constructs that attempt to deal with those aspects of the human psyche, character and neurotic disturbance that concern self-defeating and self-sabotaging character traits, the need to perpetuate suffering, masochism and other self-destructive aspects of the personality. No single traditional psychoanalytic construct adequately describes or fully elucidates this aspect of neurosis. Freud himself noted, in his letter to Ernest Jones concerning the superego, that `All the obscurities and difficulties you describe do exist. But they are not improved even with the points of view you emphasize. They need completely fresh investigations, accumulated impressions and experiences, and I know how hard it is to obtain these. Your essay is a dark beginning in a complicated matter' (Jones, 1957).

Moreover, Davanloo noted that trying to clarify these issues with data obtained from psychoanalysis or long-term psychotherapy was problematic. The process of psychoanalysis was exceedingly gradual, with the course of therapy often stretching over several years; and objective evidence from direct observation was difficult to obtain (Davanloo, 1990c).

It was in response to this problem that Davanloo has made one of his major contributions to the development of a new metapsychology of the unconscious. He has developed a most highly effective intensive psychoanalytic treatment method which has dramatically shortened the course of psychotherapy without compromising the goals of structural character change. He has also made extensive use of audio-visual recording of sessions with patients.