WHEN THE PSYCHOANALYST IS NOT ONLY A MOTHER BUT ALSO A WOMAN. EROTIC TRANSFERENCE IN THE DYAD «FEMALE THERAPIST AND MALE CLIENT»
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/upj/2024-2-3-2Keywords:
sexual transference, erotic transference, female therapist, gender in psychotherapy, psychoanalysisAbstract
The topic of sexuality appears in every therapy in one way or another, and cannot be silenced in a deep psychoanalytic relationship. While erotic transference is recognized as an entryway into the client's psychic life, manifestations of sexuality in a female-therapist and male-client pair may be considered indecent or unprofessional, and lead to feelings of shame, guilt, or incompetence. The psychoanalytic literature more often describes the transference dynamics in the male-therapist and female-client dyad, which is difficult for a female professional to identify with. The ethical codes of professional organizations prohibit sexual relations between therapists and clients, but here we can get another ethical problem — «premature termination of treatment», which occurs not so much at the initiative of the client as a result of therapists' difficulties. The purpose of the article is to highlight the gender-based variations in the dynamics of psychotherapy in the dyad of a female therapist and a male client. Among the factors that influence the specifics of therapy with men are the following: peculiarities of the boy's gender formation; formation of masculine identity through de-identification with the mother; reversal of power in the office; and the therapist's sense of safety or danger. Such characteristics of the therapist as warmth, empathy, and love have become entrenched as a therapeutic imperative to be achieved for the sake of a phantom therapeutic ideal, so it is sometimes difficult for women to notice other types of countertransference besides maternal. At the same time, a sense of reciprocity and trust with the client allows for a productive work in which sexual transference can be used for the benefit of the client and seen not only as a defense or a problem, but also as an achievement. The article provides examples of different combinations of transference and countertransference that arise during therapy and offers a theoretical justification for them.
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