Læknablaðið - 01.06.1961, Side 46

74
LÆKNABLAÐIÐ
the boundaries of therapeutic
effectiveness have deepened and
extended, and lliat psychoana-
lytic theory and therapy have
heen steadily and constructively
expanding and evolving.
And finally there is all that
is lcnown and has been tested
still open to him for the effort,
the help of more experienced
tlierapists and the support of
his own analvst as he works
through personal problems
hrought to his attention while
working with patients. All of
tliis is available to us, hut is
often overlooked or taken for
granted. I feel it important to
restate the obvious and, if you
will, to count our blessings.
Wliat I have listed thus far is
concretely stating that even a
novice has a whole lot in him-
self to count on and that the
assets in him, in his personal
analysis and self-analysis and
in the field of analysis have a
constructive momentum of their
own which could be more often
tapped.
These general considerations
could help give an analyst witli
limited. experience a feeling of
some solid ground to stand on
and help him in more accurately
diagnosing himself while going
througli the usual upsets in liis
now tliird new venture. Tliey
might in some measure protect
him from the tendency to take
every patient who comes to him
and to respond with the ex-
tremes of over-optimism or
over-pessimism.
Naturally into each therapeu-
tic venture he will bring all that
I have defined as assets and lia-
bilities in a patient. As he pro-
ceeds in his analysis and self-
analysis liis knowledge of them
will extend and deepen and he
will be growing as a person
and therapist. For experience in
working witli patients there is
no substitute. Knowledge of
tlieory and technique are not
sufficient. But working with
many patients without learning
and growing, without suffering
and satisfaction, without fail-
ures and successes, is a reflec-
tion to me of a pretty limited
therapist.
What I liave been presenting
is in part wliat I liave spelled
out as assets in the above menti-
oned paper.4) I believe it is
described in a language tbat is
understandable and points to
observable facts which are fam-
iliar to all of you. Tlie more
as individuals and as therapists
we know wliat to look for in
ourseves of assets and liabili-
ties, tlie more we will be able
to avail ourselves of those assets
and to use them in undermin-
ing liabilities in ourselves. As
we do so the balance will gradu-
ally shift in favor of assets and
increasing strength in the urge
toward self-realization.