ABSTRACT
This chapter gives a postscript to the Jon Mills' expansive knowledge of philosophy and psychoanalysis, and critical, analytical approach to evaluating theory, serve him well. For Mills, relational psychoanalysis privileges intersubjectivity over subjectivity and objectivity; he believes that relational psychoanalysis favours conscious experience over the primacy of the unconscious. Mills asks how it is possible to adhere to a theory of multiple selves without introducing a "plurality of contradictory essences", which is "philosophically problematic on ontological grounds". Mills notes that "the relational school has constructed a false dichotomy between drive theory and relational theory". Chapter 17 closes with Mills' observation that relational analysts advocate for flexibility in the therapeutic frame in order to cater to the unique needs of each dyad. The chapter concludes with expressing author's appreciation for the opportunity to respond to Mills' thoughtful, erudite essay.
