ABSTRACT
The complexities and difficulties inherent in any attempt to arrive at valid and useful generalizations concerning mental phenomena have been very evident in the field of affect theory. C. Brenner goes on to review the standard psychoanalytic conceptualizations. Typically, a major consequence of rushing in prematurely with solutions is that the edifying criticism is bypassed or misunderstood. Pragmatic considerations support the premise that a principal task of a theory of expanded analytic therapy is to clarify the translation process. The building of new structures is a central matter in Kohut’s conception of child development and in his recommendations for therapy of narcissistic disturbances in the adult. The assumptions and implications seem to be that these and similar characteristics of empirical practice contaminate “pure” results predicted by valid theory. Similar variation, teleological principles can be found in classical optics or in quantum theory.
