ABSTRACT
The last decade has brought increasing reference in the psychoanalytic literature to the concept of empathy and the part it plays in the psychoanalytic process. To some this growing interest seems to embody a growing consensus about the central place of empathy in psychoanalysis (Ornstein, 1979). Others see empathy as an important aspect of the psychoanalytic process, but believe the current attention to it is potentially dangerous (Arlow, 1979). Still others see a clear and present danger, which warrants a vigorous attack on the current use of the concept (Shapiro, 1981).
