ABSTRACT

Since Freud’s death the theory and practice of psychoanalysis has evolved very considerably. Around 1950, a change occurred that resembles a paradigm shift conforming to Kuhn’s classic description. Anomalous facts, particularly concerning the psychoanalyst’s experiences and feelings, had accumulated – see, for instance, Ferenczi (1919), Glover (1927), Balint and Balint (1939), Racker (1948), 1 and Winnicott (1949) – resulting eventually in a shift in the clinical use of countertransference. This was articulated most concisely by Heimann (1950). New ideas of the here-and-now transference, countertransference, and enactment rapidly developed and have been increasingly employed since then. 2