ABSTRACT
Drs. Lichtenberg and Leider have written two thoughtful and challenging chapters that differ from one another in several respects. Lichtenberg’s chapter is a contribution to clinical psychoanalytic theory. He seeks to broaden and enrich our conceptualization of transference and countertransference by applying to these phenomena categories derived from his efforts to immerse himself empathically in the lived experience of the infant. Leider, on the other hand, offers broad philosophical reflections on the nature of psychoanalytic reality. Another difference holds more personal relevance for me. Early in his presentation, Lichtenberg, alluding to the compatibility of our views with the ideas he would be elaborating, cites approvingly a passage from the book I wrote with Brandchaft and Atwood (1987). In contrast, it is Leider’s sharp disagreement with our views on psychoanalytic knowing and reality that provides the focus of his argument. Not surprisingly, my reactions to the two chapters differ. First, I will discuss what I find most valuable and compelling in Lichtenberg’s contribution and will note certain parallels between his conceptualization and the framework my collaborators and I have been developing. Then I will offer a rejoinder to, and critique of, the epistemological stance advocated by Leider.
