ABSTRACT
It is true that in the social and political climate of today there are short-termist tendencies, and a cost-benefit frame of mind that uses only superficial positivistic criteria, that run counter to the values of psychoanalysis. But to let this damage the authors's thinking about his work, and to believe that human beings are suddenly not interested, cannot afford, do not have the time, to explore themselves-this is cover for a failure to embody psychoanalysis in the way that is presented. To help a candidate's work develop, it is necessary to look at weaknesses and spend time in areas that the candidate finds difficult. Someone who does not seem particularly talented, but who is nondefensively open to interaction with supervisors and teachers, may be a better analyst in ten years' time than another candidate whose work seems more impressive at the moment, but who does not really let his or her analytic self be touched or called into question.
