ABSTRACT
This chapter takes up the concern of the last one with metaphorical interpretation of developmental material-in particular, parental images. The overall idea is that parental images may be understood as a form of self-monitoring, even of self-diagnosis, generated by the patient’s psyche and communicated to him or her (and to the analyst). Although the suggestions about parental imagery are presented in an orderly way, this is not intended to be a systematic and comprehensive presentation. The ideas arose pragmatically, and then, when I had developed a pragmatic model, I could see how it connected with a good deal of theory that is well known. So these are clinically based theoretical speculations.
