ABSTRACT
Reliance on clinical observation for accretion of meanings is central to the use of the theory of transformations. Psychoanalytic theories, patient’s or analyst’s statements are representations of an emotional experience. Psychoanalysts agree that correct analysis demands that the analyst’s interpretation should formulate what the patient’s behaviour reveals; conversely, that the analyst’s judgement should be embodied in an interpretation and not in an emotional discharge. The chapter suggests a method of classification to aid in developing capacity for such instinctive decisions and have embodied it in the Grid. Destructive activity is balanced by enough success to deny the patient fulfilment of his destructiveness. A helpful summary of such a case is to describe it as ‘chronic’ murder of patient and analyst, or, an instance of parasitism; the main features are dependence of the patient, the parasite, on analyst and the associated group, or family, or wider social group.
