ABSTRACT
Conceptual knowledge is important, as we need to know why we do things before we do them. But there is also the danger of being led by theory. Too much theory can bias perception. Ideally the clinician makes observations, then finds a theory that fits, rather than the other way around. People vary in their level of commitment or devotion to a particular theoretical structure. Complete adherence would be worrying, although every school of analytic thought has its true believers. An example of an unfelt feeling that is managed by making someone else feel it can be seen in adolescence. An adolescent may feel uncertain about his future, but cope with this by staying out late and not telling his parents where he is. Projective identification has become central to the Kleinian theory of mind. Bion (1962) postulated that projective identification is an important method of identification and communication in the early infant-mother relationship.
