ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author offers a number of critical reflections on the theme of his relationship to S. Freud and psychoanalysis. He focuses on the subject of fascination, be it to persons or to movements and the ideals they carry, including those of the psychoanalytic movement itself. The author traces some of the theoretical currents that have influenced the his thinking since the late 1970s, such as feminism, Michael Foucault, and literary criticism, and touch upon his formation as clinical psychologist and group analyst. He advocates the importance of maintaining a critical discourse about psychoanalysis, which continues to have influence far beyond the clinical world. The author discovers the obvious–that psychoanalysts have professional selves to defend and can carry common prejudices, invariably not seen at the time. Fascination has a dual aspect, involving awe and fear in the presence of something or someone who is highly valued.
