Psychoanalysis.  2011 Oct;22(2):73-82.

Empathy and Analytic Relationship

• Lee MS

Abstract

This paper reviews analytic relationship and empathy. Analytic relationship refers to the therapeutic relationship between an analyst and an analysand. An analyst becomes a special object to an analysand in an analytic process through transference and externalization of internal object relations. An analysand responds to an analyst as a child, even if he/she is an already grown up adult, due to developmental arrest and deficit primary developmental needs during his/her childhood. An analysts responds to the analysand with 'empathic knowing' in the process of analysis in the analytic relationship. The empathic response of the analyst helps the analysand transform an internal object, enabling the child-within to grow up through the analytic relationship. The paper looks into developmental component of analytic empathy. As Dr. Greenson said, one cannot truly grasp subtle and complicated feelings of people except by this 'emotional knowing'. It is 'emotional knowing,' the experiencing of another's feelings, that is meant by the term empathy. This feeling of sharing is temporary and primarily a preconscious phenomenon. It is a very special mode of perceiving. Particularly for analytic relationship, the capacity for empathy is an essential prerequisite. The main motive of empathy is to achieve an understanding of a patient.

MeSH Terms

Adult
Child
Empathy
Hand Strength
Humans
Object Attachment