https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2021.550
The forward edge transference within self-psychology and the activation of inborn capacity through interpretation and internalization
Submitted: May 17, 2021
Accepted: September 7, 2021
Published: December 20, 2021
Accepted: September 7, 2021
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All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
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This paper builds on the ideas of self-psychologists Marian Tolpin and Richard Geist in two ways. Firstly, the idea of using forward edge transference as fostering the promotion of psychological health and well-being. I present two verbatim clinical examples showing the use of forward edge transference, and thus the intersubjective engagement between therapist and patient. I suggest that forward edge transference, rooted in healthy and self-affirming childhood experiences, can lie buried and forgotten. Secondly, using the same two examples, this paper adopts the notion of interpretation as a carrier of selfobject functions and shows how the interpretation of forward edge transferences has the potential to catalyse (forgotten) inborn capacity. Internalization, a part of selfobject function and psychic development, is re-thought of as a process in which an interaction between patient and therapist appears to (re)activate inborn potential/capacity for the patient rather than as something the patient ‘takes in’ from the other/selfobject.
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How to Cite
Knight, Z. G. (2021). The forward edge transference within self-psychology and the activation of inborn capacity through interpretation and internalization. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome, 24(3). https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2021.550
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