The Possible Profession: The Analytic Process of Change

The Possible Profession: The Analytic Process of Change takes a fresh look at the many forms of unconscious communication that take place in the analytic situation. Bringing together two decades of the author’s previous writing as well as a considerable amount of new material, this book addresses a major contemporary issue in the field of psychoanalysis.

Unconscious communication in the analytic situation takes many forms. This book explores a number of these pathways as the author has encountered them in clinical work. Including numerous clinical examples, chapters cover a variety of topics with a central focus on:

• the relationship between the inner worlds of patient and analyst
• the interplay between these intrapsychic forces
• how this interaction affects the analytic process and, more specifically, the therapeutic action of psychoanalysis.

Written in a clear and concise way this book contributes to a new understanding of familiar material in a way that will be welcomed by teachers, students, and practitioners of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. It will also be of interest to dynamic therapists of all persuasions and academics in various fields interested in psychoanalytic thinking.

Theodore J. Jacobs, M.D., is a child and adolescent psychoanalyst as well as an adult analyst in private practice. He is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry (Emeritus) at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and a Training and Supervising Analyst at the New York Psychoanalytic Institute and Institute for Psychoanalytic Education. Dr. Jacobs is also a past president of The Association for Child Psychoanalysis.