Ferenczi and the contemporary psychoanalytic clinic: a review of his contributions to the role of the analyst

Abstract

This is a systematic review of national and international scientific papers published between 2015 and 2020 on Sándor Ferenczi’s work and his contributions to the contemporary psychoanalytic clinic, mainly regarding the role of the analyst. Search was conducted on the P@rthenon, Scielo and Pepsic databases using “Ferenczi,” “psychoanalytic clinic” and “analyst” as search descriptors. After reading the titles, abstracts and full texts a total of 52 articles met the inclusion criteria. Resumption of Ferenczi’s work on the role of the analyst reveals a new configuration of analytical relations based on an ethics of care. The analyst presents a possibility of shaping and underpinning traumatic experiences, collaborating with the patient to produce meanings and elaborations of these experiences.