HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Jacob A. Arlow (1912–2004) was an American teacher, scholar, and clinician who served as president of the
American Psychoanalytic Association The American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA) is an association of psychoanalysts in the United States. APsaA serves as a scientific and professional organization with a focus on education, research, and membership development. APsaA comprises ...
and the
New York Psychoanalytic Institute The New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute — founded in 1911 by Dr. Abraham A. Brill — is the oldest psychoanalytic organization in the United States. The charter members were: Louis Edward Bisch, Brill, Horace Westlake Frink, Fred ...
. Arlow was an editor of the '' Psychoanalytic Quarterly'' from 1972 to 1979; and published several articles on
psychoanalysis PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a body of knowledge. In what might ...
, as well as writing a history of psychoanalytic history, and co-authoring with Charles Brenner the influential text ''Psychoanalytic Concepts and the Structural Theory''.


Fantasy and myth

In perhaps his most significant theoretical contribution to psychoanalysis, Arlow explored the role of unconscious fantasy from the point of view of ego psychology, both subsuming its use in Kleinian theory, and providing the building block for Brenner's later development of conflict theory. His earlier article on 'Fantasy Systems in Twins' (1960) was used by
Maynard Solomon Maynard Elliott Solomon (January 5, 1930 – September 28, 2020) was an American music executive and musicologist, a co-founder of Vanguard Records as well as a music producer."Maynard Solomon" in '' Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians'', ...
to illuminate the inner development of
Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
, Arlow observing that the “bond of complete understanding which is missing with the parent unites the twins in the wish fantasy....The existence of another individual who is a reflection of the self brings the experience of twinship in line with the psychology of the double”. He also explored the role of
myth Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...
in bridging the gap between individual instinctual conflicts and cultural ideals.


Psychoanalyitc limitations

Arlow insisted on the limitations of psychoanalysis, inherent both in its technique and in the human experience itself, and warned against any quest for perfection through psychoanalysis.


Criticism

Heinz Kohut in his self psychology would challenge the Arlow/Brenner belief that
narcissistic personality disorder Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a life-long pattern of exaggerated feelings of self-importance, an excessive need for admiration, a diminished ability or unwillingness to empathize with oth ...
could be understood within the methodology of the
transference Transference (german: Übertragung) is a phenomenon within psychotherapy in which the "feelings, attitudes, or desires" a person had about one thing are subconsciously projected onto the here-and-now Other. It usually concerns feelings from a ...
neurosis.Heinz Kohut, ''The Analysis of the Self'' (Madison 1971) p. 6n


See also


References


External links


Interview
American psychoanalysts Jewish psychoanalysts 1912 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American psychologists {{US-psychologist-stub