On neutrality.

Abstract

The various meanings of neutrality are traditionally assigned either to the psychoanalytic model, which developed within psychoanalysis, or to the natural science model whose meanings and methods were imported from the observational methods of natural science. The rules of abstinence and anonymity and the analyt's respect for the patient's autonomy are the principal distinctly psychoanalytic meanings of neutrality. These are discussed and illustrated by case examples. Psychoanalytic neutrality is founded upon and regulated by ethical principles of truthfulness, personal freedom, and the analyst's caring commitment to the patient. The natural science model includes the inhibition of the analyst's affective reactions, the attitude of impersonal detachment, and the requirement that the analyst's evaluations and interpretations be value-free. It is nether possible nor desirable for analysis to adopt the neutral attitudes and techniques of the natural science observer.