Analytic training and training analysis

Journal title PSICOTERAPIA E SCIENZE UMANE
Author/s Michael Balint
Publishing Year 2026 Issue 2026/3
Language Italian Pages 12 P. 417-428 File size 272 KB
DOI 10.3280/PU2026-003005
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A critical overview of the history of psychoanalytic training is traced, describing its evolution into five distinct periods. Moving from the early “instructional” and “demonstrative” phases, characterized by brief, intellectualized encounters, the shift toward “proper analysis” and the subsequent emergence of “supertherapy” is examined. Sándor Ferenczi’s influence was important, because he demanded that training analysis be more deep and complete. This “supertherapy” is critically analyzed, warning against the tendency to interpret negative transference prematurely. Such technique may lead to a “tacit collusion” where the candidate introjects an idealized image of the analyst to avoid genuine conflict. This process is a primary cause of sectarianism and the “confusion of tongues” within psychoanalytic institutions. It is advocated a “period of research”, which prioritizes personal discovery and intellectual independence over doctrinal conformity. By embracing the principle of semper reformari debet (“must always reform itself”) a continuous reevaluation of training methods is recommended in order to ensure that training fosters creative and autonomous therapists rather than acritical followers.

Keywords: Training Analysis; Supertherapy; Negative Transference; Idealization; Sectarianism

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Michael Balint, Formazione analitica e analisi didattica (1953) in "PSICOTERAPIA E SCIENZE UMANE" 3/2026, pp 417-428, DOI: 10.3280/PU2026-003005