The dirtiest topic in psychoanalysis: Brenda Berger, Stephanie Newman (ed.), “Money Talks in Therapy, Society and Life”, Routledge, July 2011

Sometimes referred to as “the last taboo,” money has remained something of a secret within psychoanalysis. Ironically, while it is an ingredient in almost every encounter between analyst and patient, the analyst’s personal feelings about money are rarely discussed openly or in any great depth. So what is it about money that relegates it to the background, both on the couch and off? In Money Talks, Brenda Berger, Stephanie Newman, and their excellent cast of contributors address this and other questions surrounding the tender topic of money, how we talk about it, and how it talks to us. Its multiple meanings are explored in the contexts of patients and analysts and the ways in which they relate, in the training and practice of the analysts themselves, as well as the psychological and cultural consequences of having too much or too little in both flush and tight economic times. Throughout, a clinical sensibility is brought to bear on money’s softly spoken place in therapy and life. Money Talks paves the way for an open discourse into the psychology of money and its pervasive influence on the psyche of both patient and analyst.

Table of Contents

Berger & Newman, Preface: Money Talks. Jacobs, Money: Some Reflections on Its Impact on Psychoanalytic Education and Practice. Hirsch, It Was a Great Month, None of My Patients Left. Glick, The Rich Are Different: Issues of Wealth in Analytic Treatments. Lieberman, Analyzing a “New Superego”: Greed and Envy in the Age of Affluence. Blum,To Be Guilty or Entitled? That is the Question: Reflections on Dr. Lieberman’s Contribution. Berger, Tight Money and Couples: How It Can Help Even as It Hurts. Newman, Follow the Money: Training and Fees, Fantasy and Reality. Orgel, Money and Meaning: A Senior Psychoanalyst Comments on Drs. Berger and Newman. Dimen, Money, Love, and Hate: Contradiction and Paradox in Psychoanalysis. Meersand, Working with Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults: The Meaning of Money in the Therapeutic Situation. Myers, Show Me the Money: (The “Problem” of) the Therapist’s Desire, Subjectivity, and Relationship to the Fee. Shanok, Money and Gender: Financial Facts and Fantasies for Female and Male Therapists. Grech, Dollars and Sense: Cognitive Biases and Personal Investing.

Reviews

Money has always been the dirtiest topic in psychoanalysis. It is avoided in scientific papers, clinical case conferences, and analytic seminars. With auspicious timing, this new collection of thoughtful contributions brings the subject into the light of day. The chapter authors examine every possible aspect of the subject: guilt, greed, narcissism, envy, impasse, interminable analyses, and resentment. This book is a must read for both beginning and experienced analysts. – Glen O. Gabbard, MD, author, Love and Hate in the Analytic Setting

Author/Editor Biography

Brenda Berger, Ph.D., is Clinical Assistant Professor of Medical Psychology in Psychiatry at Columbia University and on the faculty at the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research, where she serves as Senior Associate Director for Psychology and Director of the Psychology Externship training program. The author of the Parent Development Interview as well as several articles, she received a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship and the Lionel Ovesey Award of the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research for developing a psychodynamic teaching program. Dr. Berger practices in New York City and Larchmont, NY.

Stephanie Newman, Ph.D., is a faculty member of the Institute for Psychoanalytic Education affiliated with the New York University School of Medicine. She has presented numerous times on diverse topics in psychoanalysis at the Scientific Meetings of the American Psychoanalytic Association, as well as the American Psychological Association and APA Division 39 (Psychoanalysis). A regular contributor to the online edition of Psychology Today, she maintains a private psychoanalytic practice in New York City.