mutative interpretation
An interpretation that produces lasting psychological change by addressing unconscious conflicts in the here-and-now transference relationship.
Full Definition
A mutative interpretation is one that creates enduring structural change in the patient's personality by illuminating unconscious conflicts as they are experienced in the immediate transference relationship with the analyst. According to James Strachey's influential formulation, these interpretations must address the patient's anxieties about their aggressive or libidinal impulses toward the analyst in the present moment, rather than focusing on historical material or external relationships. The interpretation becomes mutative when it helps the patient recognize their distorted perceptions and incorporate a more realistic view of the analyst as separate object.
Usage
Usage note: Distinguish from interpretations that provide insight without producing structural change.
In Context
- "The analyst's mutative interpretation helped the patient recognize how his fear of her criticism replicated his relationship with his mother." — Case conceptualization
- "Strachey argued that only mutative interpretations addressing transference anxieties produce lasting therapeutic change." — Theoretical discussion