title: The "something more" than interpretation revisited: sloppiness and co-creativity in the psychoanalytic encounter.
abstract: Features of dynamical systems thinking can illuminate insufficiently recognized levels of psychoanalytic process. A central aspect of dynamical models is that changes in complex systems are unpredictable and arise out of the interaction of elements. Examination of the moment-by-moment micro-foreground, or local level, of psychoanalytic sessions led to the conclusion that indeterminacy and surprise are inherent properties of intersubjective systems. This indeterminacy, or sloppiness, comprises several interrelated features of the dialogue: "fuzzy" intentionalizing, unpredictability, improvisation, variation, and redundancy. Audiotaped transcripts of two analytic sessions illustrate how these sloppy features generate unpredictable and potentially creative elements that contribute to psychotherapeutic change.
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D003405:Creativity; D004325:Dreams; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D009042:Motivation; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011573:Psychoanalytic Interpretation; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D013598:Systems Theory; D013637:Tape Recording