Leading articles

THE VIENNA PSYCHOANALYST wants to give not only already internationally established psychoanalysts, but also still unknown psychoanalysts the opportunity to post a self-written and not yet published article on the FrontPage of our online magazine!

Our Users then can leave comments, ask questions or discuss the articles in our forum. Our aim is to provide an international platform where for the first time anyone interested in psychoanalysis can exchange ideas on certain topics.
Articles are welcome in German and/ or English.

If you are interested, please send your article to
leadingarticle@theviennapsychoanalyst.at


(For reasons of readability, the male form is used with personal names, however the female form is also always intended.)

In our interview series "in conversation with“, we will briefly present the authors of the leading articles. We want to give our users the opportunity to read the leading article from a different point of view.

This week we are very glad to welcome Anita Dietrich-Neunkirchner from Vienna, Austria:

Born 1963 in Vienna, Master of Psychology at the University of Vienna, Diploma thesis on Gesundheitsselbsthilfeinitiativen in Wien – eine qualitative Studie, psychoanalysis training at the Wiener Psychoanalytisches Seminar (WPS), Doctoral studies in Psychotherapy Science at the Sigmund Freud University, Vienna, dissertation „Vielleicht kann man mit anderen schwesterlicher sein als mit der eigenen Schwester". Women couples as entrepreneurs - a psychoanalytic study of the symbolic sisterhood in a professional context.
Several years as a psychologist and psychotherapist at the psychiatric hospital Baumgartner Höhe, founding member and several years of employment at the Verein Selbstlaut (Association for the Prevention of Sexual Abuse): counseling, supervision, research.
Since 1993 working as a psychotherapist and psychoanalyst in private practice.
From 2003 to 2011 psychoanalytic teaching at the interuniversity colleague Graz/Seggauberg.
Since 2005: lecturer, analyst in training and supervisor at the Sigmund Freud University Vienna with a focus on developmental psychology, psychoanalysis of gender differences, psychoanalytic technique, case supervision. Research focus: clinical-social issues of gender discourse, gender construction from a psychoanalytical point of view - initiator and director of the GenderStudyGroup, an interdisciplinary research and literature seminar.
Since 2015: group psychoanalyst in training (ÖAGG specialist section GPA)
Latest publications: Vom Hijab bis zur Burka: Geschlechterdiskurs jenseits des Elfenbeinturmes. Zur Ver- und Entschleierung aus psychoanalytischer Sicht. In: Vykoukal E. and M.N. Weiss (Publisher): Weltethos und das Unbewusste, Wien, 2014, S.75-94.
Ist die Balintarbeit noch aktuell? Psychoanalytische Supervision von Studierenden unter dem Vorzeichen von Michael Balint. In: Feedback - Zeitschrift für Gruppentherapie und Beratung, Volume 1 & 2, Vienna, 2016, p. 6-23.

DWP: What brought you to psychoanalysis?

Anita Dietrich-Neunkirchner: Studying psychology in Vienna, which I completed in the late 1980s. At that time, there were also various psychoanalytical seminars, the legendary introduction to depth psychology of Hans Strotzka and a close cooperation with the Institute of Depth Psychology, where I attended all seminars throughout my studies and was fascinated. Furthermore, a psychoanalytic self-experience was very helpful for me, as consequence the desire to become a psychoanalyst emerged.


DWP: If you had the opportunity to talk with Sigmund Freud, what would be the topic?
Are there any specific questions?

Anita Dietrich-Neunkirchner: Let us assume that if Freud lived today, he would be less patriarchal, hence it would be very exciting to work out a radical deconstruction of the classical psychoanalytic femininity and masculinity theories from an ideological-critical perspective alongside him and to get his opinion on queer theoretical approaches, etc.


DWP: Fabric or leather couch?

Anita Dietrich-Neunkirchner: I´m alright with both, I have a leather couch now, but my previous one was fabric.


DWP: Bruno Bettelheim pointed out the importance of fairy tales in childhood. Will you tell us your favorite fairy tale? And do you see parallels to your own adult life?

Anita Dietrich-Neunkirchner: As a child, I really liked Rapunzel - a story about detachment from the mother and the way to an independent, mature genitality.


DWP: I dream, ...

Anita Dietrich-Neunkirchner: ... of a world where differences do not have to be fought against (isolated, split off) so hard.


DWP: What do you find good or particularly good in psychoanalysis and is there anything you do not like about it?

Anita Dietrich-Neunkirchner: What I like about psychoanalysis is that it does not limit itself to curative treatment, but that Freud has given us a method with which social phenomena can be questioned as well.


DWP: What challenges did you have to face during your analytic training?

Anita Dietrich-Neunkirchner: Learning to think for myself, and the courage to criticize!


DWP: Do you have a favorite Freud - quote?

Anita Dietrich-Neunkirchner: Since I love dreams so much, I choose two:

“The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind” (Freud The Interpretation of Dreams, Chapter VII)

“A dream, then, is a psychosis, with all the absurdities, delusions and illusions of a psychosis. A psychosis of short duration, no doubt, harmless, even entrusted with a useful function, introduced with the subject’s consent and terminated by an act of his will.” (Freud, An Outline of Psycho-Analysis)


DWP: Are there other psychoanalysts, in addition to Sigmund Freud, who you like to study?

Anita Dietrich-Neunkirchner: Marie Langer, Francoise Dolto, Janine Chasseguel-Smirgel, Hanna Segal, Melanie Klein, Joyce McDougall, Sandor Ferenczi, Donald Winnicott, Jaques Lacan, Vamik Volkan.


Thank you very much for this conversation, we are already looking forward to your leading article!



Contact information of the authors:
Mag. Dr. Anita Dietrich-Neunkirchner