This is a term that Ferenczi borrowed from Herbert Silberer to denote symbolism that reflects psychic processes themselves. There are three autosymbolic prototypes: the ma­chine, the mirror and the bridge. These symbols negotiate tensions between the inner and outer world. Such negotia­tions are not simple, as they stem the primal defenses of introjection and projection. Hence they are constantly sub­verted by ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ vicissitudes; machines, for exam­ple, project our inner organic processes to the point where they assume some ‘outside’ dimension that we can control -we cannot readily switch off our bowels, for example, but we can switch off the washing-machine; likewise, mirrors reflect so much of the ‘outside’ world that they become paradigms of our ‘inner’ production of the ‘outside’ - Janet, Wallon and Lacan, for example, appeal numinously to this symbol to constitute primary consciousness; last, but not least, the bridge, whose ability to ‘transfer’ is taken for granted, but whose original construction plan and pre-ordained traffic flow seem irresolvably controversial - take language (or ‘word bridges’), for example: few are intrepid enough to decide conclusively whether anyone starts out with the pri­mary irreducible ‘inner’ language and crosses over into ‘outer’, everyday, intersubjective language or whether it is the other way around (Steiner, 1978; Lacan, 1966).

Ferenczi uses the term ‘hate’ ambivalently. On the one hand, ‘hate’ articulates the death-drive and sets in motion primor­dial destructive and restitutive forces. It provokes, for exam­ple, the whole process of ‘displacement’ (Verschiebung). Al­ternatively, ‘hate’ is purely reactive and sometimes contains justifiable anger. This is particularly the case in analysis, where the patient can feel rage (Wut) at the analyst’s insensitivity.

Tenderness is the pre-oedipal and passion the post-oedipal register of experience. Tenderness therefore tends to focus on oral gratification, kissing, nuzzling and snuggling close to­gether. Passion is phallic, incestuous, hence prone to punish­ment (castration) and laden with guilt (‘Leiden’ means ‘to suffer’ in German).

Ferenczi concentrates on the ‘confusion’ (Sprachverwirrung) of these two registers in the relationships between adults and children: in many ‘seduction’ scenes, children desire tenderness and adults respond passionately.

A big noun (Liebe), which Ferenczi uses in two distinct ways. First, as a positive transference phenomenon, in which the subject is entranced by the object of desire. This focuses on reception of a dominating experience, as the hypnotized experiences the hypnotizer. In German, this use is always qualified by the passive – ‘Verliebtheit’ refers to the state of ‘being’ in love, rather than actively ‘loving’.

In contrast, the verb to love ‘actively’ (Lieben) defines the analyst’s task, which defies coercion and instead offers the patient tenderness (Zärtlichkeit). This active form is difficult to define, precisely because it is neither dominating nor based on patriarchal authority within the oedipal model. Instead, it is inspired by the mother's position, which is purposefully defined as separate from the then socially accepted views of women as passive receptors of phallic penetration (Ferenczi, Diary, 26 November 1932). Ferenczi is quite aware that this begs many political questions, and indeed implies that every­one should explore such questions through study of contra­dictions in the mother’s position.

The final development of ‘active’ technique (1929-32), which involves exchanging places between analyst and patient where this seems fruitful. Ferenczi stresses that this principle cannot be generalized. It depends entirely on carefully nur­tured trust and mutual regression to the language of ‘tender­ness’.

This term derives from spiritualist terminology, where it denotes creative destiny (following Orpheus, the god of poetry and imagination). This concept emerges late in Ferenczi’s career, largely in response to his mutual analysis with Elizabeth Severn. For him, it indicates the unconscious, vital, organizing instincts that nourish people and prevent them from falling apart during moments of severe crisis.

For Ferenczi, like Freud, ‘play’ is the primordial form of learning which attempts to control the absence of gratifica­tion through pictorial, verbal and body language (the fort-da game). It is therefore a drive (Spieltrieb) which patently fails in its aim to design the external world to fit the requirements of the inner world. Instead, it further displaces the desired gratification through its own symbolic networks. Hence, the free-associative game (Handlungsfreiheit) which playfully tries to catch itself out and reflect back on the original game-plan that generated so many displacements.

The psychic process of negotiating between unconscious de­terminations and conscious will-directed intentions in the world. The term carries connotations of haggling over bills and precarious distinctions between subjective impression and objective ‘fact’. As such, one constantly has to ‘reckon’ with both inner and outer worlds; one has to argue one off against the other to establish known ground on which to assess the effect of action.

The second phase of ‘active technique', introduced in 1925, which suggests nurturing and calming exercises in analysis to contrast with the prohibitions of the earlier phase. Relaxation technique is particularly recommended with patients who have suffered early infantile trauma.

This is the moment when intellectual understanding (Einsicht) combines with emotional experience (Erlebnis), and the full meaning of an important factor in life emerges. In the psy­choanalytical setting, it is when a number of interpretations connect and ‘dawn’ on patient or analyst in a major way. They feel tremendous physical pain, joy or release, as well as major insight into their lives.

The dual form of psychosomatic adaption (Anpassung). The auto-plastic is the early infantile, pre-oedipal form, which expresses ‘body memories’, that is, experiences which are not verbally mediated. As such, it follows, modifies and disrupts internal bodily processes. The hysterical ‘lump in the throat’ (globus hystericus), ‘false pregnancies’, and tumours are prototypes here. The allo-plastic form is a later, post-oedipal development. It therefore shapes itself symptomatically around interactions with the external world. The prototype here is failure, paralysis or part-disablement of those organs that negotiate ‘outer space’ (sic.) for us, namely eyes, ears, vocal cords, hands, arms or legs (cf. Laplanche and Pontalis, 1980, pp. 48-9).

This relates to a common dream in which babies speak with great wisdom about the world. Ferenczi views this as illustra­tive of the ‘clear-sightedness of the uncorrupted child’. The ‘wise baby’ voices the ‘language of tenderness’ which often lies repressed beneath numerous layers of the ‘language of passion’.

The Utraquists were a sixteenth-century Protestant sect who derived their name from the Latin ‘utraque’ meaning ‘one and the other’ or ‘both’. This applied to their belief that the laity should have the right to take both bread and wine in the communion, thus destroying the privilege of the clergy and reuniting the blood and flesh of Christ in the people. It is curious, then, that this term should have such resonance for Ferenczi, an agnostic Jew. Perhaps there was an identification with Jan Hus, who was born not far from Ferenczi; he sim­ilarly suffered from reactionary imperialists, and was burned at the stake in 1415. More likely, there was a reference to Jung’s views on ‘communion’ as the primal analogy for the symbolic ‘kiss’ between priest’s penis and female penitent’s vagina in early pagan ceremonies (Jung, 1919, p. 86).

Anyway, Ferenczi uses this term to describe his theory of analogy. According to this, it is possible to draw productive parallels between seemingly distant areas of research, such as poetry and physics or drama and biology. The ‘meaning’ derived from such analogies is ‘associative’, that is, depen­dent on the value derived from the interpreters) and not on the set legitimation of either discipline.

This denotes the unconscious ‘voicing’ of anxieties by pa­tient’s bodies. Twitching, nervous coughs, obsessive leg-crossing, ear- or nose-boring, nail-biting, farting, sweating or a frequent need to go to the toilet illustrate this phenomenon.