Some reflections on the analytic third: Postmodernism, psychoanalysis, and psychopathology
Journal title PSICOTERAPIA E SCIENZE UMANE
Author/s Mark L. Ruffalo
Publishing Year 2026 Issue 2026/1
Language Italian Pages 11 P. 108-118 File size 275 KB
DOI 10.3280/PU2026-001008
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The concept of the analytic third has become central to contemporary relational and intersubjective psychoanalysis, offering a compelling language for describing the emergent, ineffable qualities of analytic experience. Yet metaphors in psychoanalysis often acquire ontological weight, and the analytic third risks becoming more than a metaphor: a quasi-agential “field” that displaces the primacy of the individual mind. The analytic third is examined in the context of the postmodern turn in psychoanalysis and it is argued that its explanatory reach is limited when applied to severe psychopathology. Drawing on critical realism, I distinguish epistemological modesty (the mediated, dialogical nature of analytic knowing) from ontological inflation (the idea that psychopathology is best understood as being co-constructed between two people). Borderline personality disorder serves as a test case, as its striking repetition across relationships implies enduring internal structure rather than purely co-constructed disturbance. A balanced position preserves relational process without dissolving intrapsychic reality.
Keywords: Psychoanalysis; Psychotherapy; Intersubjectivity; Analytic third; Borderline personality disorder
Mark L. Ruffalo, Riflessioni sul terzo analitico: postmodernismo, psicoanalisi e psicopatologia in "PSICOTERAPIA E SCIENZE UMANE" 1/2026, pp 108-118, DOI: 10.3280/PU2026-001008