Sandor Rado
Encyclopedia
Sándor Radó was a distinguished Hungarian psychoanalyst of the second generation, who moved to United States of America in the thirties.
According to Peter Gay
, "Budapest produced some of the most conspicuous talents in the analytic profession: in addition to Ferenczi
, these included Franz Alexander
, [&] Sándor Radó."
in 1915 and decided to become a psychoanalyst. He was analysed first by a former analysand of Freud, E. Revesz, and then, after his move to Berlin, by Karl Abraham
. Among his own distinguished analysands were Wilhelm Reich
and "Heinz Hartmann
, the most prominent among the ego psychologists
."
After the Bolshevist revolution in Hungary, "Rado had some influence with the new masters, and it was he who manoeuvred [...] Ferenczi as the first University Professor of Psycho-analysis." Regime change then led to his move to Berlin, where, after Abraham's death, Ernest Jones
suggested Radó (among others) for "replacing him on the [Secret] Committee" Though this did not take place, Radó swiftly "became known as an outstanding theoretician."
In the United States, he was instrumental in the relatively fraught creation of "the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research, painfully wrested from the New York Psychoanalytic in 1944 by Sandor Rado, in a savage schism." Thereafter, "once an active member of the central governing body of psychoanalysis, Rado now lived on the fringes of the organisation."
considered that "the paper by Rado [1928] unmasked the self-reproaches as an ambivalent ingratiation of (the object and ) the superego", and that "the differentiation of the 'good' (i.e., protecting) and the 'bad' (i.e., punishing) aspects of the superego was used for clarification of the aims of the depressive mechanisms."
Radó also wrote seminal papers on the question of addiction
: "His concept of 'alimentary orgasm', which replaced genital supremacy in pharmocothymia, has been widely quoted." Radó saw the roots of addictive personalities in attempts to "satisfy the archaic oral longing which is sexual longing, a need for security, and a need for maintenance of self-esteem simultaneously [...] their partners [...] are nothing else for them but deliverers of supplies
."
." In them he presciently "criticizes the exclusive preoccupation of the therapist with the patient's past and the neglect of his present," among other matters: "on all these points Rado was way ahead of his time."
However, in those late writings, "one of his colleagues fe[lt] that Rado has introduced unnecessary neologisms for [...] traditionally sanctioned terms, for example, 'hedonic self-regulation' for 'pleasure principle,'" thereby further contributing to his professional isolation.
According to Peter Gay
Peter Gay
Peter Gay is Sterling Professor of History Emeritus at Yale University and former director of the New York Public Library's Center for Scholars and Writers . Gay received the American Historical Association's Award for Scholarly Distinction in 2004...
, "Budapest produced some of the most conspicuous talents in the analytic profession: in addition to Ferenczi
Sándor Ferenczi
Sándor Ferenczi was a Hungarian psychoanalyst, a key theorist of the psychoanalytic school and a close associate of Sigmund Freud.-Biography:...
, these included Franz Alexander
Franz Alexander
Franz Gabriel Alexander was a Hungarian-American psychoanalyst and physician, who is considered one of the founders of psychosomatic medicine and psychoanalytic criminology.- Life :...
, [&] Sándor Radó."
Life
Having qualified as a doctor, Sándor Radó met Sigmund FreudSigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
in 1915 and decided to become a psychoanalyst. He was analysed first by a former analysand of Freud, E. Revesz, and then, after his move to Berlin, by Karl Abraham
Karl Abraham
-Further reading:* Freud, S. . Mourning and Melancholia. Standard Edition, 14, 305-307.* May-Tolzmann, U. . The Discovery of the Bad Mother: Abraham’s contribution to the theory of Depression...
. Among his own distinguished analysands were Wilhelm Reich
Wilhelm Reich
Wilhelm Reich was an Austrian-American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, known as one of the most radical figures in the history of psychiatry...
and "Heinz Hartmann
Heinz Hartmann
Heinz Hartmann , was a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. He is considered one of the founders and principal representantives of ego psychology.-Life:...
, the most prominent among the ego psychologists
Ego psychology
Ego psychology is a school of psychoanalysis rooted in Sigmund Freud's structural id-ego-superego model of the mind.An individual interacts with the external world as well as responds to internal forces. Many psychoanalysts use a theoretical construct called the ego to explain how that is done...
."
After the Bolshevist revolution in Hungary, "Rado had some influence with the new masters, and it was he who manoeuvred [...] Ferenczi as the first University Professor of Psycho-analysis." Regime change then led to his move to Berlin, where, after Abraham's death, Ernest Jones
Ernest Jones
Alfred Ernest Jones was a British neurologist and psychoanalyst, and Sigmund Freud’s official biographer. Jones was the first English-speaking practitioner of psychoanalysis and became its leading exponent in the English-speaking world where, as President of both the British Psycho-Analytical...
suggested Radó (among others) for "replacing him on the [Secret] Committee" Though this did not take place, Radó swiftly "became known as an outstanding theoretician."
In the United States, he was instrumental in the relatively fraught creation of "the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research, painfully wrested from the New York Psychoanalytic in 1944 by Sandor Rado, in a savage schism." Thereafter, "once an active member of the central governing body of psychoanalysis, Rado now lived on the fringes of the organisation."
Writings
Sándor Radó was "a lucid scholar and a concise writer in his chosen field. Among his collected papers, none is longer than twenty pages – unusual for a psychoanalyst – [...] clarity."Early writings
Radó published eleven psychoanalytic papers between 1919 and 1942. Perhaps the most important of them was the 1927 article on "The Problem of Melancholia", which "brought solutions to certain important and pertinent problems still unclarified." Otto FenichelOtto Fenichel
Otto Fenichel was a psychoanalyst of the so-called "second generation".Otto Fenichel started studying medicine in 1915 in Vienna. Already as a very young man, when still in school, he was attracted by the circle of psychoanalysts around Freud...
considered that "the paper by Rado [1928] unmasked the self-reproaches as an ambivalent ingratiation of (the object and ) the superego", and that "the differentiation of the 'good' (i.e., protecting) and the 'bad' (i.e., punishing) aspects of the superego was used for clarification of the aims of the depressive mechanisms."
Radó also wrote seminal papers on the question of addiction
Addiction
Historically, addiction has been defined as physical and psychological dependence on psychoactive substances which cross the blood-brain barrier once ingested, temporarily altering the chemical milieu of the brain.Addiction can also be viewed as a continued involvement with a substance or activity...
: "His concept of 'alimentary orgasm', which replaced genital supremacy in pharmocothymia, has been widely quoted." Radó saw the roots of addictive personalities in attempts to "satisfy the archaic oral longing which is sexual longing, a need for security, and a need for maintenance of self-esteem simultaneously [...] their partners [...] are nothing else for them but deliverers of supplies
Narcissistic supply
Narcissistic supply is a concept in some psychoanalytic theories which describes a type of admiration, interpersonal support or sustenance drawn by an individual from his or her environment ....
."
Adaptational psychodynamics
Radó's work "culminates in his writings on 'adaptational psychodynamics', [...] a concise reformulation of what has come to be known as ego analysisEgo psychology
Ego psychology is a school of psychoanalysis rooted in Sigmund Freud's structural id-ego-superego model of the mind.An individual interacts with the external world as well as responds to internal forces. Many psychoanalysts use a theoretical construct called the ego to explain how that is done...
." In them he presciently "criticizes the exclusive preoccupation of the therapist with the patient's past and the neglect of his present," among other matters: "on all these points Rado was way ahead of his time."
However, in those late writings, "one of his colleagues fe[lt] that Rado has introduced unnecessary neologisms for [...] traditionally sanctioned terms, for example, 'hedonic self-regulation' for 'pleasure principle,'" thereby further contributing to his professional isolation.
Further reading
- Paul Roazen and Bluma Swerdloff: Heresy: Sandor Rado and the Psychoanalytic Movement, Northvale, N.J., Aronson, 1995