Sandor Ferenczi (1873-1933) and Otto Rank (1884-1939) were not only best friends, but collaborators. At least they were until 1926, when Rank fell into disfavor with Freud and Freud ordered him cut from their clan. Then Ferenczi became cold as ice, even to the point of snubbing him in Penn Station during a time when both were in New York. Rank couldn't believe it. Any early example of ghosting. The chart below illustrates their similarities and differences.
Authoritarian tendencies:
Sharon R. Kahn, a doctoral level, licensed psychologist in New York City, composed a song called: OEDIPUS WRECKS DIAPER RASH. It is a humorous depiction of how Freud's authoritarian streak splintered the movement and created sects. It lyrically depicts the rise and fall of Otto Rank, from favorite son to expulsion. The music was composed by Anne Husick, a musician.
Oedipus Rex, Diaper Rash
Lyrics: Sharon R. Kahn
Music: Anne Husick
Freud’s phantasy of conquest was no mere beau geste G/C
Born wrapped up in a caul, the midwife said it best D/G
“Frau Freud, your golden Siggi will excel, pass all life’s tests G/C
Gods gifted our Taurus w/ chutzpah, (kind of means a pest)” D/G
(Repeat: B7/Emaj, Amaj/D)
His aegis was his intellect and cigars stoked this bull
Analysis might be a cure for existential lulls
Several pledged their troth to Freud, received their rings as pull
Gods who rule the sky above laughed at Freud the fool
Freud exalted Oedipus: the emblem of his reign
Hoisted him high by his horns, displayed like lovesick swain
“Are you my friend, go look to Oedipus, be free of stains
Would you topple him? Godspeed and leave, sir, you’re insane”
Handsome, goyische Jung:quintessential crown prince. G/c
But Jung a Leo, to an Aryan playground would mince D/G
“It’s archetypes, not Oedipus,” he sneered through gold nez-pince G/C
Shrugged Freud, “In league with the devil, don’t complain of fire” or wince. D/G
Then B7/E, A/D
Brown, bland Adler, Aquarian born 2cd of six.
Couldn’t bear bossy big brother wouldn’t be his bitch
He carried his own water: ordinal position became his niche.
Oedipus was an only child, should have died after birth in a ditch.
Chatty careless little Rank, “why can’t there be a dozen like he.”
Analysis like childbirth, 9 mo’s, and then they’re free
If Oedipus analyzed birth trauma, his eyes would still now see
Freud lacked insight— bulls in Vienna would only disagree.
Bridge:
Spake the gods dulce decorum of Freud’s phallocentric porn. Gmin/Dmin
Who can Taurus work with: why two Capricorns Amin/C
Sachs was a lawyer, Sach’s torts leave none to mourn Gmin/Dmin
“Social character,” no sib to Oedipus, stillborne. Amin/C
Jones gave psychosexual tests,for this from his job was torn.Gmaj/D min
Made pilgrimage, kissed the ring, failed to grab Freud’s horns.Amin/C
Our Welsh lacks gemultlikeit, for Anna he’s lovelorn G maj/Dmaj
For analysis: Budapest, be Ferenczi’s thorn. Amin/C
But Jones wrote Ferenczi’s obit, and said of his mind he had been shorn. Bflat/D
Freud expelled each infidel,, but if only he consulted their charts
So many violent stillbirths in a movement rocked from its start
Left with nincompoops, no-brainers, & jumped up farts
Freud taurine nature transformed Oedipus into feces not art.
Four strokes per chord
Ferenczi to Rank to Rogers:
Earlier in my research I traced the conceptual links from psychoanalysis to humanistism. I have found evidence that Ferenczi's theories and techniques foreshadowed the later development of humanistic psychology. Ferenczi is the ghost in the person-centered approach.
How? Let me present, Otto Rank, once Ferenczi's closest collaborator and BFF. When Rank and Freud broke (presaged by Freud's former admiration of Rank--why can't there be a dozen like he? Only, of course, Rank got a life. And a point of view). Freud ordered Ferenczi to break with him then. And he did.
Rank went further than Ferenczi--he disengaged psychotherapy from the medical model from which it was conceived. There were no cures. Rank may have preceded Ferenczi in detailing the authority issues between the patient and the psychoanalyst, he was the first to emphasis the importance of the mother-child relationship and de-emphasize the Oedipus complex, and he raised the supine patient to seated, thus instituting a face-to-face encounter. Rankian therapy didn't seek to make the unconscious conscious but to help a patient learn coping skills in preparation from a life apart from the therapist. The neurotic was an artist, only the latter discharges creativity; the former defenses. Therapy needed to focus on here and now. Resistance is health.
And Rogers knew Rank. Rogers gave direct credit for his approach to Rank.
Obviously, Rogers brought forth many Midwestern influences and Protestantism. Training at that time was Freudian in focus and Rogers found it lacking. He learned of Rank and felt validated by Rank's relational approach.
Rogerian philosophy of an empathic, emotional, therapeutic bond is a major point of communion between Ferenczi and Rogers. However, there are still differences. Ferenczi always kept an authority/underling component in his descriptions of therapy (although who was up and who was down varied, I suppose). Rogers always emphasized an adult-adult encounter. The client knows where the pain is, what the problem is, and what experiences are latent. Rogers sincerely and deeply believed in the equality between the clioent and therapist.
