Is “Openness” Always a Good Thing? Considerations in the Psychoanalytic Process and in Life

Openness of mind reflected verbally, has been defined as an ideal within the concepts of “free association” and the “fundamental rule” and their treatment consequences, such as the impact on emotional growth. The slippery vicissitudes of being “open” or “closed” are also considered. Being “open” in one sense, may necessitate being closed in another. Examples are drawn from a beginning analysand; a supervisory situation for analysis in an impasse; and the concepts applied to popular cultures, in an evolution from benign stasis toward destruction in the character of Walt, in Breaking Bad (Netflix). The context of a judgment of “openness” turns out to be crucial. It takes something more from an inner template of object relations to affect the benign influences of “open-mindedness.” One has to say, ultimately. “Open to what?”