IJSP Number 3, 2021

101 perceived function of therapists should be analyzed by therapists, especially in patients with severe pathology. The shared quality of the examples I explained retrospectively is that the one-way mirror method of practicing psychoanalytic psychotherapy distorted the dyadic relationship between the patient and therapist; patients introduced the observers as the third party to the sessions. 4. SUPERVISEES Similar to the patients, the one-way mirror supervision set brings about special defenses and dynamics for the supervisees. At least initially, training candidates often express concerns or fear of being observed by the supervisor and especially student observers. Again, based on my personal experience as an observer, I noticed the following materials related to supervisees who practiced psychoanalytic psychotherapy in the one-way mirror setting and simultaneously observed by supervisors and a group of graduate students. Most supervisees knew the advantages of live supervision for their professional development; however, for obvious reasons, they wanted only their supervisors to be present behind the mirror but not the students. On the other hand, some training candidates liked to be seen by supervisors and graduate students. The latter group might be motivated by neurotic needs rather than logical reasoning. Narcissistic and masochistic needs were evident in this group of supervisees. Some of the training candidates with more experience, who practiced psychotherapy in the one-way mirror setting, were driven by unconscious motivations such as the need for reassurance or a proof for excellence through the phallic exhibition of successes, grandiosity, and fulfillment of exhibitionistic needs. This type of trainees was most of the time resistant toward comments given by observers concerning their performance in the sessions, such as their failure to provide interpretation when it was necessary or the way they formulated the patients’ conflicts. They were also guarded against other theoretical approaches (most of the time classic psychoanalysis) and considered their favorite school of to be the best and most comprehensive one. One of such trainees was always a volunteer to practice psychoanalytic psychotherapy in the one-way mirror sessions to impose his favorite theoretical orientation on others. The supervision structure and the one-way mirror setting have a significant impact on the supervisees’ narcissistic equilibrium. Throughout the learning process, the trainee constantly confronts the image of oneself. While the ego-ideal encourages the supervisee to grow, learn and master, the gap between the trainee’s ego ideals and his perception of his actual self and performance tests self-esteem. Supervisees with narcissistic character types are more vulnerable to narcissistic