ABSTRACT
“Bion was very aware in his later years that psychoanalysis was not effecting change in patients. He was very aware of patients who looked as though they had changed; those who had put on the clothing of an analysed person, but remained unchanged within. In particular, he was conscious of those patients who subtly copied the analyst, took on his words, outlook and attitude, but in whom there was no change within. In other words there was an absence of alpha function and the articulations of the patient were an evacuation of beta elements. He tried to probe into this problem and his investigations into foetal life were one of his attempts to do so. The problem, however, remains unsolved”
