In my contribution I would like to deal with taking over university teaching tasks from a psychoanalytic perspective. With reference to my own experiences the emphasis here is placed on the development of basic attitudes, which seem essential especially for teaching in the field of psychoanalysis and education. The following research questions may guide the paper:

1. What emotions are associated with entering university teaching and how can they be understood from a psychoanalytic perspective?

2. What contribution can psychoanalysis make (a) to modelling situations and relationships connected to teaching and learning at university and (b) to supporting university teachers (especially in the initial phase)?

With regards to emotional experiences in learning and teaching (e.g. Salzberger-Wittenberg 1997), the focus will be on threatening emotions linked to the entry into university teaching such as fear of not succeeding and especially not knowing, as well as feelings of paralysis and aggression. To approach the first research question, I will discuss an excerpt from the protocol of an online seminar in which I was the lecturer and a problematic situation arose: A parapraxia happened to one student, which initially caused a lot of discomfort. But the problematic situation could ultimately be fruitfully turned around through a psychoanalytical understanding and led to a strengthening of the working alliance with the course participants.

Based on this example from my course, I will discuss what potential lies in the psychoanalytic understanding of emotions inherent in teaching-learning situations and what kind of ‘working model’ can be helpful for teaching at the university (Zwiebel 2006, 2013). As involving myself not only as a lecturer, but as a researcher in order to become aware of the dynamics in my course, I also attempt to gain access to the experiences of students. They themselves are learners and often confronted with similar feelings as novice lecturers (Rumpf 1978). Rather, unpleasant emotions are inevitably connected with the path to knowledge. If this is recognised, teachers can become helpful by offering themselves as containers (Bion 1962) for undigested emotions that may stand in the way of learning processes. They can also support learners in developing the ability to endure frustration and helplessness in the learning process (Salzberger-Wittenberg 1993, 48).

Since teachers become entangled in emotional conflicts in their relationship with learners through processes of projective identification, it is necessary to deal intensively with one's own and others' emotions.

In this sense, in university teaching should be a striving for a balance between (1.) planning and structuring a course and each individual unit, thinking rationally and conveying content, conceptualising ideas, etc. and (2.) listening carefully to what students are expressing, sensing what is happening in the present situation and what is stirring emotionally within oneself in resonance with it (Bittner 2009). This analytical attitude has something to do with a receptivity to the verbal and non-verbal messages of the students. In the course of the (at least temporary) pandemic-induced adaptation of higher education teaching to an online setting, this can be particularly challenging and may complicate the building of relationships between teachers and students.

Finally, the importance of settings are discussed that can support beginning university teachers in two ways: Firstly, to perceive and integrate unpleasant or threatening emotions and secondly, to develop competencies and attitudes that seem to be essential for the design of university courses – especially in the field of psychoanalysis and education.

In order to explain how new psychoanalytical insights were gained and what they consist of, it is necessary to find suitable forms of presentation that correspond to the subject matter of psychoanalysis. Against this background, a working protocol of my own course is examined in order to work out in a vivid way which emotions and dynamics arise in the context of university teaching, especially in the context of finding one's role as a lecturer and junior researcher. Following the psychoanalytical tradition of research, the paper will give insights into the dynamics of interpersonal and inner-psychic processes with regard to shape professional psychosocial practice situations. By involving the researcher and reflecting on his/her experience access to emotional processes is to be achieved. In the sense of methodological self-reflection as a science, Bittner (1997) considers 'autobiographical research' to be of great importance for gaining psychoanalytical and psychoanalytical pedagogical knowledge. In the presentation a work situation in university teaching is analysed from an autobiographical perspective and underlying structures are made visible that appear to be inherent in university teaching-learning processes. My considerations are embedded in psychoanalytic and psychoanalytic pedagogical contributions to research on university teaching, which address the design of teaching-learning situations and discuss university seminars on the teaching of psychoanalytic content. Additionally, I will offer reflections on the inner attitudes of lecturers that help encourage learning processes (Schülein 1986, Salzberger-Wittenberg 1993, Datler et al. 1994, Zwiebel 2006, Dauber & Zwiebel 2006, Bittner 2009, Gerspach et al. 2014).

In conclusion, the systematic confrontation with one's own emotions holds great potential both, for the development of a ‘working model’ for teaching in the university organisation, which includes the perception and integration of stressful feelings, and for gaining access to the experience of students who, as learners, are often confronted with similar difficulties and painful feelings. Psychoanalytic reflection on one's own role as a lecturer as well as on the projections of students, the creation of an inner space for all the associated threatening emotions in the sense of a 'container' (Bion 1962) and the establishment of a framework appropriate to the institution of university can stimulate profound learning processes in students. This is all the more important in terms of preparing students for activities in pedagogical and related fields. For the role-finding and professionalisation of teachers at the university, especially in psychosocial disciplines, specific settings are needed which can support (first-time) lecturers (1.) in the differentiated perception and integration of their own threatening emotions, (2.) in the design of university teaching-learning processes against the background of complex emotional dynamics and (3.) in the development of a ‘working model’ for the activity of teaching in the university context. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy, supervision, work discussion, coaching, mentoring, but also exchange within the collegium can offer a 'transitional space' (Winnicott 1973) for the development of a ‘working model’ as a university lecturer. This includes promoting successful learning processes at the university and dealing with involved emotions in the best and most appropriate way. Finally, the draft of a 'working model' for university teachers is developed and discussed in the presentation. It intends to stimulate international exchange on didactics of higher education that has established itself in the German-speaking countries and which needs to be further developed.

Bion, W. (1984). Learning from experience. London: Karnac Books. Bittner, G. (1997). Autobiographisches in systematischer Absicht. Eine Rede an mich selbst mit 60 Jahren. In G. Bittner, V. Fröhlich (Hrsg.), Lebens-Geschichten. Über das Autobiographische im pädagogischen Denken (S. 269–289). Witzenhausen u.a.: Graue Ed. im Südmarkverl. Michael Fritz. Bittner, G. (2009). Psychoanalyse an der Universität? – oder: Aschenputtel versus dogmatische Form (S. Freud). In W. Datler, K. Steinhardt, J. Gstach, B. Ahrbeck (Hrsg.), Der pädagogische Fall und das Unbewusste: Psychoanalytische Pädagogik in kasuistischen Berichten (S. 124–137). Gießen: Psychosozial-Verlag. Datler, W. (2003). Erleben, Beschreiben und Verstehen: Vom Nachdenken über Gefühle im Dienst der Entfaltung von pädagogischer Professionalität. In M. Dörr, R. Göppel (Hrsg.), Bildung der Gefühle. Innovation? Illusion? Intrusion? (S. 241–264). Gießen: Psychosozial Verlag. Dauber, H., Zwiebel, R. (2006). Dialogische Selbstreflexion. Bericht über ein Seminar. In H. Dauber, R. Zwiebel (Hrsg.), Professionelle Selbstreflexion aus pädagogischer und psychoanalytischer Sicht (S. 109–140). Bad Heilbrunn: Klinkhardt. Hierdeis, H. (2016). Psychoanalytische Pädagogik – Psychoanalyse in der Pädagogik. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer. Gerspach, M., Eggert-Schmid Noerr, A., Naumann, T., Niederreiter, L. (2014): Psychoanalyse lehren und lernen an der Hochschule: Theorie, Selbstreflexion, Praxis. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer. Müller, B., Krebs, H., Finger-Trescher, U. (2002). Professionalisierung in sozialen und pädagogischen Feldern. Impulse der Psychoanalytischen Pädagogik. In U. Finger-Trescher, H. Krebs, B. Müller, J. Gstach (Hrsg.), Professionalisierung in sozialen und pädagogischen Feldern. Jahrbuch für Psychoanalytische Pädagogik (S. 9–26). Gießen: Psychosozial. Rumpf, H. (1978). Alltägliche Hochschule. Über die szenisch vermittelte Lähmung von Subjekten. In K. Horn (Hrsg.), Kritik der Hochschuldidaktik (S. 31–79). Frankfurt a.M.: Syndikat. Salzberger-Wittenberg, I. (1993). Die emotionale Bedeutung des Lehrens und Lernens. In H.-G. Trescher, C. Büttner, W. Datler (Hrsg.), Jahrbuch für Psychoanalytische Pädagogik 5 (S. 43–53). Mainz: Matthias-Grünewald-Verlag. Salzberger-Wittenberg, I. (1997). Über das Beginnen. In I. Salzberger-Wittenberg, G. Henry-Williams, E. Osborne (Hrsg.), Die Pädagogik der Gefühle. Emotionale Erfahrungen beim Lernen und Lehren (S. 17–38). Wien: WUV-Universitätsverlag. Schülein, J. (1986). Selbstbetroffenheit. Über Aneignung und Vermittlung sozialwissenschaftlicher Kompetenz. Gießen: Focus-Verlag. Winnicott, D. (1980). Playing and reality. London: Tavistock Publications. Würker, A. (2007). Lehrerbildung und szenisches Verstehen. Professionalisierung durch psychoanalytisch orientierte Selbstreflexion. Baltmannsweiler: Schneider. Zwiebel, R. (2006). Psychoanalytisches Denken im pädagogischen Kontext II. Darstellung und kritische Diskussion des Pilotstudienprogramms ‚Konfliktberatung für Pädagogen‘. In H. Dauber, R. Zwiebel (Hrsg.), Professionelle Selbstreflexion aus pädagogischer und psychoanalytischer Sicht (S. 87–107). Bad Heilbrunn: Klinkhardt. Zwiebel, R. (2013). Was macht einen guten Psychoanalytiker aus? Grundelemente professioneller Psychotherapie. Stuttgart: Klett-Cotta.