The Third
The Third is a concept in relational psychoanalysis referring to the intersubjective space created between two people in genuine encounter. It is not reducible to either person’s subjectivity but emerges from the relationship itself and shapes both participants. The Third is autonomous — it has its own reality and exerts a structuring influence on the relationship.
Ogden’s Formulation
Thomas Ogden developed the concept most explicitly, describing the analytic third as “a creation of analyst and analysand, but it assumes an autonomous existence, and exerts a powerful structuring influence on the nature of the analytic relationship.” The Third is neither the analyst’s perspective nor the patient’s but something that arises between them — a shared, co-created space of meaning and experience.
This is not merely metaphor. Ogden argues that the Third has genuine ontological status: it is where the analytic work actually happens. Both analyst and patient are shaped by it, drawn into it, and responsive to it. The Third is the relational ground on which transformation occurs.
Benjamin’s Intersubjective Third
Jessica Benjamin explores the Third in terms of mutual recognition and intersubjectivity. For Benjamin, the Third is what allows two subjectivities to meet without collapsing into fusion or domination. It is the “third term” that mediates between self and other, preserving both connection and difference.
The Third, in this sense, is the condition of genuine relationality: it is what makes it possible for two people to be both together and separate, both affecting and affected by each other.
Connections to Winnicott
The Third is related to Winnicott’s concept of transitional space — the intermediate area between self and other, inner and outer, where play and creativity happen. But where Winnicott emphasizes the individual’s use of transitional space, Ogden and Benjamin emphasize the co-created, genuinely intersubjective nature of the Third.
Connections
- Thomas Ogden — Primary developer of the concept.
- Jessica Benjamin — Developed the intersubjective Third.
- What Alive Means — Ogden’s exploration of the Third and aliveness.
- Intersubjectivity — The Third is an intersubjective creation.
- Transitional Space — Related Winnicottian concept.
- Relational Ground — The Third is a manifestation of relational ground.