Work with patients with severe neuroses very often has to cope with the phenomenon that every progress in the analytic or therapeutic work is followed paradoxically by a clinical deterioration. There are a number of dynamic factors that converge to bring about this negative therapeutic reaction, including many-layered guilt and shame, aspects of envy and jealousy, and attachment to negative affects.
Key Features
- Insightful exploration of factors leading to negative therapeutic reactions.
- Examination of the impact of self-directed aggressions and the superego.
- In-depth analysis of conflicts between opposite values and loyalties.
- Discussion on the roles of envy, jealousy, and resentment in therapeutic contexts.
Additional Information
Turning trauma from passive to active, conflicts within the superego, and the defensive use of omnipotence of responsibility are also considered. The authors, Wurmser, Jarass, and their colleagues, delve into how these dynamics create a prohibition of anything "good," which can lead to masochism in general.
