In her contribution to the 1956 Roundtable, Elizabeth Kilpatrick outlines her theoretical understanding of neurosis and points out that self-protective solutions, used to keep painful conflicts out of awareness, gradually alienate the suffering persons from their inner resources. Guided by her understanding of the Horneyan framework of personality, Dr. Kilpatrick identifies two major tasks for treatment: the strengthening of the patient's constructive incentives for self-fulfillment, which helps nurture the potential for the gradual resolution of the neurotic structure. She elaborates that much depends upon the establishment and maintenance of a unique, sensitive relatedness between patient and therapist. The therapist's skill to create an accepting atmosphere gradually helps patients to become more connected and increasingly able to utilize their inner constructiveness.