You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
As the knowledge of ego psychology increased and skill in analytic technique advanced, indications for analysis widened to include, besides the transference neuroses, the character disorders—that is, those involving major modifications of the ego. A similar extension of therapy has occurred in the analysis of children. As indications for adult analysis, we consider many psychological characteristics; of particular importance, I believe, are the following:
Dynamically, this implies that the pressure of unconscious material, aided by the wish to communicate, is strong enough to overcome the resistances. This, in turn, is dependent on the capacity of the ego to ally itself with the analyst, to detach itself to some degree and observe, report and recognize ideas and affects as they emerge from the unconscious. This ability to associate may be rather limited in the beginning phase of the analysis.
The analytic work is accomplished through the wish of the patient to be free of his neurotic suffering and ego limitations. This is aided by the positive feelings in the transference and the recognition of the objective attitude of the analyst. This wish to be helped and the feelings toward the analyst enable the analysand to bear the disapproval of the superego, to face the derivatives of unconscious drives and affects and to suffer the narcissistic injuries involved in reporting infantile material.