I wish to begin my discussion of this most interesting paper by quoting its author: “It is always … tempting,” Greenberg writes, “to find a way to take on the role of a new, good object rather than feeling drawn, inexorably, into enacting something old and ugly.” I believe that this insight lies at the heart of Greenberg's paper.

If we look at the examples cited, in each case the analyst was under considerable pressure: “periods in the analysis during which tensions around what is happening are becoming unbearable for both participants.” As a result, we are told, “when the analyst behaves in some