It is a waste of time and an expense of spirit to allow one's self to wonder how one appears to people. Yet that seems to be what psychoanalytic interpretations involve. Maybe one does that in work hours – but not outside.

Today I did interpret X's complaint of being attacked by me as a need to be able to be frank, and the feeling that it was not possible because it would be interpreted against him. But I did NOT interpret his feeling of being seduced and therefore being denied the criticism he needs. This I think is one instance of failing; but it is also something (criticism) which I feel I can get better from myself than from others. This is, however, indistinguishable from claiming a very favourable reception – one's own. Wish to claim unfavourable or hostile environment so one can ignore hostile criticism. How, then, can one be [judged]as an analyst? Not by one's self, not by friends and not by enemies. Being a recluse will not do, either. Very difficult to tolerate bad analysis, and very difficult to demand good analysis.