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Dr. Ross begins by stating that the subject of psychotherapy covers such a wide field that he proposes to approach it from one aspect, namely, to try to find reasons which account for the division of psychotherapists into hostile sects. He makes an appeal for reconciliation. He speaks of 'persuasionists' and 'followers of Freud', and then that 'between these extremes of opinion lies a nameless body of protestants to which he belongs, who respectfully remain protestants, unable to bow to any kind of medical pope, unable to accept anything 'ex cathedra'. Psycho-analysts will readily understand from the above words why the author cannot accept Freud's conclusions.
He goes on to develop an argument against the idea that complexes are invested with energy—a theory which he thinks is unsound.
The fact that there is an intense outburst of emotion when an amnesia is restored does not require the hypothesis that complexes are invested with energy. This, he says, may be due to reviving a percept, similar to the original one, which produces the same result. The discharge of energy in these cases has nothing to do with the cure. An amnesia may be cured without any emotional display.
The author next speaks of anxiety neurosis, and states that here also there is no need to postulate the theory of repressed energy to account for it. He says it is not the mere bringing into consciousness of complexes with liberation of energy which brings relief, but it is, as Morton Prince points out, getting the patient to view it from a new standpoint.
Finally he comes to consider the question of the transference. He says, when a patient comes under the care of a doctor in whom he has confidence, an improvement will soon take place in his symptoms, and then asks how can repressed energy account for the betterment when a transference to the physician is established. He presumes this means that the energy is supposed to be projected on to the physician and that having got rid of it the patien