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The case of the Wolf Man is the last detailed account by Freud that permits a study of his appraisal of the therapeutic vectors in analysis, including the transference. Thus, our series of studies on the evolution of the transference in Freud's case histories led us here to investigate the use of the transference by Freud in 1914 (Muslin, 1979; Muslin and Gill, 1978). This study will attempt to demonstrate that Freud's therapeutic emphases in 1914 were centered on memory revival sufficient to allow for reconstructions to be made to explain and resolve the neurosis. The transference was viewed as a facilitator in the revival of significant childhood memories.
When Freud determined that he had to terminate the analysis of the Wolf Man, it was, he said, because his patient “had no wish to take any step forward which would bring him nearer to the end of his treatment” (Freud, 1937, p. 217). The “blackmailing device” (Freud, 1937, p. 218) was successful, and the Wolf Man then came forth with sufficient material from his childhood to enable Freud to conclude that his neurosis was now mastered. Indeed, Freud wrote that the resistance to memory recall was so diminished as to give the impression “of lucidity which is usually obtainable only in hypnosis” (Freud, 1918, p. 11). Thus, from the outset of the case record the focus of the therapy was on revival of memories so as to understand the childhood neurosis and remove the patient's symptoms. Although the case report is a description of an infantile neurosis and not a record of a treatment per se, the case record does contain significant instances from which one can recognize Freud's formulation in 1914 of the curative factors in analysis with special reference to the use and value of the transference. The subsequent analysis of the Wolf Man by Mack Brunswick contributes material of interest for additional understanding of the patient and will be described for its additional insights into the Wolf Man's analysis both by her a