The distinctions between psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, in both definition and operation, have always been somewhat ambiguous; and much discussion has been devoted to that problem over the years. Some related, but much more complex, problems are the indications for and the effects of changing the modality of treatment—so-called “conversion”—from psychotherapy to psychoanalysis with the same therapist-analyst.

The indications for conversion seem to break down into two, not very sharply demarcated, general groups: (1) those pertaining to inducing the skeptical or reluctant patient to adopt psychoanalysis as the treatment of choice; and (2) those pertaining to patients who, for whatever reason, cannot benefit from psychoanalysis at that particular