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Kramer, by examples from self-observation, shows how the processes of ego transformation, after being initiated by psychoanalysis, continue without conscious volition. She assumes that the capacity to integrate unconscious conflicts can become an autonomous ego function peculiar to the analyzed. The non-volitional nature of this autoanalytic function is demonstrated by the emergence of insight without intervention of the conscious will.
In Analysis Terminable and Interminable Freud recommends that an analyst be re-analyzed every five years. For emotional and practical reasons, this is seldom done. The alternative is a continuing self-analysis. This can be done if the resistances are not too strong, using the superego and ego ideal to play the role of analyst to the rest of the self as patient. The analyzed ego has acquired the new ability to use liberated countercathectic energies to gain further insight. The increased ego mobility leads to the breakdown of defenses. This serves in place of the analyst's interpretations. Other ego functions such as mastery and synthesis contribute to the motivations for and efficacy of self-analysis.