You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
Taking an optimistic view of the possibility of intensive therapy during adolescence, Blos sets out to provide a balanced discussion of those factors which complicate successful treatment. Specific modifications of technique are necessary and derive not only from an understanding of certain general features of the adolescent process, but more significantly from an understanding of the distinctive epigenetic phases of adolescence which can be characterized by typical drive and ego organizations and the phase specific tasks involved. The author cautions that adolescence is not only a repetition on a higher level of early childhood development but is also concerned with psychic transformations and forms of conflict resolution which have implications for rational therapy. Chronological age is the most unreliable indicator for determining the developmental or psychological position.
The aim of therapy is to restore progressive development, and a rational therapeutic approach is based on an accurate developmental diagnosis. Technical considerations are discussed in terms of a preparatory phase, activity versus passivity on the part of the therapist, the sex of the therapist, and countertransference factors. The importance of phase definition in planning intensive therapy is illustrated in male and female preadolescence.