Masochistic patients characteristically provoke their analysts to engage in sadomasochistic interactions with them. This behavior is foreign to the analyst's self-perception. The classical ideal of work with masochistic patients is to comport oneself in a way that avoids such temptations. The clinician frequently accomplishes this by viewing these as an expression of the patient's aggression. Interpreting the provocations as a manifestation of the patient's neurotic hostility often leads the patient to feel censured and defective. It impairs the patient's fragile self-esteem. Eventually, the treatment alliance breaks down. Understanding the provocation as a transference repetition of an early traumatic experience which the patient must master to complete an essential developmental task suggests alternative interpretations which the patient may apply to continue the process of emotional growth. There is a case report that illustrates clearly the difference between the two approaches.