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.
Psychotherapeutic treatment is usually divided into two large groupings, those that are repressive in their methods and those that are reconstructive (16). Repression is the oldest, most widely disseminated form of psychotherapy in the world. In terms of the numbers of gratified people it is a successful technique. For limited goals (7) it is a most valuable and effective technique. For more intensive goals, repressive methods still play an important role, and are carefully considered and permitted in various measures throughout the treatment process. There is no cutting away of all defenses. The repressive areas are more selective.
The largest current representatives are Christian Science (29) with a membership of 270,000 and Alcoholics Anonymous (1) with over 12,000 members. Repressive methods are characteristic of the Emmanuel Movement (6, 35), the Oxford Group Movement (25), and repressive-inspirational (22) group psychotherapy approaches. Repressive methods encourage individuals to be neurotic in a specific way by displacing their neurotic reactions onto culturally approved means of dealing with their problems. Forbidden impulses are sometimes dealt with by repression and controlled through an accentuation of guilt. Guilt is a necessary criterion for all methods of treatment. For example, if a person has murderous impulses he should feel guilty. Repressive methods are an external treatment approach in which the individual and his healthy defenses are supported. The repressive technique conveys a feeling of strength and protection and an authorization for the patient's dependency needs. Patients receive support in terms of reassurance, in terms of identifying themselves with other patients who speak in a positive way. The sick person identifies with