Chapter 9, Beginning Treatment, Transference-Love and A Male Choice Summary and Analysis

Freud reminds readers that the first rule of psycho-analytic theory is to be entirely honest, to not censor oneself. Here, the therapist must combine both patience and insistence. It may take the patient some time to open up; this typically includes working through his or her own inhibitions in this regard. Freud refers to "complexes"; these are combinations of thoughts and behaviors that are interconnected within the psyche of an individual. Both when the analyst can see these clearly and when he or she cannot, the patient needs to find these. Regarding this lack of censorship: Sigmund Freud writes on page 374 that it does not bode well if a patient has to confess to their therapist that he or she was even considering withholding information from the...