THE STANDARD EDITION (OF THE COMPLETE PSYCHOLOGICAL WORKS OF SIGMUND FREUD Translated frm the German ner the General Etorship of JAMES STRACHEY Assisted by ALIX STRACHEY and ALAN TYSON VOLUME Xx (4937-1959) ‘Moses and Monotheism ‘An Outline of Psycho-Analysis ond Other Works THE HOGARTH PRESS AND THE INSTITUTE OF PSYCHO-ANALYSIS WHANALYSIS TERMINABLE AND INTER MINABLE (1937)EDITOR'S NOTE DIE ENDLICHE UND DIE UNENDLICHE ANALYSE (2) Geax Eorroxs: 1937 Ju. 2 Pychoanal, 28 (2), 209-40. 1950 GV, 16, 39-99. (0) Exouun Traxsuarion “Analysis Terminable and Interminable” 1937 Iu. J. Pyelo-Anal, 18 (8), 373-405. (Tr. Joan Riviere.) 1950, CH, 5, 316-57. (Revised reprint of above.) ‘The present trandation is a modified version of the one ppublished in 1950, ‘The last eight and a half paragraphs of ‘Section VI ofthe original German were reprinted in the automn (of 1937 in Almanack der Prchoonayse 1938, 44-50, ‘This paper was written early in 1937 and published in June, Teand the following one, on ‘Constructions in Analyst’ (19874), ‘were the last strictly peycho-analytic writings by Freud to be brought out in his lifetime. Neasly twenty years had passed since he had published a purely technical work, though quet= tions of technique had, of course, been dealt with in hit other writings, Freud’s main earlier discussion of the workings of psycho- analytic therapy was in Lectures XXVII and XXVIIL of the Untrodctry Lectes (1916-17). He bad returned to the subject ‘very much more briefly in Lecture XXXIV of the New Ino- ducioy Lectres (19332). Readers of these easier writings are sometimes struck by what seem to be differences between the present work and it predecesors, and these apparent diver- ‘gences call for examination. ‘The paper as a whole gives an impression of pessimism in segard tothe therapeutic efcacy of psychoanalysis ts Timita- ‘tons are constantly stressed, the dificultes ofthe procedure and the obstacles standing in its way aze insisted upon. These, indeed, constitute its principal theme, In fact, however, there 2)a2 EDITOR'S NOTE fc mathing revolutionary in thi, Peeud eas alwenys well aware of the barriers to success in analysis and was always ready to fnvestigate them. Moreover he was always eager to direct stienton to the importance of the non-therapeutic interests of| psycho-analysis, the direction in which lay his own personal [references particularly in the later part of his life. Tt will be Femembered that inthe shart dacussion of technique in the Naw Tatradstory Lectures (19834) he wrote that he had “never been a therapeutic enthusiast. (Standard Ed, 22, 151.) Thus there is nothing unexpected in the cool attitde shown in this paper ‘wards the therapeutic ambitions of psycho-analysis or in the numeration of the difficulties confronting it. What may per- Ihaps cause more surprise are some features of Preud’s examina- tion of the underlying nature and causes of those dificult. tisnoticeable, inthe fist place, that the factors to which he largely draws attention are of a physiological and biological ‘nature, They arethus in the main unniseeptble topsychological influences. Such, for instance, are the relative ‘constitutional strength ofthe instincts (p. 2242) and the relasive wealmess of the ego oving to physllogical causes such as puberty, the ‘menopause, and physical illness (p. 226). But the mast powerful impeding factor of all and one wally beyond any possibility ‘of control (to which some pages of the paper are devoted, 242 M2) isthe death instinct, Freud here suggests that this s fot omly, as he had pointed out in earlier writings, responsible for much of the resistance met with in analysis, but that itis Actually the ultimate cause of conflict in the mind (p. 244). Tn. all of this, however, there is once again nothing revolutionary. Freud may be laying more stresi than usual on constitutional factors among the dificulties confronting paycho-analyss, but the had always recognized their importance ‘Nor are any’ of the three factors new which Freud selects here a being ‘decisive’ for the access of our therapeutic efforts (p. 228): the more favourable prognosis for eases of ‘traumatic? sather than ‘constitutional origin, the importance of ‘quantita- tive? considerations, and the question of an ‘alteration of the go’, Leis on thie third point that vo much fresh light i thrown, in the present paper. In earlier accounts of the therapeutic process an exential place was always allotted to an alteration. in the ego which was to be brought about by the analyst as & preliminary to the undoing of the patient's represions. (See, EDITOR'S NOTE, a3 {or instanes, the Aeseription in Lactnen XCXVIEE of the Inro= sdutory Lectures, Standard Ea, 16, 455.) But as to the nature of this alteration and how it could be effected very litte was Iknovin, The sooent advances in Freud's analysis af the ego now mace it possible for him to carry the investigation farther. The therapeutic alteration of the ego was now seen rather as the undoing of alterations already present as renults ofthe defensive ‘process. And itis worth recalling that the fact of alterations ff the ego brought about by defensive proceses had been mentioned by Freud ata very early date. The concept isto be found in his discussion of delusions in hs second paper on the nneuro-psychoses of defence (18906), Standard Bi, 3, 185, and at several points in his even eaclier Draft K (Freud, 1950a) of January 1, 1896, Thereafter, the notion seems to have been in abeyance and the connection between anticathexes, reaction formations and alterations of the ego is stated plainly for the fiat time in Taibitions, Smploms ond Ansiesy (19264), Standard Ed, 20, 157, 159 and 164, Te reappears in the New Inrodutory “Leste (198%), tbi., 22, 90, and, afer the long discussion of it in the present paper, in Masts and Monothim (19894), p. 77 sbove, and, finally, iu the Outine of Prycko-dnalyis (1940e), p-178 above. ‘There is oxe respect, however, in which the views exprested by Freud in this paper do seem 0 differ rom, or even t9 ‘contradict, his eatlier ones—namely in the scepticism expressed by him here in regard to the proplplactic power of paycho= analysis. His doubts extend to the prospects of preventing not merely the occurrener of freshand different neurosis bat even a retum of'a neurosis that has already been treated. ‘The apparent change is shown if we recall a sentence in Lecture XXVII ofthe Introductory Lectres (1916-17) Standard Ea, 16,4452" person ‘who has become normal and free ftom’ the operation of re presed instinctual impulses in his relation to the doctor will remain so in his ova life after the doctor has once more with drawn from it! And again, in Leoture XXVIII (ibid, 451), ‘where Freud is comparing’the effects of hypnotic suggestion and prycho-analysis: ‘An analytic treatmentdemandsfrom both ‘doctor and patient the accomplishment of serious work, which is employed in lifing internal resistances. ‘Through the over- coming of these resistances the patient's mental ie is per ‘maneatly changed, is raised to a higher level of developmentau EDIToR’s NOTE and remains protected against Gh posible of filing 2? Similarly, in te losing sentences of Lecture XXXI ofthe Ver ‘ioduiny Laure (18380), Freud wstes that the ineaton of poycho-ansysis iso strengthen the ego, to make i more Independent ofthe superego, to veden is eld of perception and enlarge is organization, so that it can approptite fesh portions of the id. Where id was, there ego shall be. (Standard ‘il, 22,80.) The theory underlying these passages sexs to be ‘he same, and ie seems lo dlfer in tmportant respects fom the {theory implied inthe present work* “The is ofthis increased sceptiia of Frou’ seems tobe a conviton ofthe impossibilicy of dealing with a confit that is not ‘current’ and of the grave objections to conversing & ‘latene conic itp a ‘current one. This postion appears (0 imply a change ofvew not merely about the therapentic process bt aout mental events more generally. Here Freud seems £0 be regarding the ‘eurrenly sctive conflict as something Solated, something, as it wer, ia a watertight compartnent. ven the egos helped to cope wih ths confict,itseapacity to deal with caller conict wil be unaffected. ‘The intinctsal fore too seen to be thought of as loated in dhe same sort of ways the fact that their pressure hasbeen eased in the current Cenlict throws no light oa their subsequent behaviour. By con= teat according tthe earlier view the analy proces seems to have een considered as capable of altering the ego in a more _gsterl sente and oe Which would persist after the end of the nals and dhe instinctual forees seem to have been regarded fu deriving Gee presure fom an aniferentatd reervor of Dover So that in propartion a the analyss had been sucess, any fcc inrad by the instinctual fees would have had some fis presure reduced by the aualyss and they would be eon fronted by an ego which the anayuis had mate more capable of dealing with them Thus there would be no abyolatesegrega~ tion of the “curent conflict fom the “latent” enes; and the prophylactic power of an analysis (like its immediate outcome) Yrould depend on quantitative comsideratons—on the relative Increase Brought about by tin the strength of he ego and the relative decrease in that of the instincts “1 ust be added hat i apober of th New utr Lats (CK) Feed emphatic iting onthe tats of pyeho- lye therapy il 12-4 EDITOR'S NOTE 28 Te may be remacked that the account of the therapeutic effects of analysis written by Freud about a year after the pre- sent paper, in his Outline of Pocho-Anabris (19400 [1938]), ‘hough it agrees clesaly in general withthe account given here, soem (0 revert perhaps to his earlier view on the particular ‘question we have just been considering. For instance, he writes, there, after commenting on the great trouble invalved in over- coming resistances: ‘Tt is worth while, however, for it brings bout an advantageous alteration of the ego which wil be ‘maintained independently of the outcome of the transference and will bold good in life” (P. 179 above.) This would sppear 0 saggest an alteration of a general kind, eis of interest to note that at the very beginning of his practice Freud was worried by very much che sme problems sa these, which may thus be said to have extended aver the entire Tength of his analytic studies Here isan extract ftom a Iter ‘written by him to Wilhelm Flies on April 16, 1900 (Freud, 1850, Leuer 185) ea the subject of Her E., who had een under treatment certainly since 1897 and probably at leait Since 1895, and tothe ups and downs of whose cage there are repeated references in the correspondence: "Es carer ab a patent has at last come toa en wth an invitation to spend an evening here. His riddle i almat completely calved, bis condition i excellent, hs whole being is lered tthe moment ‘residue of his symptoms remains. Iam beginning to under= stand tha the appareuly interminable nature ofthe treatment is something determined by law and is dependent on te tans- ference. I hope that his residue will nt prejudice the practical succes It lay only with me to decide whether the veatment Should be farther prolonged; but it dawned on me that such 2 prolongation is a compromise beween being ill and being well, ‘which patients themselves desire and to which fr hae reason the physician should not consent. The asymptotic termination ofa eats susan «mater ofrece oe; itis for outsiders rather tha its a dsappointment. Im any case Tahal keep sn eye on theman. = *ANALYSIS TERMINABLE AND INTERMINABLE 1 LExpensexor hae taught ue that peycho-analytic therapy—the {recing of someone ftom his neurotic symptoms, inhibitions and abnormalities of character—is a time-consuming. busines. Hence, from the very Sst attempts have been raade to shorten the duration of analyses. Such endeavours required no jusifica- ‘son; they could claim to be based on the strongest ebnsidera= tions of reason and expediency. But there was probably still at ‘work in them as well some trace ofthe impatient contempt with which the medical ssience of an earlier day regarded the ‘Reutosce as being tmcalled-for consequences of invisible injuries, Ifithad now become necessary to attend to them, they should at east be disposed of as quickly as possible. ‘A particalarly enengeti attempt in this direction was made by Outo Rank, Zllowing upon his book, The Trane of Bint (1924). He supposed that the true source of neurosis was the ‘act of birth, sce this involves the possibility ofa child's “primal {Gsation’ to his mother not being surmounted but persisting 25 ‘2 ‘primal repression’. Rank hoped that if this primal trauma were dealt with by a subsequent analysis the whole neurosis twould be got rid of. Thus this one small piece of analytic work Would save the necessity for all the rest. And a few months ‘Should be enough to accomplish this, If cannot be disputed that Rank’s argument was bold and ingenious; but it did not stand the tet of eritical examination, Moreover, it was «child of is ‘ie, conceived under the stress of the contrat between the post ‘war misery of Europe and the ‘prosperity’! of America, and ‘designed to adapt the tempo of analytic therapy to the haste of ‘American lif, We have not heard much about what the implementation of Rank’s plan has done for cases of sickness. Probably not more than ifthe fire-brigade, called to deal with a house that had been set on fre by an overturned oil-lamp, ‘contented themselves with removing the lamp ftom the room, * (Jn English in the origina] nis | | | yikes ete ogee tre Shey hacks whip 2 ep Theta foknaen ory eal taal pear aly in nie wna ct tai case of a young Russian, a man spoilt by wealth, who had come ee ee Spiicusrnaatnasine eye Sopa cuvigias fieeamer o'r ecairns Sa w ne ea Se ‘Sno ee mf whine oe sonst ot fests ns nf Grist athena wr eh ee ede hart ec fii cn fw tp Enns ott SUR tatetete arated sesh gh anand ri ieee esoteric i pelted ites ne ofl tne Ere once Mittin et hot hs Sc pl ly pale Sa eri ln eile er ee Soliris one ile ote isi le a ee a ‘pei arnaona ld ea ey asad wer gece Eisai pce it Sande in Ene ae hy 86 "irene re tee ti sel mae ate ay tema SSA ici heh te ihn eat ees Seca eee 2 oa eee raw elas ener eeea ANALYSIS TERMINABLE T have already reported that I was mistaken. When, towards the end of the war, he retumed to Vienna, @ refugee aud destitute, I had eo help hita to master apart ofthe transference ‘which hiad not been resolved, This was accomplished in a few months, and T was able w end my footnote with the statement that ‘tier thea the patent has fet normal and has behaved unexceptionahiy, inspite ofthe war having robbed him of his home, his pemesions and all his family relationships. Fifteen years have passed since then without disproving the truth of this verdice but certain reservations have become necesary. ‘The patient has stayed on in Vienna and bas kept a place in society, if humble one. But several times during this period his good state of heats has been imerrupted by attacks ofilnes Which could only be construed as ofthoots of his percanial neurosis. Thanks to the skill of one of my pupils, Dr. Ruth Mack Brunswick, a short course of treatment has on each occasion brought these conditions to an end. I hope that Dr. Mack Brunsiick herself will shordy report on the cium: stances." Some of these attacks were stil concemed. with reidual portions of the transference; and, where this was 20, Shortlved ehough they were, they showed a dstnely paranoid character. In other atiacls, however, the pathogenic material ‘consisted of pies of the patient's childhood history, which had not come 10 light while T was analysing him and which sow ‘came away—the comparion is unavoidable—like sutures ater sn operation, cr small fragments of necrotic bone. Ihave found the history of this patient’s recovery scarcely lest interesting than that of bis ines. Thave subsequendy employed this Sxing ofa time.imit in other cases as well, and T have algo taken the experiences of other analysts into account. There can be only one verdict about the value of this blackmailing device: i is effective pro- Vided that one hits the right me forit. Butt cannot guarantee to accomplish the task completely. On the contrary, we may bbe sure that, while part ofthe material will become accessible ‘under the presure ofthe threat, another part wil be kept back and thus become buried, as it were, and lotto our therapeutic ‘efforts. For once the analyst has fixed the time-limit he cannot * [Her report ain fact already appeared several years caer Besnvik To) or fae ratio te fer Saar of sicaee an etal omote, Sunard Bd, 1h 122) ( { AND INTERMINABLE 219 ‘extend its otherwie che patient would lose all faith in hi. The ‘most obvious way out would be for the patient to continue his treatment with another analyst, alchough we know that such a change will invelve a fiesh los of time and abandoning fruits fof work already done. Nor can any general rule be lad down 28 to the right time for resorting to this forcible teclnieal device; the decision must be left to the analyst’s tact. A miscalculation cannot be rectified. The saying that a lion only springs once must apply here. uw ‘The discusion of the technical problem of how to accelerate the slow progress of an analysis leads us to another, more deeply interesting question: s there such a thing a9 a natural end to an analysis—is there any possibilty at all of bringing an analysis to such an end? To judge by the common talk of analysts it would seem to be so, for we often hear them say, when they are deploring or excusing the recognized imperfections of some fellow-mortal: “His analysis was not finished? or he was never analysed to the end” ‘We mast first of all decide what is meant by the ambiguous phrase “the end of an analy’. From a practical standpoint it is eay to answer. An analysis is ended when the analyst and the patient cease to meet each ether for the analytic seision. This hhappens when two conditions have been approximately ful- filled: frst, thac the patient shall no longer be suffering from his symptoms and shall have overcome his anxieties and his inhibi- tions; and secondly, that the analyst shall judge that #0 much represed material has been made conscio, so mich that was ‘unimelligible has been explained, and so much internal resist= nce conquered, that there is no need to fear a repetition of the pathological processes concerned. If one is prevented by external difficulties from reaching this goal, iis beter to speale of an iwomplste analysis rather than of an unfised one. ‘The other meaning ofthe ‘end’ of an analysis is much more ambitious. Ta this sense oft, what we are asking is whether the Analyst has had such a far-reaching influence on the patient that no further change could be expected to take place in him this analysis were continued, Tet as though ie were possible by means of analysis to attain to a level of absolute psychicalx0 ANALYSIS TERMINABLE normality—a level, moreover, which we could fol confident would be able to remain sable, as though, perhaps, we bad {cesde in revolving everyone of he patients represions and in ling nl the gun is memory. We may Set cons one Ccxpeience to enquire whether such things do infact happen, Sd then turn fo oor theory to aacover whether theres any sibiiy ofthis bappening. Pcyery analyet wl have ented afew caer which have had this grauhing outome, He hae siccended im elesring up the ‘patient's neurotic disturbance, and fe has not retroed and has Zot been replaced by any other such dinurbanee, Nov are we tthout some inght into the determinants of these sucess. ‘The patient's ego had not bean nocesby altered! and the ‘etiology of hie diturbance had boen ewentally waumatic. The Stilogy of every nearotic trance iy aftr all a mixed tne, tis 2 question ether of the instincts beg excessively Strong that to say, reafltrant to taming® by the ego—or of the ellce of eal (Le. premature) traumas which the immature eo was unable to master. As are there Is «combination of Toth fctrn the constational aad the accidental. The stronger the constitutional factor, the more readily will a wauma lead toa fsation and leave bebind a developmental discurbanes the stronger the toma, the more cen vl ausious eft become maf even when the tinct station formal ‘There sna dob that am aetoogy ofthe traumatic sor offers by faethe more favourable eld for analy. Only when a case ‘a predominantly trsumade one will nays accel in doing ‘vt it so supetlaively able wo do; ony then wilt thanks to having strengthened the patfent’s ego, suceed in replacing by a correct sation the inadequate deckion made in Ma easly LE Only in such cases can one speak of an anajishaving been ceitvely ended, In them, analysis Bas done all nef Mould and doce not need to be continued, Teis rue haf he patient who has been restored in this way never produces Inotae order calling fr nays, we do not Know how meh ih immanlty may not be de tos land fete oie as spared ‘im ordeals that are too severe, ‘A constnonal saength of fstinet and an unfavourable * [Te dea ofan sera of the godine at lege blow, paras Soton Serio te eatore Now, p20 above] * [de word i conietd blow om 295] AND INTERMINABLE mi alteration of the ngn aequieed in ity defensive struggle in the sense ofits being dislocated and restricted—these are the factors which are prejudicial tothe effectiveness of analysis and which ‘may make its duration interminable, One is tempted to make the first factor—strength of instinet—responaible as well for the emergence of the second —the alteration ofthe ego; butit seems ‘that the latter too bas an aetiology of its own. And, indeed, it must be admitted that our knowledge of these matters is as Yet insufiient. They are only now becoming the subject of analytic study. In this field the interest of analysts seems to me to be quite wrongly directed. Instead of an enquiry into how a cure by analysis comes about (a matter which I think has been suficiently elucidated) the question should be asked of what are the obsticles that stand in the way of such a cure. ‘This brings me to two problems which arte directly out of analytic practice, as I hope to show by the following exarmples. Avcertain man, who had himself practised analysis with great ‘succes, came to the conclusion that his relations both to:men and women—to the men who were his eompedtors and to the woman whom he loved—were nevertheless not fee fom neurotic impediments; and he therefore made himself the sub- Jectofan analysis by someone else whom he regarded assuperiot ‘to himself This critical illumination of bie own self had a completely succesful result, He married the woman he loved land tuned into a fiend and teacher of his supposed rival, Many years pasied in this way, during which his relations with his former analyst also remained wnelowded. But then, for 20 assignable external reason, trouble arose. The man who had bbeen analysed became antagonistic to the analyst and re- [proached him for having filed t give hia complete analysis, ‘The analyst, he said, ought to have known and to have taken into account the face that a transference-relation can never be purely postive; he should have given his attention tothe possi- Dilities ofa negative transference. The analyst defended hirselt by saying that, atthe time of the analysis, chere was no sign of a negative transference, But even if he had failed to observe "(According to Emest Jonet this relat to Ferenc, who was analysed by Heud forthe? weels ia Octobe, 1014, and for another ‘Duce weeks (vith two sessions daily) im Jone 1916” See Jones, 15), 156, apd 1855, 185"and 213. CE alo Freud's obicuasy ot erence (A988), Sand 2, 228))mm ANALYSIS TERMINABLE some urey Taint signs af t—which was not altogether red out, considering the Limited horizon of analysis in those early days ‘it was stl doubtful, he thought, whether he would have had the power to activate a topic (or, as we say, a complex’) by merely poiuting it out, 90 long as it was wot currently active ia the patient bimse at he time, To activate it would certainly have required some unfriendly piece of hebaviout in reality on the analysts part. Furthermore, he added, not every” good relation between an analyst and his subject during and after analysis wae to he regarded at a transferences there were also ‘Giendly relations which were based on realty and which proved. tobe viable. T now pass on to my second example, which raises the same problem. An unmarried woman, no longer young, had been Cut of from lif since puberty by an inability to wall, owing to severe pains in the legs, Her condition was obviously of a hyrterical nature, and it had defied many kinds of treatment. ‘An analysis lasting three-quarters of a year removed the trouble and restored to the patient, an excellent and worthy person, hace right to a share in lif. Inthe years following her recovery the was consistently unfortunate, ‘There were disasters in her family, and financial lowes, and, as she grew older, she saw ‘every hope of happiness in love and mariage vaniah. But the ‘one-ime invalid stood up to all this valiantly and wasa support to her family in dificult tines. I cannot remember whether it ‘was twelve or fourteen years after the end of her analysis that, wing to profuse haemorshages, she was obliged to undergo a ‘gynaecological examination. A myoma was found, which made a complete hysterectomy advissble, From che time ofthis opers- tion, the woman became il ance moze, She fll love with her surgeon, wallowed in masochistic phantasies about the fearful ‘changes in her insde—phantases with which she concealed her romance-and proved inaccessible toa further attempt at fualysit. She zemained abnormal to the end of her life. The Successfal analytic treatment took place so long ago that we ‘cannot expect fo0 much from i; it was in the earliest years of ‘my work as am analyst. No doubt the patient's second illnes ‘may have sprung from the same source as her fist one which had been succesflly overcome: it may have been a different ‘manifestation ofthe same repressed impulses, which the analysis isd only incompletely resolved. But {am inclined to think that, AND INTERMINABLE 2s were it no for the new trauma, there would have been no Gest outbreak of neurosis, ‘These two examples, which have been purposely selected from a large number of similar ones, will eulice to start a dite cussion of the topics we are considering. The reeptical, the ‘optimistic and the ambitious will take quite different views of ‘them, ‘The fist will say that it is now proved that even a succetsfil analytic treatment does not protect the patient, who at the time has been cured, ftom falling il later om of another neurosis—or, indeod, of a neurosis derived from the same in- stinctual root—that is to say, from a recurrence of his ald {wouble, The others will consider that this is not proved. They will objec that the two examples date from the early days of analysis, twenty and thirty years ago, respectively; and chat since then we have acquired deeper insight and wider know= Tedge, and that our technique has changed in accordance with ‘our new discoveries. To-day, they will say, we may demand and expect that an analytic cure shall prove permanent, or atleast that ia patient falls ill again, his new illness shall not turn out to bea revival of his earlier instinctual disturbance, manifesting itself in new forms. Our experience, they will maintain, does not oblige us to restrict so materially the demands that can be made upon our therapeutic method. ‘My reason for choosing these two examples it, of course, precisely because they lie so far back in the past. Ie i obvious that the more recent the succesful outcome of an analysis if, the less utilizabe itis for our discussion, since we have no means of predicting what the later history of the recovery will be. ‘The optimist’ expectations clearly presuppose 2 number of things which are not precisely selfevident. They assume, ily, that there really is & possibility of disposing of an iniinctual conic (or, more correctly, a conflict between the ego and an instinct) definitively and forall time; secondly, that while we are testing someone for one instinctual conflict we ca, ait ‘were, inoculate him against the pessiblity of any other such cconfictss and thirdly, that we have the power, for purposes ‘of prophylaxis, to stir up a pathogenic confit ofthis tort which is not betraying itself at the time by any indications, and that it is wise o doo. I throw out these questions without proposing to answer them now. Perhaps it may not be posible at present to give any certain answer fo them at all.au ANALYSIS TERMINABLE Some light may probably be thrown on them by theoretical considerations, Bot another point has already become clear: 5 we wish to full che more exacting demands upon analytic therapy, our oad wil not lead us to, a by way of a shortening of ite duration, ur An analytic expeionoe which now extends over several decades ana change whic ha aken plac inthe mare and Ide of ny acy encourage me to aterpt to answer the Gastons Defoe us In caer days T treated. gute a large Shomer of patients, who, a8 wan nataal, rented to be dealt witha guys pe OF ae yes ave besa may Gneaged in taining analysers a rlatvely small nu ‘ee ewe lle: rained with me fer eoninuos tee ten, lnteruped, however, by longer or share intervals Wins them the thenpeuse atm wat no longer the mame. There was bo question of shoresing the teatment; the pute ove was radially fo exkscst the, poses of lines in thom an to ring bout 3 ep-gong altradon of thelr ersonalty. ° * Of the three factors which we have recognized as being decisive forthe veces ov other of analy entinentthe fnfacnceof rua he conststonl suength of the insines an sltoraons of the ego-what concerns ts bere i oaly the Second, the stength of the intial A momen? relation ‘see dutch erative of rahe come $itudooal” or ‘ongentl) Ss exental. However ue fe may Fett he ont lor of deve mportanee om the wry begining, tie never coneivable Gat ae. tnbrecment ef sect coming later ne might prec the Stine ects. Iso, we should have to modify ove frmsta aed faye etcagh ofthe nates te in! stead a the coe Shull rengh ofthe asiacs. ‘The ft of our questions ip. 228] was sit posible by means of snalyietherpy 10 Ligoe of a conictbeencen an instinct and the ego oF of @ puthogent asinetual demand pon the go permanently and {einitvely? To aved mieandenanding tiv not wanecesay, patlups toexplin move exactly what istmeent by permanent {Upon of a nsnetaal demand Cray no aug he is AND INTERMINABLE ms demand to disappear sn that nathing mores ever heard from it again’ Thisisin general impossible, na sit at all tobe desired, 'No, we inean something else, somezaing which may be roughly described as a ‘taming’ + of the instinct. That ie to say, the instinct is brought completely into the harmony of the exo, becomes accesible to all the influences of the other trends in the ego and no longer secks to go its independent way to satis- faction. Ifwe are asked by hat methods and means this result fs achieved, its not easy to find an answer. We ean only say: “So muss denn doch die Hexe dran!" "the Witch Metae psychology. Without metapsychological speculation and theo- rizing—I had almost said “phantaying —we shall not get another step forward. Unfortunately, here as eliewhere, what ‘our Witch reveals is neither very elear nor very detailed, We hhave only a single cluc to star fom—though it sa clue of the highest value—namely, the antithesis between the primary and the secondary processes; and to that antithesis T'shall a this point tara. If now we take up our first question once more, we find that ‘our new Line of approach inevitably leads tur to a particular conclusion. The question was whether iis possible to dispose of an instinctual conflict permanently and definitvely—i.e. to ‘tame’ an instinctual demand in that fashion, Formulated in ‘hese terms the question makes no mention at all ofthe strength of the instinet; but it is precitely on this that the outcome depends, Let us sart fom the asumption that what analysis achieves for neurotis is nothing other than what normal people bing about for themselves without its help. Everyday experi= ‘ence, however, teaches us that in 2 normal person any sobition ‘of sn instinctual conflict only holds good for « particular strength of instinct, or, more correctly, only for a particular relation between the strength of the initinet and the strength 2 (Bindigang? Freud bad, amang other place, wed the word in The anionic Problem of Maioehim’ (19242) to describe the action by ‘whlch the Ubido can make the death isin innocuous Sunurd EE Bo I6k Mic ae a Sen Tot Pat oft 16, alo owing tothe ittervetion of he ego veud,19500)) [We must cll the Witch to ou help te ll ‘Goethe, Feu, Part 1, Scene 6, Foo insench ofthe see of yout, ulin ssa eh Wis26 ANALYSIS TERMINABLE of the ego.t IF the strength of the ego dishes, whether Uhrough illness or exhaustion, or from some similar caus, all the instincts which ave on for boon sucowsflly tamed may renew their demands and strive to obtain subrituivesaface efutable proof of this statement is supplied by our nightly dreams; they react to the seeping attitude asumed by the ego with an awakeniog of instinewal demands. ‘The material on the other side [he strength ofthe instincts] is equally unambiguous, ‘Twice in the course of individual development certininsincis are considerably reinforced: at pubercy, an, in women, at the menopause. We are not in the Teast surprised if person who was not neurotic befare becomes so at tee times, When his intinels were not 80 song, he sicoveded in taming thems; but when they are reinforced he can no longer do a0. The reprssions belave like dams against the presare of water. The same eects which are produces by these khco pliyilogical reinforcements of iestinet, may be brought about in an iregular fashion by accidental causes at any other period of life. Such reinforcements may be act up by fresh Iraumas, enforced Frustrations, or the collateral influence of instincts upon one another. The ett always the same, adit underlines the iresistble power ofthe quaniteive factor inthe ‘casation of lines, fee a though I oaghé wo be ashamed of so much ponderous ‘exporition, seeing thae everything T have tad has long beee familiar and selkevident. Tt i a fact that wo have always Ipchaved a8 if we Knew all this; but, for the most pert, ou theoretical concepts have neglected to attach the same im- portance to the eanamic Hine of approach as they have tthe “Oy, tbe petty acct, wher tha einton fl within etn ve ere we havea jutlicton of Un clan tosetiolaislimpartance of uc noneapeie factors a err, sec, ste, Tee ator ave fhe tre of pean bu ha le paed IE thebuckground pea nin Tw imple Seine as act feted tere Le by erence © ie hain ltr betwen age o he tal apart ‘which ave been tengnsedor if ate prefered) nerd o oe Jetucdby ts ti Sepreciadon ‘by. Brood of thr alse SSopotance in teurads Of uch ftore a ‘overwork’ el be foul at fy atin Dealt A ithe Fes popes, ding perhaps fom 1092 {on Stand Et) Ry amen eee ieee sroncan pent soy nn ern aL Sores nate sire Bu we fen ate wi gus were we ttn gen wo tet Pa i oi wed fares Oar ie ity alate fw eens tee Spnan bao eco eine ea ope at aac oes cn seni ot wc Ep teeta teenie is Bc wits ely ae eae oa ee cea tenth an oes a i sr os ‘ony be gosta ice nese ‘rye cnn Sisrre nae ren a taupe nd pun yds La Were tet ie danthald en Artal hens ec ten ty ae pve Coens ecko a hime Tn eye toe pins ca urn ne es td ons tobe mtr yh pr mate es oe Cini Spey tweed herp We Say apy tee ni cscs ane seo Sat pn dnd Snell eed one me soe of tinned ay Cand drut an ncne he eae e Btn at Aver cat hs wits sed ests Saas and rerength, to undertake a revision of theac Old repreadony, ae rt aid, wae sh ie toed ate frac seh nnd eat et auiwscitemndig atemneston ieesinronercney Senden thy val morgve wy mech else lag Boo esas Seg a evel ese tate tepy eal he ruc pen a Sraal peed epatens covehan Aah so thik marek eater hou han ye a up net nde 2 ne ot aruent ad ee ace pray ayn toa dea ings Cape ito Ys Gono Ya City de Hi heme? the mapas ype on Re penn! (ah Sd 1, Hwa, tone Sra an Ses ie erm dtd ne Score)za ANALYSIS TERMINABLE Invessble compulsion. And what does our experens have to say to this? Pethaps our experience is not yet wide eaough for us to come toa settled conclusion. It confirms our expectations often ‘enough, but not always, One has an impression that one ought rot to be surprised if it should ten out in the end that the Gifference between a person who has not been analysed and the behaviour ofa person after he has been analysed is not so thorongh-going ai we sim at making it and as we expect and maintain it be. If this isso, i¢ would mean that analysis sometimes succeeds in eliminating the influence of an increase in instr, but not invariably, or thatthe effect of analysis is limited to increasing the power of resistance of the inhibitions, so that they are equal to much greater demands than before the analysis or if no analysis had taken place. I really cannot ‘commit myself to a decision on this point, nor do I know ‘whether a decision is posible at the present time. “There is, however, anther angle from which we can approach this problem ofthe variability in the effect of analysis, We know that the first step towards attaining intellectual siartery of our environment isto discover generalizations, rales tnd laws which bring order into chaos. Ta doing this we semplif the world of phenomena; but we cannot avoid falsifying it, cepedally if we are dealing with processes of development and change. What we are concemed With is discerning & qualittie alteration, and as a rule in doing so we neglect, at any rate to begin with, a quanftetie factor. In the real worl, transitions and intermediate stages are far more common than sharply ‘ifferentiated oppeste states. In studying developments and changes we direct our attention solely (0 the outcome; we readily overlook the fact that such proceies are usually sore (oF lest incomplete—shat is to say, that they are in fact only partial alterations, A shrewd satist of old Austria, Johann Nestroy,t once said: ‘Every step forward is only half'as big a5 i looks a¢ first.’ Ie ix tempting to attribute quite general validity to this malicious dictum. There are nearly always residval phenomena, a partial hanging-back, When an open- Inanded Maccenas surprises us by some isolated trait of miser~ liness, or when a person who i consistently over-kind suddenly induges in a bostle action, such ‘residual phenomena’ are 2 (red fad quoted the same remark ia The Quon of Lay Analy (0s26e), Standard Ea, 2, 198.) terereecine nym RRs vgn remem AND INTERMINABLE, 29 invaluable for genetic rsentrh. They show us that theve praise worthy and precious qualities are based on compensation and ‘overcompeniation which, a¢ wat to have been expected, have ‘not been absolutely and fly successful. Our frst arcount ofthe development of the libido was that an original oral phase gave ‘way to a sadisticeanal phase and that this wasin tara succeeded by a phallicgenital one. Later revearch has not contradicted this view, but it has comected it by adding that these replace= ‘ments do not take place all of sudden but gradually, #0 that portions of the estier organization always persist alongside of ‘the more recent one, and even ia normal development the transformation is never complete and residues af earlier ibidinal fixations may stil be retained in the final configuration, The ‘same thing sto be seen in quite other fields, Ofall the esroncous ‘and superstitious belies of mankind that have supposedly been surmounted there is not one whose residues do. not live on among us to-day in the lower stata of civilized peoples of even in the highest strata of eutural society. What has ance come to life clings tenaciously to its existence, One fels inlined to doubt sometimes whether the dragons of primaeval days are really extinct. Applying these remarks to our present problem, I think that the answer tothe question of how to explain the variable results of our analytic therapy might well be that we, t00, in «endeavouring to replace repressions that ae insecure by reliable egosyatonic controls, do not always achieve our aim to is fall cextent—that is, do not achieve f thoroughly enough. ‘The ‘transformation is achieved, but often only partially: portions of the old mechanisms remain tntowched by the work of analy. [eis dificult to prove that thsi veally so; for we have no other way of judging what happens but by the outcome which we are laying to explain. Nevertheless, the impressions one receives during the work of analysis do not contradict this asamption; indeed, they seem rather to confirm it, But we must not take the clarity of our ova insight as a meatare of the conviction Which we produce in the patient. His conviction may lack ‘depth, as one might says itis always a question ofthe quantita- tive factor, which isso easly overlooked. I this ig the correct answer to our question, we may say that analysis, in claiming ‘© cure neuroses by ensuring contr over instinct, is always right in theory but not always right in practice. And this i20 ANALYSIS TERMINASLE berate it dows not always succeed in ensuring to a suficient degree the foundations on which a control of instinct is based. ‘The cause of such a partial failure is easly discovered. In the past, the quantitative factor of instinetwal strength opposed the ‘ego's defensive effora; for that veason we called in the work of analysis to help; and ow that same factor sets a limit to the ‘cacy of this new effort, If the strength of the instinct is tescestve, the mature ego, supported by analysis, als in its task, Just as the helpless ego failed formeriy. Its control over instinct js improved, but it remains imperlect because the transforma- tion im the defensive mechanism is only incomplete. There is nothing surprising in this, since the power of the instruments ‘with which analysis operates is not unlimited but restricted, and the final upehot always depends on the relative strength of the psychical agencies which are struggling with one another. ‘No doubt itis desirable to shorten the duration of analytic treatment, but we can only achieve our therapeutic purpose by increasing the power of analysis to come to the assistance ‘ofthe eyo. Hypnotic influence seemed to be an excellent instru ment for our purposes; but the zewons for our having to Abandon it are well known. No substitate for hypaoss has yet been found. From this point of view we can understand how ‘such 2 master of analysis as Ferenesi came to devote the last years of his life ro therapeutic experiments, whieh, unhappily, proved to be vain, Vv ‘The two further questions—whether, while we are treating ‘one instinctual conflict, we can protect a patient from future conflicts, and whether it is feasible and expedient, for prophy- lactic pixposes, to stir up 2 conflict which is not atthe ti smanifest—imust be treated together; for obviously the first task ‘cam only be easried out in a far as the second one is—thet is in to far as a posible future conflict is turned into an actual ‘Present one upon which influence is then brought to beat. This zhew way of stating the problem is at bottom only an extension of the ezrier one- Whereas in the fst instance we were cone sidering how to guard against a return of the same conflict, ‘we ave now considering how to. guard against its posible replacement by atuler conflict. This sounds a very ambitious | { sire areas cyto etree ee aaa ape nmi yb et Se aire genes see teen ee iteiehcaamecrresueeye mete See ce te eee teed Snes Utara we he cease ety tec Pata Sacre are eye ie el te oe ee taeat ar onion eee set te a pee i ey Sa cin ej eet ae rune at Se ate fie ste cae a'r zo et SC Tcety ce hans ee at oe steht es ray Scere Sats 3 one ny ste ch sea a cae og geet os SLO ag anceps roing te Sere arateetonnecirane Sy coca eee ire wth kent poset emer Serr arora ag Som oo ie SOSA aba napem ee ate Sree ra ar kere inion ete a teercbeace aba nea eared ot inca a ete ch ree SESE! Sa ate on as Wet jin order to increase the instinctual force available for its Soo Gace pote ie st See ects te he see eer a nee an ce regret iene eerie seo en n= ees oe Se Se ae sty fe ge mmo ine tt (gy ee na GS Seats chante ts ama i ienanmcotane oman ee2 ANALYSIS TERMINABLE, whieh are already present in the patient and which he cannot faved, We should Have to make up our minds to provoke fut sulleings in him; and this ye have hitherto quite righty Ife tw fate. We should receive admonitions from all sides against the presumption of vying with fate in subjecting poor human ‘creatures 10 such cruel experiments. And what sort of exper ments would they be? Could we, for purposes of prophylaxis, tale the responsibility of destroying a satisfactory marriage, ot ‘causing a patient to give up a post upon which his livelihood depends? Fortunately, we never find ourselves in the position of having to consider whether such interventions a the patient's real life are justified; we do not posess the plenary powers ‘which they would necesita, and the subject of our therapeutic experiment would certainly refuse to co-operate in it. In practice, then, such a procedure is virally excluded; but there are, besides, theoretical objections to it, For the work of analysis proceeds best if the patient's pathogenic experiences belong to the past, eo that his ego ean stand at a distance from them, I stats of acute crisis analysis isto all intents and purposes tunable. ‘The ego's whole interest i taken up By the painful reality and it withholds itself om analysis which is attempting ta go below the surfice and uncover the influences of the past. To create a freh conflict would thus only be to make the work of analysis longer and more dificult. Tevwll be objected that these remarks are quite unnecessary. Nobody thinks of purpocely conjuring up new situations of suffering in order to make it possible for a Intent instinctual contct to be treated. This would not be much to boast of as a prophiylactic achievement, We know, for instance, that patient Sho hat rocavered from scarlet fever is immune to a return of the same illaes; yet it ever occurs toa doctor to take & healthy person who may possibly fall il of scarlet fever and infect him with scarlet fever in order to make him immune to it. The protective measure must not produce the same situation of anger a8 is produced by the illness itself, but only something very much sighter, asis the case with vaccination against small- ‘pox and many other similar procedures, In analytic prophylaxis ‘against instinctual conflicts, therefore, the only methods which ‘ome into consideration are the other two which we have mene ‘ioned: the artificial production of new conflicts in the trans- ference (conlliets which, afterall lack the character of reality), ; | AND INTERMINABLE as and the arousing of such conflicts in the patient’s imagination. by talking to him about them and making him familiar with their possibile. Tdo not know whether we can asert thatthe fist ofthese vo ailder procedures is altogether ruled out in analysis. No experi- ‘ments have been particularly made in this direction. But Alificultes at once suggest themselves, which do not throw a very promising light on such an undertaking. In the fst place, the choice ofsuch situations for the transference is very limited. ‘The patients cannot themselves bring all their conflicts into the transference; nor isthe analyst able to call out all cher posible instinctual conflicts from the transference situation. He may ‘make them jealous or cause them to experience disappointments in loves but no technical purpose is required to bring thi about. Such things happen of themselves in any case in most analyses. In the second place, we must not overlook the fact ‘that all measures of thie sort would oblige the analyst to behave in an unftiendly way to the patient, and this would have a damaging effect upon the affectionate attitude—upon the posi- tive tansfezenco—vshich is the strongest motive forthe patent's taking a share in the joint work of analysis, Thus we should on rng account expect very mich from this pracedure, ‘This therefore leaves only the one method open to us—the fone which was in all probability the only one originally con- templated, We tell the patient about the posibilities of other instinctual confess, and we arouse his expectation that such conflicts may occur in him. What we hope is that this informa tion and this warning will have the effect of activating in him fone ofthe conflicts we have indicated, in a modest degree and yet suficiently for treatment, But this time experience speaks with no uncertain voice, The expected renut docs not come about. The patient hears our message, but there is no response. He may thiak to himeli “This is very interesting, but I feel no trace of it? We have increased his knowledge, but altered nothing else in him, The situation it much the same as when ‘people read peycho-analytic writings. The readeris ‘rtimolated? nly by those passages which he feels apply to bimselt—that is, Which concern conflicts that are active in him at the time Everything else leaves him cald. We ean have analogous experi= ences, I think, when we give children sexual enlighteamest. am far from maintaining that this is & harmful of unnecessarya ANALYSIS TERMINABLE, thing to do, but itis clear that the prophylactic effect of this liberal measure hat been greatly over-itimated. cnlightcament, children know something they before, but they make no use of the new knowledge that has been presented to them. We come to see that they are not even nso great a furry to sacrifice for this new knowledge the sexual theories which might be described as a natural growth and ‘which they have constructed in harmony with, and dependence fon, their imperfect ibidinal orgenizatic ies aboat the part played by the stork, about the nature of sexual intercourse fn about the way in which babies are made, Far « long ne alter they have been given sexual enlightenment they behave like primitive races who have had Christianity thrust upon them and who continue to worship their old idols in seret.t v We started from the question of how we can shorten the inconveniently long duration of analytic treatment, and, sill With this question of time in mind, we went on to consider whether it is possible to achieve a permanent cure or even to prevent future illness by prophylactic treatment. In doing #0, ‘we found that the factors which were decisive for the success fof our therapeutic efforts were the influence of traumatic ‘etiology, the relative strength ofthe instincts which have to be controled, and something which we have ealled an alteration (of the ego, [See p. 224 abave.] Only the second of thee factors has been diseuseed by usin any detail, and in connection with it ‘ve have had occasion to recognize the paramount importance of che quantitative fuctor and to stres the claim of the meta- ‘peyehologial lin af approach to be taken into account in any Attempt at explanation, Goucerning the third fictor, the alteration of the ego, we have as yet said nothing. When we turn our attention 93 the firstimpression we receive is that there i auch to ake and much toanswer here, and that what we have to say about it wll prove to be very inadequate, This frst impression is confirmed when, * [These reflection of Frou’ on the sexual enlighteent ftilsen siny be coupared with elas ophisteated ones ia hs easly paper on the subject 19070] AND INTERMINABLE 2 ‘wo go further into the problem. As i well known the analytic situation consists in our allying ourselves with the ego of the person under treatment, in order to subdue portions of his id ‘which sre uncontrlled~that is to say to include them in the synthesis of his ego. The fact that 2 co-operation of this kind ‘habitually falls in the case of peyehotics affords us a Gist solid for our judgement. The ego, if we are to be able to make sch a pact with it, must be a normal one, But a normal ego of| this sort is, like normality in general, an ideal fiction. The abnormal égo, which is unserviceable for our purposes, is ‘unfortunately no fiction. Every normal pervon, in fac, is oaly normal on the average, His ego approximates to that of the psychotic in some part or other and to a greater or leser cient; and the degree of its remoteness from one end of the series and ofits proximity to the other will furnish us wich a ‘provisional measure of what we have so indefinitely termed ann ‘alteration of che ego’ If we ask what isthe source ofthe great variety of kinds and degrees of alteration of the ego, we cannot escape the frst ‘obvious alternative, that such alterations are either congenital ‘or acquired. Of these the second sort will be the easier to trea, Ie they are acquired, ie will ertalaly have been in the course of development, starting ftom the first years of Kile. For the ego has to try ffom the very outset (0 fulfl its task of mediating between its id and the external world in the service of the pleasure principle, and to protect the id from the dangers of ‘the external world, If in the course of the efforts, the ego Teams o adopt a defensive attitude towards its own id as well ‘and to treat he latte’ instinctual deniands as external dangers, ‘this happens, at any rate in part, because ie understands that 2 satisfaction of instinct would lead to conficts with the external ‘world, Thereafter, under the influence of education, the ego sows accustomed to removing the soene ofthe fight from oute side to within and to mastering the iteeal danger before it has become an exfemal one; and probably it ie most often right in doing so. During this fight on two fronts—later there will be a third ffont as well" the ego makes use of various procedures for fulfilling its task, which, to patitin general terms, i Co avoid danger, anxiety and unpleasure. We call these procedures ‘mucharions of defews’. Our knowledge of them is not yet 4 [An oblique reference tothe superege.]238 ANALYSIS TERMINABLE ssfficiently complete, Ann Freud’ hol: (1936) has given ne a first insight into their multiplicity and manyesided significance. Tt wat from one of those mechanisms, repression, that the study of neutotie processes took its whole start. There was never any doubt that repression was not the only procedure which the ‘ga could emplay for its purposes. Nevertheles, repression is something quite peculiar and is more sharply differentiated fom the other mechanisms than they are from one another. I ‘should ike to make this relation to the other mechanisms clear by an analogy, though I know that in these matters analogies never carry us very far, Let us imagine what might have happened to a book, at 4 time when books were not printed in editions but were written out individually. We will suppose that a book of this Kind contained statement: which in laer ‘ines were regarded as undesirable—as, fr instance, according to Robert Esler (1929), the writings of Flavius Josephus must Ihave contained passages about Jesus Christ which were offensive te later Christendom. At the'present day, the only defensive ‘mechsaniam to which the official censorship could retort would bo to confiscate and destroy every copy of the whole edition. ‘Atthat time, however, various methods were used for making ‘the book innocuous, One way would be forthe offending pas sages to be thickly crossed through so that they were ilegible. Tn that eave they could not be transcribed, and the next copyist fof the bock would produce a text which was unexceptionable But which had gaps in certain pasiages, and so might be uz- intelligible in them, Another way, however, if the authorities were not saisiedl with this, but wanted also to conceal any indication thatthe text had been mutilated, would befor them to proceed to distort the text. Single words would be left out ‘of teplaced by others, and new sentences interpolated. Best of al he whole pasage would be easel and nev one whieh ssid exactly the opposite put in i place. The next transcriber could then produce a text that aroused no suspicion but which ‘vas falsified, T¢no longer contained what the author wanted 0 say; and itis highly probable thatthe corrections had not been made in the direction of truth. If the analogy is not pursued too strictly, we may say that sepresian has the same relation tothe other methods of defence 1s omission has to distortion ofthe text and we may discover in the different forms ofthis flfication parallel to the variety of| AND INTERMINABLE, ast ways in which che ego ie aleored. Am attempt may be made to raise the objection thatthe analogy goes wrong in an essential point, forthe distortion of a text is the work of a teadentions censorship, no counterpart to which is to be found in the development of the ego. But this isnot so; for a tendentious Purpose of this kind is to a great extent represented by the compelling force of the pleasure principle. The peyshical apparatus is intolerant of unpleasure; it has to fend it of at all, costs, and if the perception of reality entails unpleasure, that pereéption—that is, the teuth—munt be sacrificed. Where extemal dangers are concerned, the individual can help himself for some time by fight and by avoiding the situation af danger, until he is strong enough later on to remove the threat by. actively altering zeality. But one cannot flee from oneself ight js no help against internal dangers. And for that reason the defensive mechanisms ofthe ego are condemned to falsify one’s internal perception and to give one only an imperfect and dis- torted pictare of anes id, Tn its eations tothe id, therefore, the ego is paralysed by its restrictions or blinded by its errors: and the result of ths inthe sphere of psychical events can only be compared to being out walking ina country one daes not know and without having a good pair of legs ‘The mechanitms of defence serve the purpose of keeping off dangers Te cannot be disputed that they are successful in this; and it is doubtlil whether the ego could do without them altogether during its development. But itis also certain that they may become dangers themselves, It sometimes turns out thatthe ego fas paid too igh a price forthe services they render it, The dynamic expenditure necessary for maintaining them, and the restrictions of the ego which they almost invariably entail, prove a heavy burden on the psychical economy. More- over, these mechanisms are not relinguished after they have assisted the ego during the difficult years of its development. No one individual, of course, makes use of all the possible mechanisms of defence. Each person uses no more than a ‘lection of them. But these become fixated in his ego, They bbocome regular mods of reaction of his character, which are repested throughout his life whenever a situation occurs chat is similar to the original one. This turns them into infantilsms, and they share the fave of 30 many instiutions which attempt to keep themselves in existence after the time of cheiruecfalness28 ANALYSIS TERMINABLE tas pase ‘Vernnn wird Tnsinn, Wahliat Plage as the poet omplains® The adult’ ego, with is increased strength, con tinue to defend ital aguont danger which no longet ext in reality; indeed, st ads fat compelled to seck out those sitaa- tious in reality which can serve as an approximate subetate {or the original danger, coast beable tous, in relation to them, is tainticing fs habitual modes of reaction, Thus we can cally understand how the defensive racchanisms, By bringe ing about an ever more extensive alienation from the external word anda permanent weakening ofthe ego, pave the way fr, tnd encourage, te outbreak of neuora ‘AC the moment, however, we are not concerned with the pathogenic role of the dfeasve mechanisms, What we ate Tying to dicover is what influence the aeration of the eyo whieh conesponds to them hat upon our therapeutic efor, ‘The material for an araver (0 tht quesdon is given in the volume by Anza Fread to whieh have already reer, The tssenvial point is thatthe poten repeats these modes of reaction during the work of analyis ab well, that he prodaces them before our oes a8 it were ln Bic, eds only in tls way chat ve gett know ten, This does ace ean tha Hey make analyas Jimpouible. On the contary, ticyeoastitate hal our analytic tank, The other al, he one which was fet acded by analyais Init eaty days, isthe uncovering of whats hidden fn the H. ‘During the treatment our therapeutic work i comstandly swinge ing backwards and forwards lite a pendulum between a pices of ibanalyis anda piso of ego-aualyal, In the one case we ‘vant to make something from thei eoneious, in the other we Ywant lo correct something tn the ego, The erat of the matter ibthat the defenave mechanisms directed against former danger eeu in the twatnent ab rater aginst recovery. Te follows ftom this thatthe ego treats recovery ite a a ew danger “The terpeutie elect depends on making conscious what is trepresed, in the widet ante ofthe word in the 4, We prepare the way for ths mating eonsious by interpretations and eon Suction," but we have interpreted only Dr oursives not for the patient 0 long asthe ego belds on tots cake defences and oes not give up it restances Now these resistances, although + Reason becomes uaretn, Kindness tment? Goth, Fat, Pat sleet +E he paper on his eujet (19870, p. 25 below} AND INTERMINABLE 29 they belong ta the og, are nrerthrles comets ain some ‘ene separated of within the ego. The analyst recognizes them ‘more easly than he does the hidden material in the id. One right suppose that it would be sficient to treat thern like portions ofthe id and, by making them conscious, bring them {nto conection wih the rest ofthe ego. Ia this way, we should suppose one half the tak of analysn would be accomplished ‘we should not reckon on mesting witha resistance against he tncovering of resstances, Bat what happens i this. Daring the work on the resistances the ego withdraws—witha greater or Jess degree of serioumess—ftom the agreement om which the analytic situation i founded. ‘The ego ceases to support our effort uncovering the ijt opposes them, daobeys the finda ynental rule of analysand allows ne farther derivatives of the repressed to emerge. We cannot expect the patent to have a strong conviction of the curative power of anal, He may have brought along with him a certain amount of eonfdence in his analy, which willbe suengdhened to an effotive point by the factors ofthe positive ransereace which willbe seoused in him, Under the infuencr of the unpleasurable impulses ‘which he feels asa result ofthe fees activation of his defensive Conflicts, negative transference may naw gain the upper hand and completely ansul the analyde situation. ‘The paent now egarels the analyst as no mare than a stranger who f making Aisagreeable demands on him, and he behaves vowards him ccacty lite a child who does nt like the straiger and does not bulieve anything he says Ir the analyse resto explain tothe patient one ofthe dstordons made by im for dhe purposes of defence, and to corect it, he finds him uncompretsending and inaccosible wo sound arguments. Thus we see that there ir resistance agaist the uncovering of resistances, and the defen sive mechanisms really da deserve the name which we gave them originally, before they had been more casey examined, ‘They ae reslances not only to the mahing concious of contents ofthe i, but also tthe analysis aa whole, and this to recovery. ‘The effect brought about in the ego by the defeness can rightly be described as an “alteration of the ego’ i by that we understand 2 deviation fom the fiction of a normal ego which would guarantee unshakable loyalty to the work of sali, Tris easy then, to accept the fact, shown by daly experieace,240 ANALYSIS TERMINABLE, thatthe outcome of an analytic treatmant depends exentally fon the strength and on the depth of root ofthese resistances that bring about an alteration of the ego, Once again we are con- ‘ronted with the importance ofthe quantitative factor, and once again we are reminded that analysis cam only draw upon Sefinite and limited amounts of enorgy which have to be ‘menvured agninst the hovtle forces. And it seems as if victory is in fact a5 a rule on the side of the big battalions, VE “The next question we come to is whether every alteration of the ego—in our conse of the term—is acquired daring the defensive struggles of the estiest years, There can be no doubt about the answer. We have no reason to dispute the existence land importance of orginal, innate distinguishing characteristics of the ego. This is mace certain by the single face that exch, person makes a selection from the possible mechanisms of defence, that he always uses a few only of them and always the same ones [p. 257 above). This would seem to indicate that each, tego is endowed from the frst with individual dispositions and ‘tends, though iis true that we exanot specif) their nature or what determines them. Moreover, we know that we must not ‘exaggerate the difference between inherited and acquired char~ fcters into an antithesis what was acquired by our forefathers ‘cevtaaly forme an important part of what we inherit, When we speak of an ‘archaic heritage’ * we are wually thinking only of the id and we seem t@ assume that at the beginning of the individual's life no ego is a8 yet in existence. But we shall not ‘overlook the fact that id and ego are originally one; nor does it inply any mystical overvaluation of heredity if we think it credible that, even before the ego has come into existence, the lines of development, trends and reactions which ie will later exhibit are already lad down fort. The psychological peculiari- ties of families, races and nations, even in their atitude 10 analysis, allow of no other explanation. Indeed, more than this: Analytic experience has forced on us a coaviction that even partienlar prychical contents, such as symbolism, have no other sources than hereditary tranteaision, and researches in various * [See an Bt’s Note to Part I of the Thind Esay ia Maus out Morten (10390), p. 102 above] AND INTERMINADLE mi Sede of socal anthropslogy nko i plaible to suppore that ther, equally specialized prerptats et by estiy human development are ao present in the archsie hexitage. ‘With the recognition tht the properties of the ego which ve meet wich in the form of resances can eal well be Aetcrmined by heredity ax acquired in defensive ropes, the topographical distinction between what i go and what fi loses mich of is value for our investigation, Tf we advance 2 sep further in our analytic experiene, we come upon Festanees of nother kind, which we ean o longer ledge ted whch emt depend on anda conden a he ‘ental apparats, can omy give a fey examples of tib type a resianee; the whole eld of enquiry irl bewldeingy Serange an invfsicely explored. We coms acre people or Jmeaner, to whom we seul be inlined 0 trea special “udnsvenes of the Hbido* The process whi the teatest sein motion in them ate #0 much slower than in ther people Because, apparent they cant makeup thes milo detach libitinal exthexes om one object and ceplace them om 10 sup magi ec toe ela ran athe loyalty. One anects with the opposite typeof person, too, in whom the Ubido seems partly snobs eters really upon the new eathenes rggcrted by analy abandon Jing its rmer ones Sn. exchange for them, The difrence Tetween the two ‘pes i comparable to the one fle by a sculptor, according to whether he work a hard stone or soft flay. Unioreunatly, in ths second type the rele of says ‘fen tum ost #0 be very impermanent: the new eathexes are foon given up once more, and we have an impresion, not of ving worked in cay, bat of having writen om watery In the words athe proverb: ‘Soom ot, oom gone * Tn another group of cares wo ar surprised by an atiude in ‘our patents which can only be put down toa depletion ofthe lise, the capacity for change and further cevelopment, “which we should ondinrily expect, We ate, ti tr, prepared *[Tae cee ocems fn Late OXI of the Dy. ere col RTE SI ate ah ee ha dacuned soy oe ot soy ned Spey in Fea carer wg A ar a suber of sara Bish tpi are touched up seven in an Ed's ase © AG o tana (91)), Sou Bd 14 22) Cis exes