The Therapeutic Function of Hate in the Countertransference

The Evolution of Object Usage and the Holding Environment

“…1 Elsewhere, I (Slochower, 1991(Slochower, , 1992 have described the appli cation of the holding metaphor to the treatment of borderline patients who cannot tolerate interpretive work (cf. Balint, 1968;Modell, 1976;Epstein, 1979;Gedo, 1979;Poggi & Ganzarain, 1983;Carpy, 1989). They respond therapeutically to an emo tionally toned holding of the rather intense hatred they experi ence and sometimes express indirectly toward the analyst, and also of the analytic self-blame that is often evoked in response.…”

Comments on the Difficult Patient

“…After all we are supposed to be "analysts." And for this we are moved to hate our patients all Epstein (1977) has described this in detail. I have reworked his eloquence.…”

“…Too often the patient has the power, it seems, to destroy, or certainly limit our capacity for sustaining our analytic purposes. And we may be unable to see any connection between the patient's communications and whatever internal disturbances we may be experiencing (Epstein, 1977). Grotstein (1981) addresses this issue with a reference to Grinberg's (1962) concept of projective counteridentification.…”

Countertransference in the Psychotherapy of Children and Adolescents

“…In adult psychoanalysis, the change from viewing countertransference as an obstacle, to using it as a formidable vehicle has been traced by Feiner (1977), lssacharoff (1976), and Epstein (1977). The field of child therapy has not shown the same steady course toward a studied use of countertransference.…”