Chapter 2    Freud: Psychoanalysis53
fei75766_ch02_019-071.indd 53  02/19/20 08:59 AMusing bothdream interpretation andhypnosis, Freud toldhispatients toexpect that
scenes ofchildhood sexual experiences would come forth (Freud, 1896/1962).
Inhisautobiography written nearly 30years afterheabandoned hisseduc -
tiontheory, Freud (1925/1959) stated thatunder thepressure technique, amajority 
ofhispatients reproduced childhood scenes inwhich theywere sexually seduced 
bysome adult. When hewasobliged torecognize that“these scenes ofseduction 
hadnever taken place, andthattheywere onlyphantasies which mypatients had
made uporwhich I myself had perhaps forced upon them [italics added], Iwasfor
some timecompletely ataloss” (p.34).Hewasataloss,however, foraveryshort 
time. Within daysafterhisSeptember 21,1897, letter toFliess, heconcluded that
“theneurotic symptoms were notrelated directly toactual events buttophanta -
sies....Ihadinfactstumbled forthefirsttimeupon theOedipus complex ”(Freud, 
1925/1959, p.34).
Intime, Freud came torealize thathishighly suggestive andevencoercive 
tactics mayhaveelicited memories ofseduction from hispatients andthathelacked 
clear evidence thatthese memories werereal.Freud became increasingly convinced 
thatneurotic symptoms wererelated tochildhood fantasies rather thantomaterial 
reality, andhegradually adopted amore passive psychotherapeutic technique.
Freud’s Later Therapeutic Technique
Theprimary goalofFreud’s laterpsychoanalytic therapy wastouncover repressed 
memories through freeassociation anddream analysis. “Our therapy works bytrans -
forming what isunconscious intowhat isconscious, anditworks onlyinsofaras
itisinaposition toeffect thattransformation” (Freud, 1917/1963, p.280). More 
specifically, thepurpose ofpsychoanalysis is“tostrengthen theego,tomake itmore 
independent ofthesuperego, towiden itsfieldofperception andenlarge itsorganiza -
tion,sothatitcanappropriate fresh portions oftheid.Where idwas,there egoshall
be”(Freud, 1933/1964, p.80).
With free association, patients arerequired toverbalize every thought that
comes totheirmind, nomatter howirrelevant orrepugnant itmayappear. Thepur-
poseoffreeassociation istoarrive attheunconscious bystarting withapresent con-
scious ideaandfollowing itthrough atrainofassociations towherever itleads. The
process isnoteasyandsome patients never master it.Forthisreason, dream analysis 
remained afavorite therapeutic technique withFreud. (Wediscuss dream analysis in
thenextsection.)
Inorder foranalytic treatment tobesuccessful, libido previously expended on
theneurotic symptom must befreed towork intheservice oftheego.Thistakes place 
inatwo-phase procedure. “Inthefirst,allthelibido isforced from thesymptoms into
thetransference andconcentrated there; inthesecond, thestruggle iswaged around 
thisnewobject andthelibido isliberated from it”(Freud, 1917/1963, p.455).
Thetransference situation isvitaltopsychoanalysis. Transference refers to
strong sexual oraggressive feelings, positive ornegative, thatpatients develop toward 
theiranalyst during thecourse oftreatment. Transference feelings areunearned by
thetherapist andaremerely transferred tohimorherfrom patients’ earlier experi -
ences, usually withtheirparents. Inother words, patients feeltoward theanalyst 
thesame waytheypreviously felttoward oneorbothparents. Aslongasthese Final PDF to printer