Resistance is an unfortunate term for the manifestation of defense mechanisms in the treatment situation. Use of the word to a psychoanalytically unsophisticated patient may evoke undesired consequences because to a patient, it implies deliberate intent and thus, blame. From the patient's unconscious, or at time conscious, point of view, these defenses protect the individual from a variety of intrapsychic or interpersonal dangers. As long as these defenses are in play, the process of exploration and discovery comes to a halt. They must be understood and carefully analyzed for they are at the heart of the treatment impasse. This book is written for the professional psychotherapist who may be puzzled why work with a particular patient or client is going nowhere. It brings to the therapist's attention a wide variety of these defenses, these resistances, so that they can be addressed and resolved.

About the Author
Althea Horner is an honorary member of the Southern California Psychoanalytic Institute and Society and a scientific associate of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis. She is listed in Who's Who in America and is the author of The Primacy of Structure, Object Relations and the Developing Ego in Therapy, The Wish for Power and the Fear of Having It, and Being and Loving.

Reviews
Reading this book will help both new and experienced therapists to gain a greater understanding of resistance in both short-term and long-term treatments. * The American Journal of Psychoanalysis *
Once again, Dr. Horner has brought forth a valuable book that clarifies one of the central, brain-hammering difficulties we face in our clinical work-how to identify and manage resistance in psychotherapy. Not content to deal with the patient's resistance, she takes up the therapist's resistance as well, which as a supervisor of psychotherapists, she is eminently qualified to take on. -- Dr. Douglas H. Ingram, Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis; Dynamic Psychiatry
Her clear exposition of theory and clinical cases renders her writings valuable for inexperienced therapists as well. Beginner and veteran alike will be better therapists after reading this book. -- Dr. William Rickles, California Graduate Institute for Clinical Psychology, Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis
Reflecting quite literally more than a half-century of clinical experience, Dr. Horner's new book offers compelling ways to think about the psychotherapeutic process. Armed with this superior understanding of resistance and the core relationship problem, readers of this well-constructed and well-written volume will return to their consulting rooms better prepared to break through resistance and, thereby, more effectively and confidently help their patients. -- Alan M. Karbelnig Ph.D., Southern California Psychoanalytic Institute



Book Information
ISBN 9780765700773
Author Althea J. Horner
Format Hardback
Page Count 216
Imprint Jason Aronson Inc. Publishers
Publisher Jason Aronson Inc. Publishers
Weight(grams) 399g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 167mm * 17mm