Working through resistances of intrapsychic and environmental origin.

Freud's paper 'Remembering, repeating and working through' implies three phases: (1) remembering and reporting, (2) the analysis of what the patient cannot remember and must repeat in the transference, leading to insight, and (3) the analysis of those remaining resistances which block the insight from leading to change. Freud considered the third phase to be an arduous task for the patient, and a trial of patience for the analyst, probably because of two additional determinants: (1) the patient's 'will' to change, and (2) his re-adaptation to his environment. The present paper focuses on the second of these determinants in completing (i.e. working through) the analysis of resistances. A review of literature and the analysis of a patient are reported to indicate that the task of re-adaptation to environment is facilitated by focusing the interpretations not only on transference and reconstruction, but also on the determinants currently affecting the patient's relationships beyond transference.