Psychotherapeutic routes to structural change.

The changes in psychic structure attributed to the effects of interpretation when they transpire during psychoanalysis occur spontaneously in the course of normal development. The parental behaviors associated with the changing structure of the normally developing personality are similar to various specific and nonspecific features called "supportive" in psychotherapy. These features include interventions that promote a "learning" state by optimizing anxiety, foster a sense of self and of agency, encourage mature relationships, and strengthen adaptive defenses.