Cracks in the Concrete: A Clinical Case Study.

Abstract

Traditional Freudian psychoanalysis has always considered interpretation to be the most effective tool for altering deeply ingrained unconscious thought patterns and perspectives. Through detailed vignettes, this case study describes how a persistently concrete response to interpretation is ultimately analyzed and worked through. The work of Alan Bass is used as a technical guide toward facilitating this process. His understanding of concrete resistances is an elaboration of Freud's interest in fetishism and disavowal (the predominant defense against differentiation) and Eros (the integrating but potentially traumatizing force within the psyche).