Psychotherapy and the iatrogenic "love affair"

After giving an introductory outline of the phenomenology and theoretical aspects of the concept "love affair", the author proceeds to review a number of symptomatic love affairs arising in the lives of a series of female patients during the course of analytically oriented psychotherapy.. The material is presented in its general aspects and in the form of one detailed case history. In subsequent discussion the author attempts to explain the genesis of these love affairs in terms of phase-speciifc conflicts in the patient and certain iatrogenic aspects of the therapy.