Studies on hysteria: Dora

This paper reviews the fascinating case material of Freud's "Fragments of an Analysis of a Case of Hysteria" and the subsequent material that has come to light about Dora. The analytic material is reinterpreted in the light of more contemporary analytic perspectives. The difficulties can be considered in terms of the problem of diagnosis, in terms of the dynamics inherent in Dora's personality structure, and finally in terms of the difficulties in the transference-countertransference interaction that played such a significant role in the premature termination of the case. Dora is far from simply a case of hysterical neurosis, but her pathology not only reflects the dynamics of the paranoid process, but also falls within the range of the borderline spectrum of personality disorders that have been described previously (Meissner 1982b.). Moreover, the borderline quality of her psychopathology gave rise to certain transference-countertransference interactions that lend themselves to more adequate formulation in terms of the paranoid process (Meissner 1978b). This gives rise to a variety of theoretical and therapeutic considerations that bear on our understanding of the nature of hysteria and of the psychoanalytic process itself.