Some challenges in working with older adolescents in psychoanalysis

Area of Science:

• Psychoanalytic theory
• Adolescent psychology
• Developmental psychology

Background:

• Challenges in analytic work with disturbed adolescents.
• Investigating ambivalent responses to psychoanalysis in adolescents.
• Differentiating pathological versus developmental responses to treatment.

Observation:

• Case material illustrates difficulties in adolescent psychoanalysis.
• Adolescent opposition to treatment often viewed pathologically.
• Developmental drives for independence, identity, and separation are central.

Findings:

• The author argues that viewing adolescent opposition solely as pathological is a mistaken emphasis.
• Adolescent resistance can be understood as a healthy propulsion toward autonomy.
• Ambivalent responses are often inevitable due to developmental stage.

Implications:

• Revising psychoanalytic treatment approaches for adolescents.
• Acknowledging the healthy drive for autonomy in adolescent patients.
• Integrating developmental perspectives into adolescent psychoanalytic practice.