Detours in adolescent development - Implications for technique

Dora's six-year analysis began when she was sixteen. In presenting this mat erial, I shall focus on coordinating the technical demands of working analy tically during a period of intense developmental change. This affords us an opportunity to examine the adolescent's use of analytic interventions both for work with neurotic conflicts and to facilitate development. A central issue in my work with Dora has been to examine her potential for navigating the tumultuous currents of adolescence while maintaining sufficient neutra lity and abstinence so that later in the treatment, as the patient approach ed young adulthood, the analysis could be conducted in a manner consistent with our usual work with adults.