The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has updated its Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, including with new information specifically addressed to individuals in the European Economic Area. As described in the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, this website utilizes cookies, including for the purpose of offering an optimal online experience and services tailored to your preferences.

Please read the entire Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. By closing this message, browsing this website, continuing the navigation, or otherwise continuing to use the APA's websites, you confirm that you understand and accept the terms of the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, including the utilization of cookies.

×
No Access

Behavior therapy as a test of psychoanalytic theory

Published Online:https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.136.1.88

The author describes 4 patients in whom radically new symptoms appeared after intensive behavior therapy. He suggests that fresh symptoms are most likely to develop in a small minority of patients who are unable to learn more adaptive psychological defense mechanisms during or after behavior therapy and that psychoanalytic theory may help predict the nature of such symptoms.

Access content

To read the fulltext, please use one of the options below to sign in or purchase access.