"Resistance" (German: Widerstand) as initially used by Sigmund Freud, referred to patients blocking memories from conscious memory. This was a key concept, since the primary treatment method of Freud's talk therapy required making these memories available to the patient's consciousness.
Contents
"Resistance" expanded[edit]
Later, Freud described five different forms of resistance. They became associated with the various analytic structures.
Other theoretical schools use the concept "resistance" differently[edit]
Over time, "resistance" came to mean anything a patient did to make therapy or a particular intervention less effective. Resistance has also been defined as the act of defending one's position in response to confrontation (Miller & Rollnick 2002).
Criticism to the concept of "resistance"[edit]
As "resistance" came to be used more as a description of a patient, "I have a very resistant patient", rather than description of a process or interaction between structures of the mind, there came to be more criticism of the concept as demeaning to the patient.
References[edit]
- Miller, W. R., Rollnick, S. (2002). Motivational Interviewing (2nd ed.). London: Guilford Press