ABSTRACT
Soccarides and S. Kramer have suggested that psychoanalysts have historically assumed that work difficulties would resolve themselves when conflicts and defenses were fully and appropriately analyzed. This chapter focuses on how the clinician can turn the increased familiarity and understanding of work-related issues to advantage in the treatment process. It explores the range of effective intervention in the rich material our patients present to us about their work lives. Conflicts and deficits that emerge in the patient’s work life are seen in relation to core personality dynamics. The treatment of a patient’s work-related problems is most effective when informed by a developmental approach. Although the developmental model may be different for each patient, some of the common scenarios that emerge in the early stages of therapy and guide the treatment of work-related problems may be illustrative. The successful treatment of work-related problems hinges on the therapist’s actively communicating interest in the patient’s work life.
