ABSTRACT
As we expand and complicate our understanding of the nature and meaning of holding processes, it becomes clear that the holding metaphor is a multidimensional theme that emerges and reemerges throughout the lifespan. In this chapter, I examine the relevance of holding to themes of ruthlessness and hate as they manifest in the psy choanalytic situation. Although the analyst's understanding of, and response to, issues of hate have many roots in clinical theory, I again begin by examining the parental metaphor as it develops around these issues. A careful study of the contemporary parental metaphor is par ticularly useful in explicating aspects of the analyst's subjective strug gle when working with these issues.