ABSTRACT
Unwelcome emotions are bound to arise during any long-term relationship. It is discomforting to face continued exposure to the hate, confusion, misery, rigidity, or dependence of those whom one must try to tolerate and even attempt to heal. The distinction between a sensitivity which permits the therapist to tune in to others and the sensitivity which has its basis in an undue preoccupation with one's self-image is a narrow but crucial one. The ending of therapy may be painful not only for the patient but for the therapist. The hazards of psychotherapy are in many ways similar to those of comparable occupations. Narcissism may reveal itself in a controlled attitude of paternalism and a complacent assumption that the 'rules' of therapy are above reproach or in a disproportionate reaction to criticism.
