ABSTRACT
Much has been written about S. Ferenczi's and S. Freud's relationship, their close personal friendship and theoretical disagreements, the contradictions within the Kaiserreich, its rampant anti-Semitism and hypocrisy hidden beneath a veneer of politeness and Gemutlichkeit, which they took for granted. Ferenczi died just after Hitler began to rule Germany. A. Haynal emphasises that, in spite of their differences, there was instant and mutual enthusiasm and friendship between Freud and Ferenczi, which extended to their personal lives and lasted until Ferenczi died. The letters Ferenczi wrote to Freud from America, and which are almost the only remaining record of this eight-month visit, are those of an intimate who bares his soul, with no holds barred. Although Ferenczi goes on to explain the context of his own dispute with Freud over psychoanalytic technique, he argues that to rid the patient of his repetition compulsion it is useful for analyst to encourage the patient's repetition tendency in order to eliminate the neurosis.
