ABSTRACT
After the general evaluation of the person's problems and suitability for analysis, there is usually a discussion of the mutual requirements of the participants. It is at this point that I bring up the basic working principle, which we've just discussed. I also describe the other side of the working principle-my response to the analysand's effort to follow it. I try to convey in a few words the special kind of attentiveness the analyst provides: "I will listen carefully to your associations. Sometimes I may intervene very little. Other times I may respond more frequently. I may ask questions to help you bring out information or to recognize ambiguities. I may make comments that will help you to observe difficulties or successes you are having in following the basic principle. I may note possible connections between one group of your associations and another." Al l this is but an introduction. The nature of the analyst's contributions becomes clearer during the course of the analysis, as we shall see in later chapters.
