ehavior at all stages of therapy. It can be defined as a process in which the patient unconsciously attempts to impede psychoanalysis by preventing the exposure of repressed material; resistance can vary in both severity and in forms (Freud, 1949). Applied to the termination of the psychotherapy process, the patient will often engage in behavior attempting to resist the wrapping up and summarization process characteristic of this stage of the process thereby impeding psychoanalysis; the repressed material can be thought of as his or her unconscious feelings and thoughts that threaten to emerge as a result of some unconscious threat the mind associates with the termination of therapy (Freud 1949).
Like resistance, regression as a response to therapy termination can vary in both severity and behavior. For example, in the case of many patients who are on medication, regressive behavior can consist of either a failure to take medication, or a tendency to take more than the prescribed dose (El-Mallakh & Hair, 1992). Because of this connection, many psychotherapists will begin to monitor a patient's use of medication more closely if there is a discussion of therapy termination (El-Mallakh & Hair, 1992).
The psychotic patient can be expected to show far more resistance and regression responses to termination than the neurotic patient (Sansom, Fine & Dennis, 1991). In this regard, Sansom, Fine and Dennis (1991) have particularly focused on the treatment impressions and termination experiences of patients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder receiving individual psychotherapy (which the authors state psychotic patients tend to view as a more valuable treatment modality than group therapy).
According to Sansom, et. al (1991), termination for this group tends to be accompanied by some regression behavior regardless of the context. Acting out, and self-destructive behaviors tend to be the most common form of regressio...