n responses occurring as the result of therapy termination--and these will occur regardless of differences in patients perceptions and treatment experiences.
Sugar (1990) has discussed the regressive reactions of adolescents with borderline personality to all therapy stages, including that of termination. He states that, at least for adolescents with this disorder, resistance and regression behavior can be considered to be a reaction to loss of the symbiotic object with abandonment feelings and anxiety. If the patient is being treated in the group format, Sugar reports that there can be multiple transferences in symbiotic pairs that occur between group members.
Bull (1989) has stated that with respect to the termination of therapy, unconscious guilt plays a large role in the regression or resistance responses of both neurotic and psychotic patients. According to Bull, unconscious guilt creates anxiety in response to termination; this anxiety is said to be associated with the patient holding irrational unconscious beliefs about:
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