Passing patients’ tests or avoiding countertransference enactments. A pilot study on test manifestation, countertransference, interpretation, and subsequent patient reaction

A clinical phenomenon introduced by Weiss in 1971 as testing the validity of pathogenic beliefs in the therapeutic relationship is connected to the psychoanalytic concept of enactment and is investigated empirically. Six psychoanalysts not affiliated with Control-Mastery Theory (CMT) are questioned about how patients repeat relational constellations with the analyst and which self- and object-representations they reactivate. Drawing on two prior studies, analyses of case vignettes and of transcribed psychotherapy sessions, a list of test incidents served as a questionnaire. Results show new manifestations of tests and novel perspectives on previously documented ones. Excessive self-confidence and pseudo-independence as pathological patterns as well as defensive aspects should be included in the clinical profile of testing. In contrast to recent research on CMT, we do not exclude interpretation as a means of passing tests and do not equate negative patient reactions with failing a test. The connection to clinical studies of other psychoanalytic approaches and the results of the current study allow for a more comprehensive depiction of this clinical phenomenon.