Blue-Collar Patients at a Psychoanalytic Clinic

Abstract

The records of 45 patients identified as blue-collar workers were examined as part of a larger study of patients treated at the Columbia Psychoanalytic Clinic. A sizable number of the blue-collar patients were rated as having benefited from dynamic psychotherapy, although the proportion rated as improved was smaller than among the other patients in the study. Sociological and psychological stereotypes were not helpful in identifying patients who improved. Therapists who were rated highly for their clinical skills were more often successful with these patients; they were able to deal with differences in class, color, and religion as these differences emerged in defenses and resistance.