Resistance

During psychoanlysis there are many signs that the client and therapist are making progress and working toward identifying the root of the problem. One sign is resistance, which is a somewhat disruptive response by the client to some topic they find sensitive. The reason it is sensitive is because it is the source or close to the source of the anxiety. For example, the client might make a off-handed remark or joke, claim they forgot the information, or pick a fight with the therapist. When they act in these types of counterproductive ways in response to the therapist addressing certain topics (i.e., the resistance), the therapist is getting closer to the root of the problem.