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(1989). Psychoanalysis and Contemporary Thought, 12:265-312

Affect and the Compulsion to Repeat: Freud's Repetition Compulsion Revisited

Arnold Wilson, Ph.D. and Carol Malatesta, Ph.D.

Introduction

To a certain extent, it is through repetition that we are assured of some basic and fundamental continuities—of self-continuity and object relations. We seek familiarity and obtain mastery by repeating, thereby guaranteeing ourselves that not every situation will be new, that we can navigate through a variety of recognizable situations employing tried-and-true adaptive styles that work. The comfort in routines and the recognition of repetitive experiences enable us to focus our attention on a wide span of problems and situations because we are not preoccupied with the management of each moment as if

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Dr. Wilson is Assistant Professor, Graduate Faculty, Division of Clinical Psychology, New School for Social Research, New York.

Dr. Malatesta is Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Long Island University.

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it were no

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