What is transference? What is countertransference? How are they different? Are they good or are they bad? We’ll cover these questions and more in this video!
As we begin our discussion of transference and countertransference, keep in mind that there are classic ideas and thoughts about these concepts, and there are also more modern ways of thinking about these. Part of this can also be influenced by the therapeutic modality that a counselor uses.
Classic Transference
The idea of transference is Freudian and psychoanalytic in its origin. The American Psychological Association—or APA—says that in its original psychoanalytic terms, transference was “a patient’s displacement or projection onto the analyst of those unconscious feelings and wishes originally directed toward important individuals, such as parents, in the patient’s childhood”. Meaning that the patient would have unresolved feelings that were related to their parents or other important people in life, and they would react to the therapist as though the therapist was that parent or other person.
To say this another way, the patient is putting feelings they have related to that other person onto the therapist. For some people, they would say that transference is a type of displacement or projection from the patient onto the therapist. Check out my post and video on defense mechanisms if you want to learn more about these.
Modern Transference
In more modern terms, transference has a definition that is broader. The APA says that it is “an unconscious repetition of earlier behaviors and their projection onto new subjects” and says that it applies to all human interactions. This means that the client is not just experiencing transference toward the therapist, but they are having these feelings toward people throughout their life.
The more modern view of transference is also more related to the ways people behaved earlier in life and having these behaviors continue on into later parts of life.
Classic Countertransference
Now, let’s discuss what the original ideas of countertransference involved. The APA says that “in classical psychoanalysis, countertransference was viewed as a hindrance to the analyst’s understanding of the patient” as countertransference was “the therapist’s unconscious (and often conscious) reactions to the patient”.
In other words, the therapist would have strong reactions to the patient, and these reactions, in psychoanalytic terms, were because of unresolved emotions from the therapist’s past. These reactions were then thought to be problematic for the treatment process.
Modern Countertransference
Countertransference has also come to be used in a more broad sense. It has become a part of the language of therapists and can now reference their reactions to the client more generally. The APA says that “to modern analysts and therapists, it may serve as a source of insight into the patient’s effect on other people.”
For therapists, they can get a feel of the room. This can be considered countertransference, or them noticing their reactions and feelings with the client in the room. In other words, how they’re reacting to the client. This can be an extremely helpful part of therapy for people, but it does require skill on the part of the therapist. Of course, the countertransference could be something that is related to the therapist and their past. However, it can also help to inform the therapist how people might be reacting to the client outside of sessions.
Therapists need to be mindful of their countertransference though as it can be a helpful tool, but it also needs to be acknowledged and used wisely. They might have strong, positive feelings toward a client. They might find they look forward to those sessions, and think about the client between sessions. This may not be bad, but is something that needs to be monitored to prevent crossing ethical lines.
Likewise, having strong negative feelings toward a client needs to be assessed. Therapists may be tempted to cancel sessions with that client, or find they dread sessions with the client. In some cases, the therapist may be tempted to transfer them to another therapist to put an end to the therapist’s own negative feelings, which may not be ethical. That said, there may be times where this is an appropriate decision, so supervision and consultation are recommended.
Positive Transference
When a patient is projecting positive emotions onto the therapist, this is called positive transference. It doesn’t mean that the transference is necessarily good or helpful in the treatment process. Instead, it simply means that the transference has taken the form of more positive feelings and emotions. This could include the patient admiring the therapist, or having strong feelings of attraction toward them.
Negative Transference
As you might expect, negative transference is the opposite. It is when the patient is placing negative emotions or feelings onto the therapist. This could be anger, hate, or hostility. Again, it doesn’t necessarily mean this is a bad thing, simply that the feelings and emotions that are being projected are negative.
Ambivalent transference actually means different things based on the setting. Therefore, there are a couple of ways to discuss this term.
General Use
Up to this point, we’ve discussed a client having positive feelings toward the therapist, or that some clients may have negative feelings toward the therapist. These have been discussed in the sense that a client will have one or the other. They will either have negative or positive feelings toward the therapist.
With ambivalent transference, the client has both and will switch back and forth between positive and negative feelings that they are projecting on the therapist. As is the case with ambivalence, these feelings can be contradictory. Meaning, the client may be projecting love and admiration onto the therapist, and then soon after be projecting anger and frustration onto them.
Multicultural Use
In a multicultural setting, ambivalent transference takes on a different meaning. In these situations, this term is used to refer to the client projecting feelings onto the therapist that are linked to their feelings of anybody who is in a position of authority. To say this another way, the client will project feelings and emotions onto the therapist that are in line with the feelings and emotions they have had toward people in positions of authority in their life.
If you or someone you know are needing immediate mental health assistance, please call or text 988, contact a local emergency telephone number, or go to the nearest emergency room.
By interacting with this website and channel, this does not constitute a therapist/client relationship. This content is intended for the purposes of entertainment and mental health education.
View additional disclaimers and notices on our Disclaimers page.
