Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Transference in Psychotherapy?Types of TransferenceCounter-TransferenceTransference ExamplesTalking With Your TherapistTransference-Focused TherapyFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is Transference in Psychotherapy?
Types of Transference
Counter-Transference
Transference Examples
Talking With Your Therapist
Transference-Focused Therapy
Frequently Asked Questions
Transference inpsychoanalytic theoryis when you project feelings about someone else onto your therapist. A classic example of transference is when a client falls in love with their therapist. However, one might also transfer feelings of rage, anger, distrust, or dependence.
At a GlanceTransference happens when your feelings for someone else are projected onto your therapist. It’s a key part of psychodynamic therapies, and it’s something your therapist will likely want to explore to understand your interactions and relationship patterns better. It can also go the other direction; your therapist might experience counter-transference, where they project their feelings for someone else onto you. In either case, it’s crucial to understand how it works and how it might affect the therapeutic process—especially if there’s a risk that it might hurt the therapeutic relationship.
At a Glance
Transference happens when your feelings for someone else are projected onto your therapist. It’s a key part of psychodynamic therapies, and it’s something your therapist will likely want to explore to understand your interactions and relationship patterns better. It can also go the other direction; your therapist might experience counter-transference, where they project their feelings for someone else onto you. In either case, it’s crucial to understand how it works and how it might affect the therapeutic process—especially if there’s a risk that it might hurt the therapeutic relationship.
Transference, in general, is “the process of moving something or someone from one place, position, etc. to another.“However, the psychology-based definition of transference is a bit different and applies directly to those engaged in mental health therapy.
In this context, transference is defined as a projection of one’sunconscious feelingsonto their therapist. The American Psychological Association explains that these feelings are ones that were originally directed toward important figures in the person’s childhood, such as their parents.
The concept of transference in therapy came about later in the 20th century, whentherapeutic approachesbecame less strict, giving practitioners more flexibility in how they treated their patients.
Transference is a complex phenomenon and can sometimes be an obstacle to therapy. Based on their feelings, the client may feel tempted to cut off the relationship with their therapist altogether, for instance. Or they might become sullen and withdrawn during therapy sessions, impeding their progress.
Working through transferred feelings is an important part ofpsychodynamic therapy. The nature of the transference can provide important clues to the client’s issues, while working through the situation can help resolve deep-rooted conflicts in their psyche.
There are three types of transference in therapy:
Positive Transference
Transference can sometimes be a good thing. An example of positive transference is when you apply enjoyable aspects of your past relationships to the relationship with your therapist. This can have a positive outcome because you see your therapist as caring, wise, and concerned about you.
The benefits of positive transference can be seen in a case study involving a child withautism. Once positive transference started to occur, the young boy’s bond with the therapist started to strengthen and he began following the therapist’s directions, reduced his aggressive behaviors, and his learning abilities developed.
Negative Transference
Negative transference involves the transfer ofnegative emotionsto the therapist. Anger and hostility are two emotions that might have been felt in childhood, either toward a parent or other important individual, then reappearing in thetherapeutic relationship.
Negative transference sounds bad but actually can enhance the therapeutic experience. Once realized, the therapist is able to use this transference as a topic of discussion, further examining the client’s emotional response.
Negative transference can be especially useful if the therapist helps you overcome an emotional response that is out of proportion to what transpired during the therapy session.
Sexualized Transference
Do youfeel attracted to your therapist? If so, you might be experiencing sexualized transference, also sometimes referred to as erotic transference. Feelings that fall under sexualized transference include those that are:
Some research suggests that sexualized transference may be more common for members of theLGBTQ+ community, especially if the person has few friends or others they can trust or confide in.
Mental health therapists must also be aware of the possibility that their own feelings and internal conflicts could be transferred to the client as well. This process is known ascounter-transferenceand can muddy the therapeutic relationship.
An estimated 78% of therapists have felt sexual feelings toward a client at one time or another, with male therapists experiencing these intimate feelings more often than female therapists.
Examples of Transference in Therapy
What does transference look like in a therapeutic setting? Here are a few examples to consider.
Example of Positive Transference
Tony’s mother was always loving and supportive. Tony has a female therapist and projects these same feelings on her, considering her as a loving, supportive individual as well.
Example of Negative Transference
Michelle became very angry with her therapist when he discussed the possibility of homework activities. Through the exploration of her anger with the therapist, Michelle discovered that she was experiencing transference of unresolved anger toward anauthoritarianelementary school teacher.
Example of Sexualized Transference
As therapy progresses, Chris develops sexual feelings toward the therapist. Chris has even had erotic fantasies involving the therapist, sometimes also saying flirtatious things during the therapy session.
Discussing Transference With Your Therapist
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If your therapist recognizes that you are experiencing transference, they may not want to discuss it right away. It will, however, be necessary to address the transference at some point because if the topic is avoided, it could lead to an impasse in therapy and negatively impactyour relationship with your therapist.
Additional consequences of avoiding transference are that you, the client, may:
Talking about the transference when both you and the therapist are ready can help resolve these issues, enhancing the therapeutic process.
Transference-focused therapy utilizes the therapeutic relationship to help people relate better to others. Transference allows the therapist to see how someone with BPD relates to others and then use this information to help the person buildhealthier relationships.
Once a therapist and client establish a trusting therapeutic relationship, they work to explore behavior patterns, thoughts, and emotions to better understand how the individual responds and copes. As people become more aware of these destructive patterns, they can work to build more effective skills and interactions.
Therapists also utilize transference in othertypes of psychotherapy. For example, transference is a key component of psychodynamic therapy, but it can also incorporated in other approaches, includingrelational therapy,integrative therapy, andeclectic therapy.
Transference is when a client projects feelings on the therapist, while counter-transference is when a therapist projects feelings on the client.
Some researchers suggest that transference in therapy may be adefense mechanism, such as when the patient is insincere or not ready to face negative emotions.Others contend that whether transference is considered a defense mechanism varies depending on the therapist’s interpretation.
If a client is feeling especially vulnerable, such as when dealing with a life-threatening disease that threatens their self-esteem and self-control, it may increase their risk of transference.Additionally, transference may be more common when therapy is conducted in person as opposed totherapy that occurs online.
15 Sources
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