The Psychoanalytic Theory of Transference

In psychoanalytic theory, transference occurs when a client projects feelings about someone else, particularly someone encountered in childhood, onto her therapist.

Frequently spoken about in reference to the therapeutic relationship, the classic example of sexual transference is falling in love with one’s therapist. However, you might also transfer feelings such as rage, anger, distrust, or dependence.

There are three types of transference:

• Positive
• Negative
• Sexualized

While transference is typically a term for the mental health field, it can manifest in your daily life when your brain tries to comprehend a current experience by examining the present through the past and, to your detriment, limiting the input of new information.

Transference can sometimes be an obstacle to therapy, as the client may feel a temptation to cut off the relationship altogether, or may become sullen and withdrawn during sessions, which impedes progress.

However, working through transferred feelings is an important part of psychodynamic therapy. The nature of the transference can provide important clues to the client’s issues, and working through the situation can help to resolve deep-rooted conflicts in the client’s psyche.

Transference can be a good thing. You experience positive transference when you apply enjoyable aspects of your past relationships to your relationship with your therapist. This can have a positive outcome because you see your therapist as caring, wise and concerned about you.

Negative transference sounds bad but actually can enhance your therapeutic experience. Once realized, the therapist can use it as a topic of discussion and examine your emotional response. This type of transference is especially useful if your therapist helps you overcome an emotional response that is out of proportion to the reality of what transpired during the session. 

Are you feeling attracted to your therapist? You might be suffering from sexualized transference if your feelings for your therapist are:

• Romantic and sensual
• Intimate and sexual
• Reverential or worship

The therapist must always be aware of the possibility that their own internal conflicts could be transferred to the client as well. This process, known as counter-transference, can greatly muddy the therapeutic relationship.

Some studies suggest 76 percent of female therapists and 95 percent of male therapists admit to having felt sexual feelings toward their clients at one time or another.

Despite the negative connotation of counter-transference, some psychotherapists are finding ways of using it in therapeutic ways.

Once your therapist recognizes that you're experiencing transference, he probably won't address it in your sessions unless it's interfering with the therapeutic process.

Discussing this sensitive issue can lead to the collapse of your relationship with your therapist because of you, the client may:

• Feel stress
• Regress, which can negate some of the positive progress you already achieved
• Feel embarrassed, uncomfortable, and recede emotionally

Common Misspellings: transferance, transferrence, transferrance

Examples: Michelle became very angry with her therapist when he discussed the possibility of homework activities. Through the exploration of the anger with the therapist, Michelle discovered that she was experiencing transference of unresolved anger toward an authoritarian elementary school teacher.