Transference is when someone transfers their feelings about one person to a different person. During a therapy session, this normally involves an individual transferring their feelings about one other person onto their therapist.
In countertransference, a therapist transfers feelings to the patient. Both transference and countertransference normally occur unconsciously.
This phenomenon was first described in 1895 by the founder of recent psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud.
In psychotherapy there are positive and negative transferences. In positive transference, the person receiving therapy transfers positive characteristics to the therapist. They may perceive the therapist as caring or helpful. In negative transference, the person receiving therapy transfers negative characteristics to the therapist. For example, they could perceive the therapist as hostile. They may additionally transfer painful feelings from the past onto their therapist.
Many types of transference can occur outside of a therapy setting. They mostly come from childhood relationships. The most typical sorts of transmission include:
Parental transfer. This happens whenever you see another person in your life as a mother or father figure and transfer your feelings about your parents onto them.
Sibling transmission. This can occur when someone reminds you of a sibling or whenever you work in a team. You see another person as a sibling and transfer your feelings about your sibling onto them.
Extrafamilial transmission. Stereotypes are an excellent example of non-familial transmission. Many people expect the police to at all times follow the law. However, they’re only human, and a few break the law. People generally transfer their feelings in regards to the police onto individual cops.
A typical example of transference is worrying that a current partner may cheat on you because an ex-partner did so. In this case, you might be redirecting your feelings about that ex-partner to your recent one. Other examples include being annoyed with someone who reminds you of your mother, who teased you as a baby, or being particularly nice to someone who reminds you of your father's positive qualities.
Whether the transference is positive or negative, it may be useful in a therapeutic relationship. Therapists can use what they learn out of your transference to aid you work through issues out of your past.
Through transference, your therapist can learn rather a lot about your past and what you could have to work on. Transference in therapy also can aid you recognize them elsewhere in your life. Your therapist may recommend journaling or other reflective methods to discover when and why transference occurs in certain areas of your life.
While all therapists have different methods and theories that they follow closely, listed below are some recommendations for therapists to cope with their very own anxiety:
- Create an honest connection along with your customers
- When faced with a negative transference, don’t grow to be defensive
- Be aware of the potential of countertransference
- Be aware of your individual history and tendencies
There are several ways therapists may be more mindful of countertransference:
- Work on understanding yourself
- Use psychological theories to know your customers and your relationships with them
- Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and practice empathy
- Be able to tell apart one's own identity from that of others
- Manage your individual fear
Within the world of therapy, experts have different views on transference and countertransference. For example, Carl Rogers, the founding father of “person-centered therapy,” believed this was no big deal. Rogers believed it was more vital to cultivate a real, empathetic relationship with therapy clients. However, others, corresponding to British psychoanalyst Melanie Klein, consider that transference and countertransference are vital aspects in learning how a therapy client pertains to the world.
Transference-focused therapy is used to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD) and other personality disorders. It uses the connection between you and your therapist as a window into your self-awareness. When the extreme emotions that usually accompany personality disorders arise in therapy, the therapist will encourage you to explore your experiences related to the connection.
For example, in case your mood suddenly changes during a therapy session, your therapist may ask you what she or he has noticed in your individual inner world. You may additionally be asked what you may have observed about their behavior. The goal of transference-focused therapy is to assist individuals with BPD take into consideration their emotions and provides them more control over how they reply to those emotions.