The concept of transference:An introduction to its role in the psychoanalytic process

The transference is a fundamental concept of psychoanalytic treatment. This chapter provides an evolution of the concept of the transference from its clinical roots. It presents clinical examples that illustrate the role of transferences in psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Transferences onto the person of the physician are not immediately obvious, and so it is necessary for him to be on the alert for clues to their presence. When the transference is detected, it becomes an ally of the treatment, as it brings to light an important relationship of the patient's childhood and adolescence. Positive transferences may be purely friendly and caring, and these are acceptable to the patient, or they may be of such a nature—as, erotic or dependency feelings—that they result in being inadmissible to the patient's consciousness. E. Glover demonstrated that the transference neurosis evolved slowly, but even in the first few months of the analysis there were indications of both positive and negative transferences