question_answer

How is transference a psychoanalysis?

Answer:

Ans.     Transference is a means of treating the patient.

As the unconscious forces are brought into the conscious realm through free association and dream interpretation, the client starts identifying the therapist with the authority figures of the past, usually childhood. The therapist may be seen as the punitive father, or as the negligent mother.

The therapist maintains a non-judgmental yet permissive attitude and allows the client to continue with this process of emotional identification. This is the process of transference.

The therapist encourages this process because it helps her/him in understanding the unconscious conflicts of the client. The client acts her/his frustrations, anger, fear, and depression that s/he harboured towards the person in the past, but could not express at that time. The therapist becomes a substitute for that person in the present. This stage is called transference neurosis.

A full-blown transference neurosis is helpful in making the therapist aware of the nature of intrapsychic conflicts suffered by the client.

There are two ways in which transference is manifested. There is the positive transference in which the client idolises, or falls in love with the therapist, and seeks the therapist’s approval.

Negative transference is present when the client has feelings of hostility, anger, and resentment towards the therapist.

Resistance—the process of transference is met with resistance.

Since the process of transference exposes the unconscious wishes and conflicts, thereby increasing the distress levels, the client resists transferences.

Due to resistance, the client opposes the progress of therapy in order to protect herself/himself from the recall of painful unconscious memories.

Resistance can be conscious or unconscious. Conscious resistance is present when the client deliberately hides some information. Unconscious resistance is assumed to be present when the client becomes silent during the therapy session, recalls trivial details without recalling the emotional ones, misses appointments, and comes late for therapy sessions.

The therapist overcomes the resistance by repeatedly confronting the patient about it and by uncovering emotions such as anxiety, fear, or shame, which are causing the resistance.