countertransference
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˌkaʊntərtrænsˈfɜːrəns/
- Specialized
- A therapist must recognize their own countertransference to avoid influencing the treatment process.
- transference and countertransference
Examples
-
She also warned that therapists should be aware of different types of transference and countertransference related to cultural differences.
Academic text (2003) -
I have to steer through the temptations of transference and countertransference.
-
I found this research study quite fascinating because countertransference is actually something a therapist is not always fully aware of.
-
Kahn talks about countertransference: "It can blind us to an important area of exploration."
Academic text (1997) -
Another group of practitioners may feel the value differences are surmountable, but they have not fully worked through spiritual countertransference issues.
Academic text (2011) -
It was this, combined with some erratic countertransference reactions on his part involving him missing sessions, that led her to leave the analysis and find someone else to work with.
Blog text (10) -
Understanding countertransference can help therapists address unresolved issues from their own past.
-
She learned that countertransference can impact the therapeutic relationship in unexpected ways.
Antonyms
- Specialized
11
8.4
To put strong feelings about someone from the past onto another person, often a therapist
How Involved
- Specialized
1
8.8
- Specialized
1
9.9
147
3.2
24
4.4
23
6.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
countertransference = transference (semi-transparent) = counter + transfer + ence
Formed by adding the productive prefix 'counter-' to the technical noun 'transference'; the structure is clear but the precise psychoanalytic meaning is specialized.
Etymology
The word countertransference begins with counter- meaning 'against' or 'back' and includes transference from 'transfer', which means 'to move or send'. In therapy, a patient may 'transfer' feelings to a therapist, and countertransference is the therapist's emotional reaction back to the patient, so the word names the therapist's returned feelings.