Transference and its usefulness in psychotherapy in the light of empirical evidence

  • Hubert Suszek Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw
  • Emilia Wegner Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw
  • Norbert Maliszewski Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw
Keywords: transference; transference interpretation; psychoanalysis; psychotherapy; social cognition

Abstract

The paper is aimed at finding answers to the following questions: (1) Is there empirical evidence for the psychoanalytic concept of transference? (2) Is there empirical evidence for the usefulness of working with transference in psychotherapy? Objections concerning the reality and practical value of transference have been summarized. A review of research dedicated to transference has been conducted, covering fundamental research in the psychology of social cognition as well as research on psychotherapy using both psychodynamic and nonpsychodynamic approaches. Studies from the first group confirm the existence of transference. Studies from the second group indicate conditions in which working with transference in psychotherapy seems to be efficient. Implications for psychotherapy practice have been formulated.

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Published
2019-04-05
Section
Articles