Transference and Projection

The phenomena of transference and projection, although solidly accepted in the analytical and psychodynamic schools of psychology in which they originated, are nevertheless complex and often misunderstood concepts in psychotherapy. Yet some claim that projection, at least - especially in its severe form of projective identification - is the single most important phenomenon in psychotherapy. The aim of this course is to help you understand what transference and projection are, how they occur, and what forms they tend to take, so that you can recognise them as they occur in your therapy rooms. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to: Define transference, projection, projective identification, and countertransference; Explain how transference develops; List the chief forms of transference and give examples of each; Name the chief forms of both client-centred and therapist-centred resistance to dealing with transference; Explain how projection and projective identification operate; Decode the chief forms of projective identification.