Content area
Full Text
TOPIC. The utility of transference and countertmnsference in professional nursing relationships.
PURPOSE. To provide an introductory text for nurses new to these concepts.
SOURCES. Literature specific to transference and counter transference illustrated by examples related to professional practice.
CONCLUSIONS. Transference and countertransference influence relationships in ways that under certain conditions may be unhelpful to all concerned. Understanding how transference and countertransference manifest themselves has implications for the safe structuring of professional relationships.
Search terms: Countertransference, nursing relationships, transference
Transference and countertransference manifest themselves in all relationships-therapeutic, personal, and professional. Do the ideas of transference and countertransference have utility for health professionals and their work? Transference and countertransference are evidently complex events and are not easily verifiable. Given the relative dearth of empirical validation for these occurrences, the ideas may seem to have little relevance outside psychoanalytically informed therapies. Nonetheless, the concepts seemingly remain potent.
In addition to a rich psychoanalytic literature (e.g., Banon, Evan-Grenier, & Bond, 2001; Gibault, 2002), references to transference and countertransference are found in current nursing literature (O'Brian, 2001; Winship & Hardy, 1999). Some knowledge of the ideas seems important, given the closeness of many nursing relationships. Understanding the concepts may help in making sense of complex events, even if we never fully understand their meanings.
Before entering into a detailed discussion and review of related literature, it is important to define briefly the terms that form the organizing framework for this discussion.
The unconscious is an area of the mind outside of perception that contains aspects of personalities that are inaccessible to conscious awareness. This expression of our personality, therefore, is beyond conscious control. Unconscious conflicts cannot be studied directly and perhaps are never fully understood. Aspects of unconscious struggles, nevertheless, can be inferred from behaviors. According to Freud's theory, the unconscious is the id: the home of our instincts and impulses and repressed material.
Transference is the technical term used to describe an unconscious transferring of experiences from one interpersonal situation to another. It is concerned with revisiting past relations in existing circumstances. Thoughts and feelings about significant others from one's past are projected onto a therapist (or others) and influence the therapeutic relationship. Transference informs the therapist about unresolved issues and is used to further the development of...