The Extra-Analytic Transference and the Analytic Triad

Tandhis paper highlights some neglected aspects of transference. It may be summed up as follows:

In the psychoanalytic process, there is always an analytic triad consisting of the patient, the analyst and one other significant person in the patient's life. This other person may vary from time to time, thus calling into existence various extra-analytic transferences.

While these extra-analytic transferences have on the whole been neglccted in theory, in practice they are exceedingly relevant. Since there are always two transferences, one to the analyst and one to an outside figure, working through the transference to the analyst cannot be done properly without also working through the extra-analytic transference(s).

In this procedure the real relationship to the analyst has to be given due weight as wcll as the transference relationship to the ‘real’ outside pcrson. As Greenson has pointed out, ‘real’ and ‘transference’ become relative terms in both cases; the ‘transference’ relationship has many real elements; the ‘real’ relationship has many transference elements.

Numerous case illustrations from Freud, the general literature and the author's practice are cited to illustrate these points. The significance of these considerations for the analytic process is stressed.