The Objectionable Positive Transference

WHO WOULD ARGUE WITH the proposition that in the ideal analysis positive as well as negative feelings toward the analyst should eventually become the subject of thorough, evenhanded investigation. It

is my impression, however, that recent theorizing, particularly emphasis on the working alliance, the real relationship, and the empathic response, has moved us further and further away from a theory of technique which encourages actively questioning the positive transference. I define positive transference as any positive feelings directed toward the analyst. This definition underscores the premise that the transference and "non-transference" elements of such positive feelings are deeply intertwined and can never be fully separated.

I am suggesting that theoretical considerations as well as institutional and countertransference forces work to deflect us from carefully scrutinizing the varied elements of the positive transference. In addition, I believe a potential transference-countertransference problem may occur when the patient's positive view of the analyst coincides with the analyst's perception of himself or herself.

Freud, in his papers on technique (1912), (1913), (1914), held that transference need only be analyzed when it functions as a resistance. These transference resistances include both negative reactions and unconscious erotic feelings. The unobjectionable part of the positive transference, the "friendly or affectionate feelings which are admissable to consciousness, " were seen as important in strengthening the attachment to the analyst and in helping the patient overcome his or her resistance to change. Freud (1913) also stressed the significance of the "effective transference, " that is the trusting, working relationship that must be established prior to the analyst's making interpretations.

Freud (1915) differentiated these aspects of the positive transference from the erotic positive transference, which he saw not only as a resistance but, as