TWO OF THE MOST IMPORTANT concepts in psychoanalysis are transference and character. Formulating the relationship between the two should enhance our understanding of the patient and produce a more effective approach to treatment. Paradoxically we find these concepts are rarely discussed in relation to each other. In fact they are often treated as if they existed in isolation. Many articles appear every year about transference, while little is written about character. Almost nothing is said about the relationship between the two. At the clinical level we observe that when analysts describe a patient, they usually describe his character. When they describe the treatment, them seem to focus exclusively on the transference with no mention of character.

This phenomenon raises significant questions: Will successful