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Countertransference is a phenomenon whose existence was recognized very early in the history of psychoanalysis. Freud (1910, 1915) gave the term to the unconscious reactions of the analyst to his patient, resulting from the analyst's own unresolved unconscious conflicts. He considered it an unwelcome intrusion which interfered with the objective conduct of the analysis, and he recommended that the analyst make efforts to overcome it. With some exceptions, this view prevailed in analytic circles until fairly recently. Beginning in the 1950's, however, modifications of this attitude began to appear as some early investigators (A. Reich, 1951; Gitelson, 1952) noted the importance of countertransference in the analytic process. This trend became more pronounced with the development of ego psychology and object relations theory and their applications in the treatment of schizophrenia and the borderline disorders in general (Fromm-Reichman, 1952; Rosenfeld, 1952; Searles, 1967). At the present time, it is safe to say that countertransference has come to be recognized as a significant component in the therapy of narcissistic disorders.
Kernberg (1975), reviewing the literature, finds two contrasting approaches to the concept, the classical and the totalistic. The former adheres essentially to Freud's views. The latter sees countertransference as “the total emotional reaction of analyst to patient” (p. 49), including the patient's and the analyst's reality needs. This is helpful