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The concept of countertransference has evolved considerably since Freud (1910, 1915) first described it as a blind spot in the mind of the analyst which has to be overcome. While countertransference reactions are still viewed as unconscious neurotic interferences in the analyst's functioning, which must be made conscious and mastered to prevent interference with the analytic process, what has been added by later psychoanalytic investigators is a general view of countertransference as a potential diagnostic and therapeutic tool (e.g., Kernberg, 1965; Kohut, 1971; Sandler, 1976). Moreover, depending on the theorist's preferred frame of reference, different aspects of the phenomenon may be highlighted. For example, Kohut (1971) specifically