Transference and some of its Problems in Psychoses

The principle of transference is one of the most important in psychopathology. This is proved by the fact that so much discussion has arisen on the subject, that it is one of the main points of attack for opponents of psychoanalysis, and that it is the question upon which psychoanalysts entertain widely divergent opinions. An appeal to practical experience is perhaps the best way to determine the real value of this principle. How should the transference be first established, how should it be sustained during the analysis, how should it be resolved and disposed of after the patients have gained sufficient insight into their condition to be able to dispense with it? These are some of the questions which confront the analyst, especially in large institutions for the treatment of the neuroses and psychoses. Here the transference is a vital problem, not only from a scientific point of view, but from the point of view of practical procedure, for even though the condition of certain patients may be such that the physician recognizes at an early date an unfavorable prognosis, actual results obtained through a positive transfer have demonstrated that the principle may be used to prevent patients from sinking to lower levels of chronicity and deterioration. It is perhaps not too much to say that transference is a very valuable means at the command of the physician, where complete recovery is impossible, to secure a tolerable adjustment at certain hospital levels. And in cases where recovery is probable it is upon the affective transfer that