The phenomenon where the client redirects feelings from significant others onto the therapist is called

• A. Countertransference
• B. Projection
• C. Identification
• D. Transference

Answer: (D)

Transference occurs when a client unconsciously redirects feelings, attitudes, and expectations from significant people in their life onto the therapist. The therapist becomes a stand-in for those relationships, so reactions toward the therapist reflect earlier relationships rather than the here-and-now therapeutic role. These responses can be positive or negative—affection, anger, dependency, distrust—and they reveal unresolved patterns from the client’s past. Working with transference helps illuminate how past relationships influence current behavior and can guide insight and change, provided boundaries are maintained and the therapist uses the experience constructively.

It’s helpful to contrast this with countertransference, which is the therapist’s own emotional reaction to the client, rather than the client’s. Projection involves attributing one’s own unacceptable thoughts to others, and identification is about adopting aspects of another person. Recognizing transference allows you to use these client-driven reactions as a therapeutic tool while staying mindful of your own responses.