transference

[ trans-fur-uhns, trans-fer-uhns ]

noun

1. the act or process of transferring.
2. the fact of being transferred.
3. Psychoanalysis.
   1. the shift of emotions, especially those experienced in childhood, from one person or object to another, especially the transfer of feelings about a parent to an analyst.
   2. displacement ( def 3 ).

transference

/ -frəns; ˈtrænsfərəns; ˌtrænsfəˈrɛnʃəl /

noun

1. the act or an instance of transferring or the state of being transferred
2. psychoanal the redirection of attitudes and emotions towards a substitute, such as towards the analyst during therapy

Derived Forms

• transferential, adjective

Other Words From

• nontrans·ference noun
• retrans·ference noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of transference¹

From the New Latin word trānsferentia, dating back to 1675–85. See transfer, -ence

Example Sentences

Eli feels a strong connection to Noah, sometimes feeling what he feels, but as a man of science, he frames it as “some extreme case of transference-counter transference.”

From Los Angeles Times

The pendulum, Freud warned, can easily swing back to “negative” transference, even outright hostility, if the patient’s anxieties are brought into awareness without the assurance that the therapist has the goodwill and capacity to see the process through.

From Slate

Sigmund Freud warned that the “positive transference” that comes at the start of therapy can be short-lived.

From Slate

If Kamala Harris is to bring America back to reality, she must make use of the positive transference currently on offer to her and declare herself the person to help all struggling Americans.

From Slate

The two main candidates who had been running for president—Biden and Trump—both proved to be severely compromised transference figures.

From Slate

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