Crossing theoretical lines: the role and effect of transference in nonanalytic psychotherapies

Abstract

Although the concept of transference emerged from and is embedded in psychoanalytic and psychodynamic psychotherapies, some believe it exists and is important in all psychological treatments. In the present article, we examine empirical evidence in response to the following questions: (1) Does transference exist in nonanalytic therapies? (2) If so, how does it unfold over the course of such therapies? (3) How does it relate to therapy process, patient characteristics, and outcome of these therapies? Empirical evidence supports the contention that transference occurs in nonanalytic therapies, that it unfolds in a certain manner, and that it is significantly related to treatment process and outcome, as well as patient characteristics. Sorely needed are studies that examine how transferences of different types may be effectively responded to in nonanalytic therapies.