title: Countertransference as instrument and obstacle: a comprehensive and descriptive framework.
abstract: A comprehensive and descriptive approach to counter-transference phenomena is proposed. Three types of mental activity are distinguished: the objective-rational attitude is an adaptive, relatively nondefensive mode of observation; the reactive mental state corresponds to the classical notion of unconscious counter-transference as an obstacle and a defense; by contrast the reflective attitudes involve preconscious and conscious psychical activity. Reflective activity involves four phases: (1) during emergence, an inner reaction appears; (2) immersion, through a regressive exploration, leads to introjective identification; (3) integrative elaboration involves a shift in cathexis, more distance, and an organization of the regressed contents, while (4) an interpretation is forming in mind. Three case examples from the literature serve to illustrate.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bouchard
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Normandin
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Séguin
mesh_terms: D003379:Countertransference; D006801:Humans; D011572:Psychoanalysis; D011573:Psychoanalytic Interpretation; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy