Which of the following scenarios best illustrates transference according to the psychodynamic perspective?

• A. A client consciously decides to change their behavior after receiving advice from their therapist.
• B. A client discusses their dreams and tries to interpret their meaning with the therapist.
• C. A client expresses frustration about work stress during a therapy session.
• D. A client begins to treat their therapist with the same distrust and suspicion they felt toward their critical parent.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of transference in the psychodynamic perspective. Transference occurs when a client unconsciously redirects feelings and attitudes from a significant person in their past (often a parent) onto the therapist.
2. Step 2: Identify key elements of transference: it involves unconscious feelings, often rooted in early relationships, being projected onto the therapist, affecting how the client interacts with them.
3. Step 3: Analyze each scenario to see if it involves unconscious redirection of feelings from past relationships onto the therapist, rather than conscious decisions or general discussions.
4. Step 4: Recognize that the scenario where the client treats the therapist with the same distrust and suspicion they felt toward a critical parent best fits the definition of transference, as it shows unconscious projection of past emotions onto the therapist.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the correct illustration of transference is the scenario where the client begins to treat their therapist with the same distrust and suspicion they felt toward their critical parent.