During psychodynamic psychotherapy, a male therapist finds himself becoming unusually protective and paternal towards a young female patient who resembles his own daughter, and starts relaxing boundaries for her. This phenomenon is best described as:

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

Explanation

Countertransference is the therapist's emotional reaction to the patient, shaped by the therapist's own unconscious conflicts and past relationships. Here the feelings arise in the therapist, not the patient. Transference is the reverse process, where the patient displaces feelings onto the therapist, so option A is the key distractor. The direction of the emotional displacement decides the answer.

Reference: Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry, 12th ed.

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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.