Treating patients who are parents: the good grandparent transference and countertransference. 2010

Ruth R Imber
William Alanson White Institute, USA. rimberphd@aol.com

Psychoanalysis has paid scant attention to the role of grandparenthood, especially as it may appear in treatment. Clinical material is presented to illustrate the transference-countertransference phenomenon of what will be called the good grandparent; this is not an uncommon occurrence in the treatment of patients who are parents. But while the occurrence of a grandparent transference may occur with some frequency, it is not always recognized as such. When patients require support, mirroring, and general encouragement for their parenting skills, they may be demonstrating a legitimate need that should not be rejected out of hand by the analyst. At the same time, such an apparently benign process may mask negative feelings and fantasies to which we must remain alert.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D011575 Psychoanalytic Therapy A form of psychiatric treatment, based on Freudian principles, which seeks to eliminate or diminish the undesirable effects of unconscious conflicts by making the patient aware of their existence, origin, and inappropriate expression in current emotions and behavior. Balint Psychoanalytic Therapy,Psychoanalytic Therapy, Balint,Psychoanalytical Therapy,Therapy, Balint Psychoanalytic,Therapy, Psychoanalytic,Psychoanalytic Therapies,Psychoanalytical Therapies,Therapies, Psychoanalytic,Therapies, Psychoanalytical,Therapy, Psychoanalytical
D005190 Family A social group consisting of parents or parent substitutes and children. Family Life Cycles,Family Members,Family Life Cycle,Family Research,Filiation,Kinship Networks,Relatives,Families,Family Member,Kinship Network,Life Cycle, Family,Life Cycles, Family,Network, Kinship,Networks, Kinship,Research, Family
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D014167 Transference, Psychology The unconscious transfer to others (including psychotherapists) of feelings and attitudes which were originally associated with important figures (parents, siblings, etc.) in one's early life. Psychological Transference,Transference (Psychology),Psychological Transferences,Psychology Transference,Psychology Transferences,Transference, Psychological,Transferences (Psychology),Transferences, Psychological,Transferences, Psychology

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