Counter Transference Basis in Counseling
Counter transference refers to the therapist's emotional reaction towards a client. This reaction is not based on the client's objective behavior but is influenced by the therapist's own psychological needs, unresolved conflicts, past experiences, and relationships.
The question asks about the basis of counter transference during a counseling session. Based on established psychological principles:
- Counter transference originates primarily within the therapist. It involves the therapist projecting their own unresolved issues, past experiences, or relationship patterns onto the client.
- This phenomenon is distinct from transference, where the client projects feelings about significant figures from their past onto the therapist.
Analyzing the options:
- Option 1 (Client's earlier conflicts) relates to transference.
- Option 2 (Therapist's earlier conflicts and/or relationships) accurately describes the source of counter transference.
- Option 3 (Nature of emotional conflicts of the client) is too general and doesn't specify the source as the therapist.
- Option 4 (Number of counselling sessions) is irrelevant to the underlying cause of counter transference.
Therefore, counter transference is fundamentally based on the therapist's own internal world, including their past conflicts and relationships.