Transference — MRCPsych Paper B MCQ

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EasyPsychotherapyTransferenceMRCPsych Paper B

In psychodynamic psychotherapy, a patient begins to relate to the therapist as though the therapist were their critical mother. What term describes this phenomenon?

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Correct answer: C — Transference

The correct answer is C, transference. This occurs when a patient experiences or responds to the therapist according to unconscious relational patterns derived from earlier significant relationships. Treating the therapist as though they were the patient’s critical mother is a clear example of a past relationship being repeated within the therapeutic relationship. Countertransference refers instead to the therapist’s emotional responses to the patient. Projection involves attributing one’s own unacceptable feelings or impulses to another person. Sublimation redirects an unacceptable impulse into a socially acceptable activity, whereas intellectualisation manages emotion through detached, abstract reasoning.

Reference: Royal College of Psychiatrists. Psychotherapy assisted by psychedelic and related substances (PARS): Guidance for psychiatrists taking part in approved research trials, section 'Therapeutic relationship', 2025. https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/improving-care/better-mh-policy/position-statements/pharmacologically-assisted-psychotherapy-research-guidance.pdf?sfvrsn=2e48756a_8