Transference occurs when the patient applies feelings from past relationships to the analyst.

• A. Experiences dream content interpreted by the analyst
• B. Freely associates to reveal unconscious material
• C. Develops counterproductive behaviors in therapy
• D. Applies feelings from past relationships to the analyst

Answer: (D)

Transference occurs when the patient unconsciously directs feelings from important past relationships onto the analyst. In therapy, the therapist becomes a stand-in for someone else from the patient’s life, so reactions and emotions toward the therapist mirror those earlier relationships. This redirection lets unresolved conflicts surface within the safe, relational space of the session, providing a path to understand and work through those patterns. The other ideas describe different therapeutic processes—dream content interpretation involves analyzing dreams, free association is about verbalizing thoughts to reveal unconscious material, and developing counterproductive behaviors in therapy refers to interfering dynamics rather than the projection of past feelings onto the therapist.