Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Organizational Consulting: Transference and Counter-Transference

Abstract

There is a plethora of publications offering methodologies and styles of consultation for the hundreds of thousands of people who engage in organizational and management consulting work. Yet we know little about the psychodynamics of the consultation process, how the consultant influences this process and is, in turn, influenced by it. This is where a psychoanalytic perspective on the process can be especially valuable. In this article, we explore the challenges and complexities associated with a psychoanalytic orientation to the consulting process. In particular, we explore the transference and counter-transference issues that a consultant typically faces when engaging in this work. We establish the analysis of transference as a key to diagnosis and intervention and then offer a methodology for this form of consulting.

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