Notes on the Transference Papers: Transference as a Game

Abstract

The articles on transference from the 1990 Brussels Conference Roundtable on “Transference and Transactions” are reviewed, and theoretical comparisons are made between classical psychoanalytic and transactionalanalytic viewpoints. Many popular concepts in TA practice are reviewed in illustrating the active use of transference and countertransference in setting up social level transactions, games, and scripts. Case examples illustrate the use of transference as a game, transference of family pairings in group therapy, and Berne's concept of the family Coat of Arms.