Interpretation of transference in the psychotherapy of adolescents and young adults

Abstract

There is considerable controversy in the literature surrounding the role of interpretation of transference in the expressive psychotherapy of adolescents and young adults. The authors contend that interpretation of transference is often underutilized in the psychotherapy of adolescents and that many treatments could be enriched by its inclusion. It is argued that interpretation of the transference in the immediate "here and now" of the therapeutic encounter should take precedence over genetic transference interpretation, which attempts to link current attitudes toward the therapist to archaic attitudes toward the parents. Six guidelines founded on a developmental perspective are described for exploring transference themes in this age group. While interpretation of transference is neither a panacea nor uniquely mutative with adolescents and young adults, the authors believe it has an important role to play in expressive psychotherapy if used judiciously and with foresight.