ABSTRACT
Psychoanalysts, since the earliest days of the studies on hysteria,have always given special attention to the transference and to the interpretation of transference, believing it to be central in our theory and technique.While there has never been a lack of interest in transference interpretation, it has recently become a particular focus of study and discussion. It is not clear why this is so, and the reasons may vary in different parts of the international psychoanalytic community. In America, at least, Gill’s (1982) recent and somewhat radical presentation of transference interpretation has surely helped to grab our attention. I believe another reason for our intensified interest in transference interpretation is the opportunity it provides for discussion of the full panoply of diverse analytic theories and techniques that today compete for our attention and allegiance. In this respect transference interpretation seems to have replaced self psychology as the encompassing topic that allows analysts of varied persuasions to discuss almost every aspect of psychoanalysis.
