ABSTRACT
Gender identity is a category of social identity and refers to an individual's identification as male, female, or, occasionally, some category other than male or female, and gender assignment refers to one's natal assignment as a man or a woman. This chapter discusses the definition and history of the concept of gender dysphoria currently described as gender identity disorder. Psychological test results from gender dysphoria and longterm psychotherapy patients showed a prevalence of borderline disorders, latent schizophrenia, and an impulsive paranoid character. The chapter examines the countertransference involved in the process of analytic psychotherapy and evaluation for the sex reassignment surgery. It explores the clinical illustrations featuring relevant topics for the treatment of gender dysphoria patients in psychodynamic psychotherapy. L. M. Lothstein believes that acknowledging and interpreting the countertransference not only facilitates the therapeutic alliance, but also reveals core, essential issues for the patient, and that a therapeutic alliance becomes impossible without the interpretation of countertransference.
