Transference and Countertransference in Interracial Analyses

HIS PAPER WILL DEAL with some of the features and vicissitudes of transference and countertransference as well as other reacT tions of the analyst, in analyses in which analyst and patient are of different races. Emphasis in the literature is on the drawbacks of disparities of culture and status. Clinical examples from two analyses will be cited to highlight the following generalizations: (i) Racial differences may have little or no effect on the course of the analysis. (ii) Racial differences may have a catalytic effect upon the analytic process, and lead to a more rapid unfolding of core problems. (iii) Stereotypes of race and color occasionally induce both analyst and patient to delay the analytic process, either by obscuring reality or by overestimating its importance. (iv) Subculturally acceptable pathology or acting out may evoke overreactions in the analyst, while material fitting racial stereotypes may be ignored. (v) Countertransference may coincide with stereotypes and delay the analytic process. Although the focus of this paper is on the analytic relationship, we are necessarily cognizant of the current social revolution. Many patients are involved in the interracial tensions which permeate our society. T h e major efforts being made to upset the structured patterns of discrimination are an important factor in the patient's awareness of choice and ,increase the possibilities of interracial analysis. IVe do not discuss, although we recognize, that on the conscious level, Negro-white relationships are directly related to the values, ethics, group norms, and sociopolitical