George has been in psychotherapy for several months. When he first started therapy, George had a very positive relationship with his therapist. However, over the past two weeks he has shown increasing hostility, and he often yells and becomes threatening when his therapist offers her interpretations of the things that George says during therapy. According to Freud, George's behaviour may be

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George's increasingly hostile behavior towards his therapist when she offers interpretations of his thoughts and feelings is indicative of transference, which occurs when a patient unconsciously transfers feelings and behaviors from significant relationships in their life onto their therapist. George may be projecting feelings and behaviors that he has towards someone else onto his therapist, causing him to respond with hostility. This is a common psychoanalytic phenomenon that is important to address in therapy. It does not necessarily indicate that his psychological problems are worsening or that he is repressing free association. The concept of defensive neurosis is not directly relevant to George's behavior in this scenario.

George Has Been in Psychotherapy for Several Months