Race and transference in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy

Given the enduring primacy of race in western cultures, it is always a factor in any psychotherapeutic situation. In this paper, the role of race in elucidating transference manifestations is explored. Vignettes and clinical narratives are used to illustrate the point that race can be a useful vehicle for the expression and elaboration of transferences of defence, of drive derivative and of object ties. Several factors are discussed which influence whether and to what degree race serves as a point of engagement for transference reactions.