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Working alliance, therapeutic alliance, and transference.
Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association
|January 1, 1979
Summary
The concepts of therapeutic and working alliance lack justification, as they represent aspects of transference. These concepts do not require separate naming or special clinical attention.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Psychotherapy Research
Background:
- The concepts of therapeutic alliance and working alliance are frequently discussed in psychotherapy.
- Proponents suggest these alliances are crucial for treatment outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically examine the clinical evidence supporting the therapeutic and working alliance concepts.
- To evaluate the necessity of distinct terminology and treatment for these alliances.
Main Methods:
- Review and analysis of existing clinical evidence presented for therapeutic and working alliance.
- Conceptual analysis of the relationship between these alliances and transference.
Main Results:
- The clinical evidence provided does not justify the concepts of therapeutic and working alliance.
- Both concepts are identified as facets of transference.
- The inherent frustration/gratification dynamic within the analytic situation is also examined.
Conclusions:
- The concepts of therapeutic and working alliance are not independently justifiable.
- They are subsumed under the broader concept of transference.
- Special terminology and treatment are unnecessary for these aspects of the analytic process.