Neurotic and narcissistic transferences in Freud's relationship with Josef Popper

An analysis of Freud's avoidance of meeting with Josef Popper is offered which suggests that Freud's idealization of Popper was related to an unconscious fear of being attacked by him. This view is compared and contrasted with the concept that Freud had a "mirror transference" to Popper, as proposed by Wolf and Trosman (1974). The choice of focusing on either narcissistic or neurotic mechanisms in this psychobiographical inquiry is discussed and related to similar choices that commonly occur in clinical work.