transference
transference Lexical Profile
transference Game Scores & Validity
• noun
In psychoanalysis, the unconscious redirection of feelings and desires retained from childhood toward a new object, especially the psychoanalyst.
"The therapist recognized the patient's sudden hostility as a classic example of transference."
The action or process of transferring something or of being transferred from one person, place, or state to another.
"The treaty outlined a peaceful transference of sovereignty over the territory."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'transfer' is preferred for everyday movements of people, funds, or data, 'transference' is primarily reserved for abstract processes or its specific psychoanalytic meaning.
• Rhymes for transference
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in English in the late 18th century from the verb 'transfer' (from Latin 'transferre', meaning 'to carry across') and the suffix '-ence'. The psychological sense was introduced in the early 20th century as a translation of Sigmund Freud's German term 'Übertragung'.