Transference, countertransference and mentoring: The ghost in the process

Abstract

The concepts of transference and countertransference are used in this paper to explore some of the deeper dynamics of the relationship between mentor and mentee; it is hoped that this perspective gives a useful gaze on the mentoring process. Three aspects of the relationship are examined. The first is an exploration of the ambivalent relationship of mentor and mentee to the third party at the meeting--the organisation. The second is an examination of the mentoring process where transference theory illuminates aspects of the power, authority, control, affiliation and resistance in the freezing, unfreezing and refreezing aspects of the ebb and flow of transference and countertransference. The third aspect is an examination of the relationship between mentor and mentee with a glance at the narcissistic impulses of altruism and a sceptical brush with the dominant image of unconditional positive regard that is commonly supposed to flow from mentor to mentee.