The truth of the transference Reliving infantile experience in the transference: comparing data from an observed infant and the later psychotherapy of the same infant as a young child1

1. A version of this paper was presented at the 8th International Infant Observation Congress in Buenos Aires in August 2008.

Abstract

This paper documents a unique opportunity that allowed the authors to compare the relationship between an infant's early feeding experience and later material from a clinical case when the same infant had become a young child aged five and a half in treatment. The authors focus on correlations between the child's difficult weaning experience, as captured in the observation, and certain strong transference themes that emerged in his psychotherapy. They draw the conclusion that these correlations provide proof that the origins of the transference lay in specific infantile conflicts and dynamics, and that in this regard the descriptive data generated by Infant Observation can show strong predictive validity. They argue that this comparative example demonstrates that, history-taking notwithstanding, transference is the principle and most reliable means of corroborating the truth of a patient's infantile experience.

Keywords:

• Infant Observation research
• weaning
• the infant in the child
• the origins of transference in infancy
• the genetic fallacy
• transference
• countertransference
• enactments in child psychotherapy

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Pippa Rogers for her lively observations of Andrew and for allowing us permission to make use of them in the writing of this paper.

Notes

1. A version of this paper was presented at the 8th International Infant Observation Congress in Buenos Aires in August 2008.