When does negative transference occur?

When does negative transference occur?

• A. When counselors project feelings onto clients.
• B. When clients project feelings toward another person in the past onto the counselor.
• C. When multiple roles exist between a therapist and a client.
• D. When clients become angry or hostile toward counselors

Answer: (D)

Negative transference happens when a client redirects feelings from people in their past onto the therapist, often as anger, hostility, or resentment. This occurs because unresolved emotions from earlier relationships are projected onto the counselor, not because of what the therapist is doing in the moment. When a client becomes angry or hostile toward the counselor, it signals negative transference—the client is directing past relational feelings toward the present therapeutic relationship.

Other options describe related concepts but not this specific pattern. If the therapist is the one projecting feelings onto the client, that’s countertransference. If a client projects feelings toward someone from their past onto the therapist in a general sense, that’s transference, but not necessarily the negative, anger-driven form. And concerns about multiple roles pertain to boundary issues, not the emotional transfer from past relationships.