Editing Countertransference (section)

=== Distinction between personal and diagnostic countertransference ===
A key development was the distinction between 'personal countertransference' and 'diagnostic countertransference.' Personal countertransference involves the therapist's own emotional responses and unresolved issues. In contrast, diagnostic countertransference refers to the therapist's reactions that provide insights into the patient's psychological state. This distinction highlights the dual nature of countertransference: it can stem from the therapist's personal experiences or be a response to the patient's behavior and psychological needs.<ref>Casement, ''Further learning'' p. 8 and p. 165</ref>

The concept of 'neurotic countertransference' (or 'illusory countertransference') was also distinguished from 'countertransference proper.' Neurotic countertransference is more about the therapist's unresolved personal issues, while countertransference proper is a more balanced and clinically useful response. This differentiation has been widely accepted across various psychoanalytic schools, though some, like followers of Jacques Lacan, view countertransference as a form of resistance, potentially the most significant resistance posed by the analyst.<ref>"Aaron Green", quoted in Janet Malcolm, ''Psychoanalysis: the impossible profession''(London 1988), p. 115</ref><ref>Mario Jacoby, ''The Analytic Encounter'' (Canada 1984) p. 38</ref><ref>Jean-Michel Quinodoz, ''Reading Freud'' (London 2005) p. 72</ref>