Differences in the conception of the countertransference in the works of Sigmund Freud and Sándor Ferenczi

Abstract

Sigmund Freud and Sandor Ferenczi were representatives of the first generation of psychoanalysis whose contribution significantly shaped the 120 year development of psychoanalysis. Sigmund Freud made history with his famous finding about the Ego not being the master in its own house. Meanwhile, the work of Sandor Ferenczi has remained largely forgotten and overlooked for decades. The article highlights the concept of countertransference and examines the differences in the concept outlined by Sigmund Freud and Sandor Ferenczi. The article also highlights the proposition that it was Sandor Ferenczi influenced the development of post-Freudian intersubjective psychoanalysis.