Have you ever reacted atypically in a certain situation and asked yourself how this could have happened? You may have succumbed to the power of projective identification or a counter-transference reaction. Systemic-psychodynamic organizational consulting deals with these phenomena by transferring findings and methods from the therapeutic field to the work context. Transference, countertransference and projective identification are not only relevant in therapy, but also accompany us in everyday life. It is helpful to understand these processes as they influence our actions - often not in a positive way.
1. What is transmission?
Transference refers to the reactivation of unconscious patterns of experience and behavior that were originally developed in relation to previous reference persons. These patterns are then transferred to a current person.
Example: An employee transfers paternal, protective characteristics to their manager
2. What is countertransference?
Countertransference is the usually unconscious reaction to the transference. It occurs when someone reacts unintentionally to the transference attributed to them.
Example: The manager is more or less consciously aware of the trait that has been transferred to them and actually behaves in a protective manner towards the employee.
3. What is projective identification?
In projective identification, a person splits off unwanted feelings or experiences and projects them onto others. The recipient of this projection perceives the feelings, identifies with them and acts accordingly.
Example: An employee wants to be a fair person herself and does not allow herself to have her own unfair parts. She therefore splits off this part and projects it onto a manager. The manager unconsciously absorbs this projection, identifies with it and actually behaves unfairly.
4. In which work situations do these phenomena occur?
Transference and counter-transference are almost always present. Managers in particular can activate old relationship patterns and have unreflected character traits attributed to them that are familiar from parents or teachers. Managers can only hope that these are positive experiences.
Projective identification often occurs in stressful situations, such as work overload or change processes. If the resulting inner conflict is overwhelming, it provides relief to outsource the stressful parts.
In this way, a structural problem - which should actually be solved at a structural level - can be shifted onto individuals or groups, who then have to act as scapegoats and are best eliminated. Of course, this does not solve the problem.
Conclusion
Systemic-psychodynamic organizational consulting offers valuable insights into the unconscious processes that influence our behaviour in the workplace. Transference, counter-transference and projective identification are everyday phenomena that affect managers in particular. An awareness of these dynamics can help avoid negative impacts on organizational culture and promote a healthy communication and work environment. It is crucial that managers learn to perceive their own emotions as well as those of their employees and interpret them as indicators of the state of the organization.
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