Abstract
Freud's original intuition about transference—that we repeat in the present certain key relational patterns from the past—is supported by findings from recent social-cognitive research that shows transference to be a ubiquitous process in daily life, not limited to the psychotherapeutic setting or to relationships with early caretakers. An understanding of transference manifestations helps us not only to make sense of our clients' transactional patterns but also to work through the conscious and unconscious self-other representations that interfere with our own work as psychotherapists. Scilligo's ego states model offers a method for analyzing transference as a normal and modifiable social-cognitive process.