The real relationship: Schemas, stereotypes, and personal history.

A critique of the conventional view of "real" and transferential relationships in psychotherapy is presented. Semantic labels for fuzzy sets contribute to the confusion between what is experienced by therapists vis-á-vis clients. That analogous countertransferential processes occur in therapy in both therapists and clients is proposed, and a line of argument is presented to support this position. A symmetrical model of client-therapist interactions is proposed that affirms that both client and therapist infuse biasing schemas into the therapeutic process. The authors conclude that the real relationship is the so-called transferential relationship, which springs from the personal histories of both therapist and client. This principle enables clinical programs to prepare trainees to accommodate the inevitable dissonances that will be experienced by disparate and cross-cultural participants in this field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)