mirror transference

in self psychology, a narcissistic transference technique in which patients’ grandiose selves are reactivated as a replica of the early phase of their lives when their mothers established or undermined their sense of perfection by admiring or devaluing their exhibitionistic behavior. This “reactivation process” aims to help the patient develop healthy self-esteem. Compare idealizing transference; twinship transference. [first described by Austrian-born U.S. psychoanalyst Heinz Kohut (1913–1981)]

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

January 31st 2025

coefficient of agreement

a numerical index that reflects the degree of agreement among a set of raters, judges, or instruments as to which of several categories a case belongs. Coefficients of agreement, such as Cohen’s kappa, are often corrected for chance agreement. Also called agreement coefficient.