Specific Features of Transference Work in OLI Integrative Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Case Presentation
Abstract
Transference represents a central construct in psychoanalytic and psychodynamic therapeutic processes, yet its understanding and the ways of working with it vary depending on the theoretical and methodological framework. This paper presents the specific features of working with transference within OLI Integrative Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (OLI IPP), a contemporary psychoanalytically grounded integrative modality with a pronounced developmental focus. Building on the classical psychoanalytic conception of transference as the repetition of earlier relationships and affective patterns within the therapeutic relationship, OLI IPP retains the analytic dimension of working with transference while expanding it through a developmental understanding of ego functions and basic developmental competencies of personality.
In this paper, transference is viewed not only as a regressive phenomenon, but also as an indicator of insufficient development of basic developmental competencies within emotionally significant relationships. Particular attention is devoted to distinguishing transference manifestations arising from the regression of previously developed capacities from those that indicate structural ego deficits. The theoretical presentation is complemented by an extensive clinical case presentation, which illustrates how transference processes, countertransference experiences, and the development of basic developmental competencies are intertwined in therapeutic work. The aim of the paper is to highlight the contribution of OLI IPP to understanding transference as a developmental context in which, alongside insight, learning, internalization, and the strengthening of ego functions necessary for lasting psychological change take place.
Keywords: transference, integrative psychodynamic psychotherapy, basic developmental competencies of personality, ego functions
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How to cite
Jovanović, N. (2026). Specific Features of Transference Work in OLI Integrative Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Case Presentation. Insights, Vol. 3, No. 1 (2026), 97–117. https://doi.org/10.67978/INSIGHTS.2026.3.5