Countertransference in Two Settings: A Case Report

Yet despit e th e need for esta blishme nt of ra pport an d positive transference th e ph ysician onl y too frequently, eve n in th e best ins t it ut ion s, ope nly di spl ays a cynica l, unreali stic and hostile a tt itude towa rd s th c addic t; he is indifferent to th e latter's ge nuine compla in ts, ass umes in adva nce th at he is a liar and maintains that it is a was te of effort a nd mon ey to a tte mpt a cure. (Ausubel, 1958; quoted in Imh of, 1993, p. 494)