Transfert erotico

This article presents some reflections on the delicate and complex phenomenon of erotic transference (and of interrelated countertransference issues), a particular form of transference that compels the subject to convert the object into an erotic fantasy. It must be noted that the adjective “erotic” is a bridge-concept between “pleasurable” and “sexual”. It follows that erotic transference can have various tonalities that go from a loving one to a sexualized one and from a dream state (benign) to a drugged or delusional state (malignant). Some writers distinguish between various types of erotic transference, which, however, can be placed on the “pleasurable↔sexual” continuum, and which can in turn be superimposed onto the “preoedipal↔oedipal” dimension.