An adult patient had an unfavorable dental experience as a child and arrives anxious, telling you that every dentist will hurt him. Which psychological phenomenon does this represent?

Correct answer: D. Transference

• A. Cognitive dissonance involves holding conflicting beliefs simultaneously; it does not describe projecting past experiences onto a new person.
• B. Countertransference is the clinician's emotional reaction to the patient, not the patient's projection onto the clinician.
• C. Operant conditioning involves learning through consequences (rewards/punishments), not the projection of past relational feelings.
• D. Correct. Transference occurs when a patient unconsciously redirects feelings from a past relationship (here, childhood pain/fear) onto a current person (the dentist).