Need help with a psychological term please?

Question

What is the correct term or description to use for this example: A patient recovering from a rape sees a picture of a rape victim (on TV perhaps) and sees the victim as them. Isn't there a term for this?

Thanks in advance

Answer 1

Possibly post traumatic stress disorder.

Answer 2

You are right that there is a term for this - it is transference.

During transference, people turn into a "biological time machine". A nerve is struck when someone says or does something that reminds you of your past. This creates an "emotional time warp" that transfers your emotional past and your psychological needs into the present. In less poetic terms, a transference reaction means that you are reacting to someone in terms of what you need to see, you are afraid of or what you see when you know very little about the person. This all happens without you knowing why you feel and react the way you do.

Hope that this helps