Social Work Exam Practice Test 2025 – Complete Prep Resource

Transference reactions in clients occur when they project feelings, thoughts, or attitudes from a past relationship onto the therapist. This phenomenon is rooted in an individual's prior experiences, particularly with significant figures in their life, such as parents or caregivers. When a client interacts with a therapist, they may unconsciously draw upon these earlier experiences, leading to distorted perceptions of the current relationship based on what they have learned or felt previously.

This dynamic illustrates the importance of understanding how past primary experiences shape current interactions, which is precisely what option A highlights. By recognizing this tendency to carry over emotions and behaviors from the past, social workers can help clients navigate these reactions and work through underlying issues that may affect their healing process.

In contrast, while maintaining a consistent self-image and establishing a trustful relationship are crucial components of effective therapy, they do not directly address the nature of transference itself. Emotional outbursts may occur during sessions but do not encapsulate the essence of transference, which is primarily about the transfer of past experiences to current perceptions. Thus, option A best captures the core of transference reactions as they relate to clients in therapy.