Is there something about your boss that bothers you? When she asks you about your work, do you cringe? When she critiques your report do you feel like she is criticizing you personally? Maybe she unconsciously reminds you of your mother with whom you had an extremely unpleasant relationship? Your father? A mean teacher? Your critical college professor? Your boss may have nothing to do with any of these people. She may not be criticizing you. She may be trying to help you by explaining standards of excellence, but for some reason she has triggered you emotionally and she reminds you of one or all of these people. Because your boss reminds you of your mother you react emotionally toward your boss the way you reacted toward your mother. However, your boss is really not your mother at all and if you continue to react toward her the way that you would react toward your mother, you may find yourself either (1) in an extremely stressful state; (2) responding to your boss in a way that reflects negatively on you; or (3) looking for another job where you may encounter the same issue. On the other hand you may have a wonderful mother and you begin to transfer the feelings you have for your wonderful mother to your boss. You may begin to idolize her, try to please her or volunteer to do extra work. You may begin to feel frustrated when your boss acts professional and doesn’t praise you like your mother. This is called transference. Transference occurs when someone redirects their feelings for one person to an entirely different person. These feelings can be negative or positive. It is important to be aware of transference. It can hinder you from getting a promotion and cause undue stress. It is important to recognize when it is happening and reframe your thoughts and change your actions.