According to M. Scott Peck, transference is that set of ways of perceiving and responding to the world which is developed in childhood and which is usually entirely appropriate to the childhood environment but which is inappropriately transferred into the adult environment.

We should be aware of this in our own lives because it can affect the way we live and therefore affect others around us. If someone still practices a belief that they have from their childhood in the present day they risk living a misguided life. Their maps have been drawn in such a way that they fail to change their outlook on life which causes them to become confused and upset. It is very hard for a person to adjust their map once they have it drawn because it is natural to be scared of new information and shun it. But your map of life must constantly be revised if you desire, as all people should, to experience a life of continuous progression towards the truth and happiness.

An example of transference in my own life is my believing that my uncle Jack was Santa Claus. When I was about 5 years old, my family and I started going to Nebraska for Christmas every year to visit my grandparents and spend Christmas with them. My Uncle Jack and Aunt Elaine live in Colorado which isn’t too far away so they would join us too. Every Christmas day, my uncle Jack would dress up as Santa Claus and come to the front door with a giant bag full of presents for myself and my brother and sister. I was so proud of the fact that my own uncle was Santa Claus. For years this tradition continued and brought with it many smiles from my family. Then when I was in 5^th grade I began to brag to my friends at school that my uncle was Santa Claus. I thought for sure that they would all be extremely jealous of me. Instead they all laughed at me and said that Santa Claus didn’t exist. Angry and confused, I went home that evening and asked my parents for the truth. To my astonishment they admitted to me that Uncle Jack was just pretending and that Santa Claus did not really exist at all. Devastated, I sat in my room thinking about the whole situation. Eventually, I came to terms with it and was a little bit proud of myself for being old enough to know the truth.