i'm not sure how confrontation is supposed to help your unconscious allign with him... confrontation tends to result in defensiveness and disconnection. is he intending to be confrontational or is it inadvertent?

i've heard the distinction between 'positive' and 'negative' transference enumerated in different ways.

one take is that positive transference is transference of positive qualities onto the therapist. benevolence, caring, concern and the like. so negative transference is transference of negative qualities onto the therapist. hostility, incompetence, judgemental etc.

i think the most common take is that positive transference is transference that helps therapy progress, however. transference of qualities like benevolence, caring, concern tend to help with building and maintaining a theraputic alliance. anger, erotic attraction etc could also be positive transference if the anger, erotic attraction etc is important progress.

on this account the corresponding notion of negative transference would be transference of qualities onto the therapist that inhibit or prohibit theraputic progress. anger and erotic attraction could be important progress (as above) but they could also be used as defences (against intimacy in an attempt to retain power and control of the theraputic situation). if they occurred in the latter context they would be negative transference. idealising can also be negative transference if it is used as a defence against anger etc.

sounds to me like there are many layers. one moments positive transference (progress) the next moments negative transference (defence).