Keep an eye out for transference.

Mentors, who are typically unschooled in the nuances of transference, are likely to be bewildered by the intensity of their mentees’ reaction in certain instances. For example, a mentor’s cancellation of an outing might trigger in the mentee strong unconscious feelings, stemming, at least in part, from earlier disappointments with caregivers. A mentor might see this overreaction as manipulative or overwhelming, not knowing that the mentee is redirecting unresolved feelings from other relationships onto him or her.