the process of transferring feelings from one object to another is called
Transference Transference (German: Ãœbertragung) is a theoretical phenomenon characterized by unconscious redirection of the feelings a person has about a second person to feelings the first person has about a third person. It usually concerns feelings from an important second-person relationship from childhood, and is sometimes considered inappropriate.[1][2][3] Transference was first described by psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who considered it an important part of treatment in psychoanalysis.
Social cognition Social cognition is "a sub-topic of social psychology that focuses on how people process, store, and apply information about other people and social situations. It focuses on the role that cognitive processes play in social interactions."[1]