Psychodynamic Theory

Psychodynamic therapists emphasize the clinical importance of transference, the process by which the client transfers emotional feelings toward other important people in his or her life onto the therapist. In the early 2000s, the mafia drama The Sopranos was one of the first television shows to focus extensively on psychotherapy sessions, with one recurring plotline being Tony Soprano’s romantic feelings for his therapist, Jennifer Melfi. In fact, at one point Tony tries to kiss Dr. Melfi, who explains to him that his feelings are really the result of the progress they have made during their therapy work together and related to normal processes of transference.