Discussion—portrayal of Psychoanalytic Therapists in the Media

Seven contributions from a combination of psychoanalysts, writers, and one academic are discussed. All contributors try to arrive at some understanding of how psychoanalysis has been depicted in the media and why so many of these portrayals tend to be outlandish. The authors’ speculations range from efforts to deal with the threat of someone who can see unconscious process to a satirization and exaggeration of what may be actual qualities in many analysts. Each author’s implicit or explicit psychoanalytic theory has much to do with his or her respective hypotheses.