Megan Wright
Transference in The Office
When I thought of a TV show that showcased Sigmund Freud’s
idea of transference, my mind immediately went to the show The Office. I think
there are multiple examples of transference within this show, some that change
as time goes on and some that remain the same relationship even until the very
last episode. Transference is a dynamic that can be found in the workplace
where an individual could be linking feelings from their past to their current
boss or fellow employees. In my example in The Office, I will be relating the
relationship between Dunder Mifflin boss Michael Scott and Assistant to the
Regional Manager Dwight Schrute. Dwight Schrute sees his boss Michael Scott as
a father figure, which is apparent very early on in the first season of the
show. It is never outwardly spoken why Dwight sees Michael in this light, but
it is clear that Dwight would literally do anything for Michael and on many
occasions did. In one episode, for example, Dwight Schrute gets the idea to try
and go behind Michael’s back and attempt to steal Michael’s job, in turn
Michael finds out and interrogates Dwight until he cracks. When given
punishment, Dwight pled Michael that he would do anything for him, and quickly
abandons his idea of taking the job he believes he deserves in order to not
upset or disappoint Michael. That is merely just one example of how the plot of
the show that display the father son relationship of Michael and Dwight. Some
other characteristics that Dwight exhibits that lead you to believe he sees
Michael as a father figure is through his urge to impress Michael, his mimicry
of Michael during leadership, and his constant goal to defend Michael. Although
in the end (spoiler alert), Michael comes back as Dwight’s best man in his
wedding and they remain close, throughout the episodes you can see that Dwight
did anything and everything for Michael, and didn’t really receive the credit.
Even though this is a comedic TV show, it does make a point to show the
negative relationship that transference can promote between an employee and a
boss represented through a father and son type relationship.
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