Blog #2: Transference in TV Shows by Megan Wright

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.

Power & Influence: President John F. Kennedy, By: Ariya Fuentes

America’s youngest president to take office was also a leader many consider as one of the most loved presidents. His young age as well as his beautiful family brought a youthful quality into the white house. At 43 years old John F. Kennedy was already capturing the democratic voters attention with his good looks and relaxed style. Despite his lack of experience, he won the election and faced challenges with Cuba as well as the spread of communism. JFK helped teach and inspire Americans to help each other as well as others. One of his most popular foreign policy actions was the Peace Corps. This sent volunteers ranging anywhere from doctors,nurses, and  entrepreneurs to underdeveloped countries in need of their assistance.  It is highly unlikely that these volunteers would have gone to a foreign country to help those in need, had it not been for this foreign policy. JFK was guiding America towards a leader-follower relationship by working together in order to attain a goal. The goal at the time being a halt on the spread of communism. JFK also made the decision to send offensive weapons to Cuba after the Russians set up missile sites in Cuba. This caused Russia to retract their threat and agree to peace. His decision to stand by his army and show that America will not be threatened was a brave yet worrisome act. Not only was he interested in sceesing the spread of communism, but he had a passion for a civil rights bill as well. Despite his young age relative to his predecessors, he managed to become on of the most memorable presidents due in part by his willingness to move America forward and his longing for progress in the United States.

Power and Influence: George H.W. Bush, By: Lauren Duncan

George H.W. Bush has made a lasting impact on the United States of America, and a place near and dear to our hearts; College Station, Texas. Bush was known to be one of the most qualified candidates to run for office during his time. Many of his qualifications revolved around the power and influence he had the ability of incorporating into leading our nation. He learned much about what it meant to lead a country as he served as a the vice president prior to becoming the president of the United States. Bush focused his presidency on the traditional American values that have been set forth by our ancestors, and I truly believe he gained a great deal of respect from his followers in doing so. For instance, he was passionate about the people our country is made up of, and he wanted to treat everyone with the upmost respect despite their race, religion, and/or ethnicity. Some say it best when they state Bush was a man who was focused on making the U.S. a "kinder and gentler nation" (whitehouse.gov). In addition to serving our country as president, George H.W. Bush has played a big part on A&M's very own campus. Bush was approached not long after his term ended by members of the university and was asked if he'd have his presidential library located on A&M's campus. The George H.W. Bush Library is an incredible sight to see and it has become one of most intriguing parts of our campus. As you can see, this man proved to Aggies all around the world that he was worthy of holding such a special piece of A&M's campus, and for that he will always be at the core of our university. This man is someone who truly practiced what he preached, giving him the ability to maintain power over our country and influence people all over the world in the most positive and endearing ways.

Power and Influence

Franklin D. Roosevelt

By: Daren Bradshaw

 

There have been many Presidents through our countries great history to use a variety of leadership styles to achieve what they thought was best for our country at that point in time. All Presidents had power, but in a lot of cases it was more legitimate power due to the positions that they held. There are few Presidents in our Nation’s history that not only had great power but were also great leaders. One of those Presidents was Franklin D. Roosevelt. President Roosevelt led this nation through some of the toughest times in its entire existence. He led them through the Great Depressions and World War II, both which our Nation was triumphant in overcoming the adversity at hand. Of course he, like all other Presidents had legitimate power but that wasn’t enough to accomplish what he did during his time in office. Roosevelt also demonstrated referent power as well as expert power which allowed him to persuade a nation due to his experience and how much everyone admired him. When he was diagnosed with polio it only strengthened his power in the political system in the eyes of the people. They felt they could relate to him as he appeared to be human just like them, which allowed him to be very successful in politics. During his time President Roosevelt was able to implement economic reform policies such as the New Deal which would change the frame work of our country for years to come. Roosevelt was also in office during the bombing of Pearl Harbor where he made the executive decision to enter World War II. These are just a few of the many great things that Roosevelt did during his time in office all of which exemplify his power and influence.

Power and Influence: Ronald Reagan, by Rachel Schumpert

Power and Influence:

How Ronald Reagan used Power and Influence to change America

by:  Rachel Schumpert

Ronald Reagan was arguably one of the best Presidents that America has ever seen.  He used his power and influence to bring back conservative republican ideas into the White House.  Part of what made Reagan such an influential president, was his ability to speak to the people of America.  In almost every single public speaking class, you will probably view one of the many addresses that Reagan made to the people about various crisis' that took place while he was in office.  He had a way of communicating with the people that made them feel comfortable, and at ease.  He strategically used his power and position as leader of the free world, to make sure that during the Cold War, America trusted him and believed in his ideas and strategies.  Through Reagan's direction, the Cold War finally came to an end, and many people believe that he was to thank for that.  In fact, Reagan influenced the people so positively on Republican ideals, that America elected to keep a Republican in office from 1980, when Reagan was inaugurated, to 1992 when Bill Clinton took office, George Bush being elected after Reagan.  To this day, Republicans running for president use a personal comparison to Reagan to win voters over.  Ronald Reagan was an excellent example of how a leader can use his power to effectively solve problems and inspire his followers.  Ronald Reagan will always be remembered as the president who turned this country around by using a relateable, grandfather-like approach to leadership.  

Power & Influence

The Presidents of the United States

 

Megan Wright:

In honor of President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday this week, I decided to focus on President Lincoln’s power and influence as a leader during his presidency. President Lincoln is considered one of the greatest presidents of all time, this recognition coming from his use of speech. As the 16^th president, Abraham Lincoln came into presidency at a very volatile time. A time when war broke out within the nation, and when a true leader was needed. President Lincoln used his speech to gain the respect and admiration from his followers, but it was in a very different way than what had been seen during this time. This is what brought popularity to his ways of leadership during his presidency. He was a very powerful speaker, but he spoke in a very basic and rather simple manor. He wrote his speeches for the masses to understand, therefore there was no miscommunication, and no words that were not received due to a lack of understanding of them. As it says in LCP, “The key is to adopt the appropriate style for the situation” (p. 145). President Lincoln aimed to do just that, he knew what he wanted to say and how to effectively say it that would influence a widespread amount of people in any given situation.  The style in which he spoke is what made him a powerful and influential leader. It was shown that along with having legitimate power, in the position of President of the United States, President Lincoln didn’t rest on that as President. He used his leadership skills, channeled them through his speeches to gain even more power throughout his Presidency.

Power & Influence

The Presidents of the United States

Tyler Roden:

The 15^th President of the United States, James Buchanan, is considered one of the worst presidents in U.S. history. James Buchanan was able to fool the American public in the Election of 1857 into believing that he could be the president they needed to mend the friction their country was dealing with. James Buchanan developed a reputation for being a powerful speaker, which is the reason he rose to power. By possessing powerful speech techniques Buchanan was able to suggest to the people of the United States that he would be a powerful leader as well. Buchanan also had a deceivingly powerful stature, being 6 feet tall with broad shoulders. Buchanan had legitimate power, which resides in the position rather than in the person, but did not have the leadership skills to back up that power. James Buchanan is now known for how we handled (did not handle) conflict. His leadership style could be considered Laissez-Faire, he constantly avoided issues concerning slavery and the conflicts with Mormons in the west and he avoided interaction with the general public. Seven states seceded from the Union due to the president’s inability to bring resolution to the growing tension. Buchanan is often considered a major catalyst that broke the nation in half and started the Civil War. What we can learn from James Buchanan is that no matter how well you look on paper or how much power you seem to exude, if you do not have the proper leadership skills and techniques to lead your followers towards success then you will also fail.