Transference, Countertransference, and Resistance in "Precious"

The movie Precious is revolves heavily on the severe outcomes of life and how the sever sufferings that some suffer can really effect one’s mental status. The main character of the movie is Claireece Precious Jones, referred to as Precious, a 16-year-old girl who has lived through a life of abuses with her abusive mother Monique and step father Rodney; suffering at a very young age from both her parents. In the movie, Precious lives in a ghetto in Harlem New York surviving on welfare from an unemployed mother and her first child. Precious among other problems from an abusive lifestyle, has critical eating disorders and finds comfort in constant eating. The movie is based on the novel Push by Sapphire (Albers, 2009).

I felt that this movie addressed numerous forms of abuse such as verbal, physical, sexual as well as neglect. Her father, resulting in her having two children, sexually abuses Precious. Her mother verbally and physically abuses her at home. Numerous emotions were at play while watching the movie such as anger, sadness, empathy, as well as hope. Precious was able to tackle all the hardships she faced and persevered. She exemplified courage and strength through adversity. Precious had some very influential people in her life, however, which may have saved her life and her children’s lives. Firstly, the principal at her original school noticed Precious and helped her. She could have ignored Precious and moved her along in the school system.

One level to address when watching the film Precious is the Micro issues that Precious faces in the movie. The movie does not directly describe all of Precious’s immediate family members but one can see

Transference is often manifested as an erotic attraction towards a therapist, but can be seen in many other forms such as rage, hatred, mistrust, prettification, extreme dependence, or even placing the therapist in a god-like or guru status. When Freud initially encountered transference in his therapy with clients, he felt it was an obstacle to treatment success. But what he learned was that the analysis of the transference was actually the work that needed to be done. The focus in psychodynamic psychotherapy is, in large part, the therapist and client recognizing the transference relationship and exploring what the meaning of the relationship is. Because the transference between patient and therapist happens on an unconscious level, psychodynamic therapists who are largely concerned with a patient's unconscious material use the transference to reveal unresolved conflicts patients have with figures from their childhoods. Countertransference is defined as redirection of a therapist's feelings toward a client, or more generally as a therapist's emotional entanglement with a client. A therapist's atonement to his own countertransference is nearly as critical as his understanding of the transference. Not only does this help the therapist regulate his or her own emotions in the therapeutic relationship, but it also gives the therapist valuable insight into

The movie Precious, is drama-based film that tells the story of a 16-year-old girl named Claireece Jones (Precious). Unfortunately, she is struggling with her family, the school system and with her own internal emotions. Her mother despises her due to Precious having two kids from her father. She was kicked out of her high school had to go to an alternative school to get her GED. Precious also is struggling with her internal emotions and capabilities, she has been raped, verbally and physically abused. Some of the main characters that influenced Precious’s life are Miss. Rain, her English teacher at the alternative school and her mother Mary.

The film, Precious, is a powerfully charged story that delves into the family dynamics of a 16-year-old girl and her struggles to survive an onslaught of treacherous experiences. Throughout the film, the viewer is enveloped in a dramatic web of extreme situations, experienced by the main character, and those to whom she is close. The themes of domestic violence, rape, incest, drug addiction, gambling, poverty, social justice, social services, housing and education are laced together throughout the story. Particularly poignant attention is paid to various systems that help shape the experiences of the characters. The social services industry, and its associated workers, educators and administrators, set the foundation for the social themes that are highlighted by this film.

Throughout the movie Precious, there are several times when the audience witnesses trauma and its effect on Precious’ life. These traumatizing events include sexual abuse, verbal abuse, physical abuse, and emotional abuse. When people go through these events, their mind will find ways to cope with their situation. These coping mechanisms are depersonalization, derealization, detachment, and dissociation.

All in all, I liked the movie for a number of reasons. For instance, the movie clearly brings out the plight of young children who are burdened with parental responsibilities at a very tender age. While the case in the movie is as a result of crime and medical incapacitation, there are so many other vices in society that have turned young children into parents even before they internalize the true definition of who a parent is. Vices such as civil wars, the HIV/AIDS menace and even sporadic wars between warring nations have left so many young children with the responsibility of bringing up their siblings. Ree is thus portrayed as an example to be emulated by all other children of her age who unfortunately finds themselves in similar circumstances (Paludi, 2011). Rather than sit around crying the whole day, it’s always advisable to pick up the left pieces and move on with life since at times, those you expect to offer a helping hand might turn out to scorn you

However, counter-transference is caused by the counsellors own limitations which might include the counsellor unresolved emotional issues, but a counsellor can use this to their advantage and draw out information that is important to the clients therapeutic process.

It was interesting to look back at the movie “Precious” in order to relate Erikson, Jung, and Freud’s theories to both Precious and her mother Mary. Being able to identify the defense mechanisms, stages of development, anxiety, and persona gave me more insight as to why Precious and Mary act the way they do. In addition, exploring the role of nature versus nurture in their development helped to explain why Mary and Precious made certain life decisions.

Precious is a 2009 American drama movie about a 16-year-old who lives in an Urban setting getting through her tough life and finding a way out of her terrible situations. Precious lives in Harlem, New York City. Her mother, Mary, doesn’t work, and her father, Carl, recently just left. Precious’ father was sexually abusive towards her and got her pregnant twice (she was pregnant with her second time throughout the course of the movie). Her mother is physically and emotionally abusive towards Precious.

When you think of the word “poverty” or “poor” what comes to mind? Some think of hunger, minorities, dirty areas, women, and homeless people. What about when you hear the term “abuse”? For most people, abuse means physical; getting beat up or hit. Although abuse can mean getting beat up or hit, there is far more that follows. Abuse can take on many forms like physical, emotional or sexual. The film Precious by Lee Daniels, based on the novel Push by Sapphire, encounters not only the obvious sexual abuse but physical and emotional abuse as well. Precious starts off with Claireece Precious Jones, played by Gabourey Sidibe, at her school in Harlem. She is called to the office because the principal has found out she is pregnant…Again. Kicked

Closeness is a subjective term. Getting too close could mean a fear of having clients dependent on the therapist. The term “dependency” has a negative connotation, but the text tells us that dependency is an element of psychotherapy in the beginning and middle phases (Pipes & Davenport, 1999). . This is not to be feared, and the therapist should have a strong enough sense of self to not define themselves based on client feelings or actions (Pipes & Davenport, 1999). . The authors express special caution towards prematurely assuming client

The paper seeks to describe the concepts of transference and countertransference using real life experiences and relationships as an airline pilot. The power of transference underpins the great importance of the relationship in therapy, coaching, business, professions, and/or life outcomes (de Haan, 2011). Often unnoticed due to the subconscious nature of this phenomenon, transference is when individuals transfer energy of thoughts and feelings to others without even knowing it. When unnoticed, misperceived, and/or misunderstood, it could promote itself as the root of mistakes and the deterioration of relationships through misjudging character, abilities, and skills; thereby “aggravating the status quo by collusion, the illusion of being all-powerful, or the abuse of power” (p. 180). Substantial empirical evidence exist, according to de Haan, to demonstrate and support the phenomenon of transference within relationships outside of therapy.

The motion picture ‘Precious’ gives us a powerful experience, mainly because the story line has a thin hopefulness in the dark-clouded life of Precious, Precious is resilient, even though her tragic life influences her personality greatly.