Reference no: EM133278712

Question - Dominic, age 37, entered therapy after his third wife filed for divorce. Dominic has a high school diploma and has, at various times, started college and dropped out before making significant progress toward a degree. He lost his retail job six months ago after being accused of theft, although he was not charged with any crime. He says he was falsely accused because management was jealous of his sales skills; there is no point in him applying for other retail jobs because his former employers will bad-mouth him throughout their relatively small community. When months went by without him getting a job, his wife filed for divorce, took their two daughters, and moved back home with her parents. Dominic hopes that by going to therapy he will be able to convince his wife he is changing and growing and that she will then decide not to go through with the divorce. He states that he loves her and their daughters and wants the marriage to work, but he also lists several ways in which he believes his wife is responsible for their marital problems. He also acknowledges that his two other marriages ended in similar circumstances: his wives became resentful and angry after his long-term unemployment.

1- How might a psychodynamic psychotherapist conceptualize Dominic's situation? What themes seem to recur in his life, and what might they be associated with?

2- What kinds of transference issues might occur with Dominic, especially if he is seeing a female therapist? 

3- What sorts of insights might be helpful for Dominic, and how might a psychoanalytic psychotherapist encourage those insights?