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Vampires and Those Who Slay Them

Using the Television Program Buffy the Vampire Slayer in Adolescent Therapy and Psychodynamic Education

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Abstract

Psychodynamic concepts are frequent themes throughout popular culture. For this reason, movies, books, and even television shows offer rich opportunities for the examination of important psychological constructs. Given the current popularity of vampire stories within adolescent groups, the psychodynamic themes woven throughout the vampire myth deserve special attention. In particular, the television program Buffy the Vampire Slayer uniquely displays key adolescent developmental challenges. In discussing the psychodynamic significance of vampires, with special attention to the characteristics of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this article demonstrates both the use of displacement in adolescent therapy, as well the utilization of the Buffy’s story as a means of teaching important psychodynamic concepts.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 15 Parkman Street, WACC-812, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Steven C. Schlozman M.D. (Fellow)

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  1. Steven C. Schlozman M.D.
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Additional information

The author is grateful for the advice and support of Eugene Beresin, M.D., in the preparation of this manuscript.

The author is a Fellow, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.

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Schlozman, S.C. Vampires and Those Who Slay Them. Acad Psychiatry 24, 49–54 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03340070

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