The Psychology of The Sopranos: Love, Death, Desire and Betrayal in America's Favorite Gangster Family

by Glen O. Gabbard

Some have called it "The Sopranos Effect"--the quiet that descends just before a new episode of the hit TV series is aired. Stores are deserted, restaurants quiet--and for patients of distinguished psychoanalyst and author Glen Gabbard, desperate calls for help go unreturned. Why, Dr. Gabbard wondered, have the misadventures of a middle-aged thug won the largest audience in HBO history? What is it about the characters and their relationships that draws us in so completely? What can we learn about ourselves from going inside the heads of these outlaws from New Jersey? In The Psychology of the Sopranos Dr. Gabbard draws on his vast professional experience (and his near-obsessive preoccupation with Tony's two "families") to delve into the psychology of the characters, the show's depiction of therapy, and how "The Sopranos" dramatically showcases the psychological ambiguities and conflicts in our own lives. Indeed, part of the show's popularity, he argues, is the spotlight it throws on viewers' psychological issues--from panic attacks and existential angst to codes of honor and moral indiscretions. With his tongue planted only lightly in his cheek, Gabbard poses the questions so many of us have pondered on Monday mornings: Is Tony's therapy working? And how is it possible for him and his "families" to reconcile the mundane and the monstrous? His answers will surprise and delight loyal fans. This book was not prepared, licensed, approved, or endorsed by any entity involved in creating or producing the "Sopranos" television series.Mafia don Tony Soprano, his family, his work "associates," and his therapist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi, have captured the imagination (and the fanatical devotion) of more than 11 million viewers. The show has garnered rave reviews for its writing and acting and has won a loyal following of educated viewers, who appreciate the sharp wit, the Machiavellian plot turns, and the Shakespearean character development of this extraordinarily well-crafted drama. Find the answers in The Psychology of the Sopranos: Is Tony a psychopath--or is he an American everyman putting bread on the table in the best way he knows how? Is Livia a modern-day Medea or a victim caught in mob mentality? Is Carmella an accomplice or an innocent? Who's more corrupt, Tony Soprano or Father Phil? Is Tony doomed to desire women who make him feel as bad as Mom did? Can a man who commits bad acts still teach his children to be good?

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction

208 pages, Hardcover

First published June 30, 2002

Reviews

[Dovilė Stonė]

Gerokai pavėlavau į "Sopranų" vakarėlį, bet... Jeigu netyčia sugalvosit ir jūs žiūrėt, perkopus bent tris sezonus siūlau paskaityti šią knygą. Knyga trumpa, parašyta paprasta, profesinio žargono neprigrūsta kalba. Yra lietuviškas vertimas - jį ir skaičiau.

Gabbardas Sopranus analizuoja bent iš penkių kampų:

1. Atskleidžia serialo kūrėjų motyvus ir dilemas. Žiūrovai stipriai reagavo į Tonio ir Melfi terapinį santykį, tad kūrėjams buvo sunku rasti būdus, kaip išsaugoti auditoriją, bet nepamesti savo vizijos.

2. Komentuoja psichoanalitikės dr. Melfi darbą. Ji yra neįtikėtinai įtikinama - ne be reikalo Amerikos psichiatrų draugija apdovanojo aktorę Lorraine Braco už "labiausiai įtikinantį psichoanalitiko vaidmenį, kada nors matytą kino ar televizijos ekrane". Labai įdomu stebėti, kaip dr. Melfi naviguoja etinėse dilemose, perkėlimuose ir kontrperkėlimuose. Atskleisdamas daugiau psichoanalitinio mąstymo ir darbo užkulisių, Gabbardas padeda geriau suprasti dr. Melfi darbą.

3. Analizuoja veikėjų asmenybes. Lengva ranka pamatuoja, kokie ribiškumo, narcisizmo ar antisocialumo bruožai kur išlenda. Kartais bando diagnozuoti kategoriškiau, bet kitam skyriuj persigalvoja.

4. Tyrinėja Tonio vidinę ir išorinę dinamiką: asmenybės ir gyvenimo skilimą į dvi nesuderinamas dalis, dominuojančius vidinius konfliktus, santykių su mama atkūrimą vis kituose santykiuose... Gabbardas, kaip ir daugelis kitų serialą analizuojančių psichoanalitikų, svarsto, ar įmanoma Tonį "išgydyti" ir kaip tas išgijimas galėtų atrodyti.

5. Atskleidžia serialo paraleles su bendražmogiškais išgyvenimais - tikriausiai dėl to serialas apie mafukus pritraukė žiūrovus iš labai įvairių gyvenimo kontekstų.

Minusiukai:
- Aptariami tik pirmieji trys serialo sezonai.
- Kartais riebokas, stigmatizuojantis žodynas. Nežinau, čia autoriaus ar vertėjo indėlis, bet įdomus sprendimas, pvz., ribinį asmenybės sutrikimą vadinti "psichine negalia". Labai nustebino tokie išsireiškimai, nes kiek teko skaityti akademinius (angliškus) jo tekstus, Gabbardo žodynas subtilus.

Kai nebeveikia gynybos ir prasimuša simptomai:

“Vertikalus skėlimas” padeda Toniui išsaugoti savigarbą, bet pastangos laikyti dvi asmenybės dalis atsietas negali jam neatsiliepti. Norint palaikyti iliuziją, kad tos dvi pusės yra tarpusavyje nesusijusios, reikia labai išradingai save apgaudinėti, o Tonis - kaip ir kiekvienas kitas jo kailyje - nepajėgus tai daryti visą gyvenimą. Siena, skirianti du Tonio Soprano gyvenimus, ima griūti, kai jis pirmą kartą kreipiasi pagalbos į psichiatrą. Jo gynybos priemonės nebe tokios veiksmingos, kokios buvo kadaise. Vaikai žino, kad jis mafiozas, Karmela žino, kad jis mergišius, jis pats žino esąs apgavikas.

Apie erotinį perkėlimą:

…Freudas padarė genialią išvadą. Jis suvokė, kad pacientas, įsimylėjęs psichoterapeutę, ne tik priešinasi gydymo procesui, bet ir atskleidžia svarbius senus santykius, kuriuos perkelia į dabartį. Tiesą sakant, tai ir yra gydymas. Visi sudėtingi Tonio jausmai Livijai, Karmelai, meilužei Irinai ir net Medou atsiskleidžia beužsimezgančiuose santykiuose su jo psichoterapeute. Jeigu jam pavyktų pakankamai ilgai pakęsti frustraciją ir jis galėtų panaudoti potencialias savo erotinio perkėlimo įžvalgas, jis galėtų suprasti savo prisirišimo prie daktarės Melfi reikšmes. Atkreipdama dėmesį į tai, kiek daug bendra ji turi su Tonio žmona, motina ir dukra, Dženifer spėja: “Gal išsipasakodamas man jūs kalbatės su jomis?”

Kiekvienas, lankęs psichoterapijos kursą, sugeba suvokti šį reiškinį. Psichoterapeuto kabinetas yra scena, po kurią atėję iš užkulisių vaikšto aktoriai. Jų vaidyba - tai bendravimas su psichoterapeutu. Kai pacientas iškrauna emocinį bagažą, susijusį su tėvu, šis atgyja per bendravimą su gydytoju. Kai pacientas kalba apie motiną, ji pasirodo tranzitinėje erdvėje tarp paciento ir psichoterapeuto.

Gynybos stiprumas = impulso stiprumas

Viena iš pagrindinių psichoanalizės aksiomų teigia, kad gynybinės laikysenos tvirtumas yra tiesiogiai proporcingas po ja slypinčio troškimo ar impulso stiprumui. Tą patį, tik kitais žodžiais, sakė Ralphas Waldo Emersonas gerokai prieš gimstant psichoanalizei: “Kuo garsiau jis kalbėdavo apie savo garbę, tuo giliau mes slėpdavome šaukštus.” Kunigas, rūsčiai smerkiantis svetimautojus, ko gero, stengiasi atsispirti savo troškimams išklysti iš doros kelio. Tonio gangsterių šeimoje absoliutaus lojalumo reikalavimas yra gynybinė poza. Po juo slypi kiekvieno tikro gaujos nario puoselėjamas troškimas: nuversti bosą ir pačiam tapti viršiausiam. Mafijos vadeivos žino, kad bet kurią akimirką gaujos stabilumą gali pažeisti apmaudas, asmenybių susidūrimai ir nepažabotos ambicijos.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admittedly, this book (which, by the way, has the most unwieldy title on the PLANET) caters to a fairly small niche market. Fortunately for me, I fall right into it! This book is for YOU, if (1) you LOVED The Sopranos television series, and have a fairly intricate knowledge of its characters and plotlines (as the writer of this book ASSUMES that you do, when making his analyses); (2) you have an interest in, and some basic knowledge of, college-level psychology; and (3) you are the type of person who will watch a show on television for an hour, and then spend ANOTHER hour chatting on the phone with your friend about the intricacies of what you just saw . . .

Since I was absolutely OBSESSED with this show, back when it aired, and continue to miss it terribly, this book was like a nostalgic trip down memory lane for me. In analyzing the various psychological aspects of Tony's personality, as well as those of Dr. Melfi, Carmela, and Tony's children, A.J. and Meadow, Gabbard more or less revisits EVERYTHING that happened during the show's first four seasons, in just 182 pages. Reading this, I was surprised by how much I remembered from the early episodes of the show. And more surprised by how much I forgot . . .

Maddeningly, since this book came out in 2002, later episodes were not discussed. This is not AT ALL Gabbard's fault, I know. But it bugged me TERRIBLY, because, having thoroughly absorbed the author's keen insights into the first half of the series, I AM SIMPLY DYING to know Gabbard's expert opinion of such later series events as: Tony's mercy killing of his cousin, to prevent him from being hit by an opposing mob family, those bizarre couple of episodes where Tony was in a coma, Vito being outed as a homosexual and subsequently wacked, Tony's murder of Christopher in the final season, and OF COURSE, that ingenious, but completely frustrating, fade-to-black, series finale.

And yet, frustrating as the aforementioned absence was, it did nothing to lessen my enjoyment of this book. Gabbard's Psychology of the Sopranos takes the notion of "pop psychology" (or, perhaps, more accurately, "pop culture psychology") to a whole new level. If you are part of its niche market, it is a MUST READ!

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

My family and I are currently engaged in a "Sopranos" marathon - watching several episodes every evening...so it wasn't too far-fetched for me to pick up this book I gave Freddy for Christmas. What did surprise me, however, was how much I enjoyed it! It read easily and most engaging - not too terribly steeped in psycho-jargon and very engaging. I particularly recommend it to anyone who intimately knows the Soprano story.

[Carly Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for anyone who has the sopranos finale blues and needs that extra fix... interesting stuff and very entertaining. I just wish he had covered the second half of the series 😭

[Jack Varley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the author of this book would have done better to wait until the series finished entirely before writing this book - because as it is you end up with a very incomplete work since it is making grand assumptions about the trajectory of characters in a show which has now finished more than a decade ago. That being said, it is not like this is full of errors - it is clearly made with thought, care and sincerity. The insights about the characters are not facile but it is like writing a thesis about an experiment before you even know what all the results are. As a consequence it is short and rushed.

In other ways it is genuinely interesting because it gives me an insight into the thoughts and theories of fans while the show was still underway. There is plenty of Sopranos discussion still to be found online but naturally it is mostly by people (much like myself) who own the Blu-Ray boxset and have watched the entire show through multiple times. It is quite different to read the thoughts of commentators while the show was still on; like a microcosm of the burgeoning fan forums which were spreading online, enabling users to speculate about David Chase's plans for the next season.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, with its unnecessarily long title and absolutely RIDONKULOUS cover art, is really only for Sopranos super fans. I just finished watching the show, so I enjoyed this book. I found it in our neighborhood’s little free library about a month ago, and it seemed like fate — though I waited to read it until after I’d finished the series. I didn’t have to wait, though — the book was written right after season 3 ended, so there are no spoilers for seasons 4-6.

[Adam Falkenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this is a book I enjoyed thoroughly. The Sopranos is one of the great TV shows and this book by a psychologist breaks down the fascinating psychology of Tony Soprano, as well as a bit about many of the other characters. But mostly it focuses on Tony and his therapist Dr. Melfi and their relationship/interactions. Carmela is also discussed a bit and of course his kids.

[Mikayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty basic. Was hoping it would go in-depth on the Freudian aspects.

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an interesting premise here. A practicing psychoanalyst writes a book about the fictitious therapy that takes place between Tony Soprano and his therapist in the TV show, and to a lesser extent reflects on portrayals of therapy in TV and film. I picked this up 2nd hand in a charity store, and since I was wading for the umpteenth time through a Sopranos box-set I thought I'd give it a go. Two precursors are worth mentioning. The first is that you'll need to know the TV show really well to get much out of this (I do). The second is that this book came out at the end of the third season of the Sopranos (Gabbard originally wrote a column in Slate Magazine) - that is to say, at the half way point. Consequently a few of Gabbard's judgments seem slightly comical with the benefit of hindsight. Moreover because he focuses so much on the therapist/patient relationship he sometimes rather ignores the fact the relationship exists as a narrative tool, and occasionally as a moral compass; as is ultimately seen in season six with the ending of the therapy. That said, if like me you haven't read much psychology it's quite an interesting introduction to Freud and concepts like transference and splitting. Sopranos creator David Chase has said that The Sopranos is about people who lie to themselves on a daily basis and the mess it creates, so there is ample material for this and many other books.

[Corey Rudd · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Whattaya hear, whattaya say?"

It was my second time reading this, accompanied by my second time watching the show from start to finish. It is undoubtedly the greatest show of all time (in my opinion), and this in-depth character study and analysis only serves as reinforcement of that assertion.

As the name suggests, this book just happens to be a marriage of two of my biggest interests: psychology and The Sopranos. Written by an American psychiatrist, who specializes in psychoanalysis, this work provides such great insight into the minds, actions, and subconscious patterns of the characters. It also lends a credible interpretation of the therapy sessions therein, as well as a useful education on both psychotherapy and the therapist-patient relationship.

I loved reading such an academic review of the show, albeit, only the first three seasons (it was published just before the fourth season aired on HBO).

If you can read this book and still not give The Sopranos the due that it greatly deserves, then you are surely a motherless fuck.

[Kamal Latif · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Really great way to explore and present complex psychological ideas in a highly accessible way for Non-Psychologists. Using popular TV Drama characters we lived with for over 6 seasons of the show (although the book was written after series 3) the book explores themes such as the root of Tony and his mobster associates' violence, moral complexity and relationships with their mothers and women in general. Interesting to read about how Psychotherapy is portrayed in film and TV too. Highly recommended.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just started watching the Sopranos (I know, I'm a little slow) and read this to fill the gap between getting the next episodes from the library. It looks at how therapy is portrayed and used in the show and the psychological issues of the characters. If you're not addicted to the show, this probably won't be of much, if any, interest, but it was interesting as a light quick read.

[Rebeccah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a great read for anyone interested in The Sopranos and psychology, but who doesn't have a ton of background in the area of psychology. Honestly, I was hoping it would be a little bit more 'academic', since I'm using it to write a paper in one of my graduate classes, but overall it has some great insights. A pretty quick and easy read, despite it's heavy-sounding title.

[Arvydas Sidorenko · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess it is as good as a book about TV serial on mafia can be. It literally goes through a list of the most prominent scenes and the author explains how he perceived them. Nothing scientific, but rather an easy read.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witty, clever, accessible. Aid in understanding psychoanalytic theory.

Good insight on script writing and the crafting of a television drama.

[Carl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful!!!!

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting stuff but nothing a fan wouldn't have picked up watching the show

[Gato Negro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't love this, though based on the topic, I thought I would.

[Jeremy Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Talked about this book a lot in therapy. This and Freud and Beyond are now my two therapy books.

[Nicole C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just like it says. Quick, intriguing read.