Countertransference in the movies: effects on beliefs about psychiatric treatment

This study examined the effect of viewing the movie Lovesick on college students' beliefs about countertransference and psychiatric practice. Consistent with the concerns of Gebbard and Gebbard (1985) that the public may develop erroneous beliefs about psychiatry from watching such movies, after seeing the film subjects were more accepting of sexual behavior between analyst and patient and were cynical about the motivation of the mental health professions in prohibiting such behavior.