Blog 5

Psychoanalytic theory is concerned with the interaction between a person’s mind and their identity. The three most common techniques used to interpret media artifacts using psychoanalytic theory are to examine the Oedipus complex, the id, ego, and superego, and defense mechanisms. Within psychoanalytic theory, the Oedipus complex states that “every individual passes through a stage in which he or she desires the parent of the opposite sex...most people learn to master [theirs]; neurotic individuals are plagued by theirs.” Though it may seems strange, the Oedipus complex can be seen in many media artifacts today. Perhaps the most popular theory within psychoanalytics is the id, ego, and superego. To put it simply, the id is the most basic part of the personality, the instincts. The ego is attempts to make the instincts socially acceptable, and the superego decided if the ego’s decision is morally right. Within popular media, these three concepts can be seen represented and personified by characters. For example, the characters McCoy, Spock, and Captain Kirk from Star Trek can be viewed as the id, ego, and superego respectively. The final concept that can be examined within psychoanalytic theory is defense mechanism. This is perhaps the best concept to look at when examining media artifacts, specifically when observing characters. There are a total of eleven defense mechanism: ambivalence, avoidance, denial, fixation, identification, projection, rationalization, reaction formation, regression, repression, and suppression. By using these concepts to inform psychoanalytic analysis, you can examine popular media in a new light.