Blog Post 5

Psychoanalytical theory is based on the conscious and unconscious motivations of characters for acting in certain ways. You have to analyze the media by thinking of the deeper or root problem. The main developers of psychoanalytic theory were Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud. Freud developed the basic psychoanalytic theory of the iceberg, which suggests that we aren't always in control of ourselves. We do things for reasons even we don't understand or cannot admit to ourselves. The tip of the iceberg, what everyone sees, is the conscious. And then there is the unconscious which is hidden, such as sexual and aggressive impulses. We create a barrier between our unconscious and conscious. For example, a conscious reason for using a lighter would be to light a cigarette and the unconscious reason is a desire for mastery and power. There are three types of psychoanalytical categories that characters will usually fall into, including: id, ego and superego. Id is someone who follows their desires and the line between right and wrong is blurred for them. Ego is the middle ground that is the rational and logical waking part of the mind. It acts appropriately depending on the environment. Superego is the moral judgement that censors us and wants us to act according to ideal aspirations. Our psyche is in constant struggle between id and superego, with ego mediating between them. The aim of the ego is self-preservation. Freud suggests that civilization makes us feel too guilty for being id figures, there is too much pressure on us not to act on our desires. Heroes are superego figures, while villains are is figures. We mask our unconscious desires through symbolism, which allows us to escape guilt from the superego. We see characters in the media using defense mechanisms, which are techniques the ego uses to control instincts and ward off anxieties. Jung talked about archetypes such as heroes which are universal themes in dreams, myths, religions and art. Jung talked about the collective unconscious, which is the source of archetypes, as an inherited unconscious that we all have because of the generations before us. He did not believe that we all created our own individual unconscious when we were born, but rather it is instilled in us and passed down from one generation to the next. Lastly, Jung talked about the anima and animus. The anima are feminine traits found in men. The animus are masculine traits found in women.