The
psychoanalytical theory takes the teachings of Sigmund Freud about the
unconscious, our desires, our defense mechanisms and our id, ego and superego,
and applies it to several different fields of study, including the media. In a
way, psychoanalytical theory resembles the teachings of social psychology and
how our past experiences, current events and the surrounding environment
affects what we do and what we think. Our mind can be divided into three
sections, the conscious (what we are aware of), the subconscious (our memories)
and the unconscious (when events control us and we are not fully aware of it).
The Oedipus
complex plays a large role when analysing a text because “according to Freud,
the essence of Oedipus's story becomes universal human experience.” (Bressler,
124) If freud is correct about the Oedipus complex, in which all humans
experience this particular development process, then we all “are drawn to
stories, regardless of the medium, [because] these stories help us resolve our
Oedipal problems or confirm that we have resolve them.” (Berger, 79)
Referred by
Freud as the structure of our mental process, the id (focused on the self and
pleasure), ego (rational and logical, although unconscious) and superego
(restraints and moral judgement) interact to form our internal thought process.
Berger summarises Freud’s philosophies that describes that “the psyche is in
constant struggle, as the id and superego war against each other [and] the poor
ego tries to mediate between the two-between desire for pleasure and the fear
of punishment.” (Berger, 80) A constant example we continue to see in movies
and tv shows is the demonstration of the id as the devil, the ego as the hesitant
character, and the superego as the angel.
According to
Berger, “defense mechanism are techniques the ego employs to control instincts
and ward off anxieties.” (Berger, 83) Some of the most common defense
mechanisms are ambivalence, denial, rationalization, reaction formation,
suppression, etc. An example of reaction formation, “when a pair of opposing
attitudes generates problems”,(Berger 83) is seen in ABC's How to get Away
with Murder when Annalise is conflicted with the information that Wes
brings her when he shows her the cellphone with the provocative pictures of who
she knows is her husband. As a lawyer, Annalise knows that this information
could be vital to Rebecca’s case, yet she suppresses that thought and
emphasises on the fact that her husband was cheating on her with a student.
A
psychoanalytical analysis also includes the findings of Carl Jung along with
Freud’s findings. Jung proposed that we all have a collective unconscious where
our mind continuously collects new information about our experiences and
knowledge. Jung also emphasized on a series of archetypes, “universal themes
found… in dreams, myths, religion and works of art” (Berger 91) An example of
an archetype is found in Star Wars where the myth of the hero is
resembled in the journey of Luke Skywalker as he finds himself in a situation
where he has to power to save the galaxy.
Using the psychoanalytical theory to analyse a
work takes into consideration the internal processes of the characters and the
environment around them. Their story now is not something written by the
author, instead it is it’s own standing work that we, the audience, can analyse
and participate in when watching the television show for example so that we can
relate to and find the hidden significance of the work's narrative.
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