Blog Post 5- Psychoanalytical Theory

Psychoanalytical Theory allows you to examine characters in media based on their motivations whether they are conscious (known to the character) or unconscious (hidden but still manifest in the actions of the characters). The connection between conscious and unconscious is based in the theories of Sigmund Freud. He theorized that a person had three aspects of the mind-the id (subject to baser instincts, interested only in instant gratification, present only in the unconscious), the ego (uses reason to mediate the whims of the id and reality), and the superego (uses moral judgments to prevent any actions that might go against societal expectations). Along with using the ego and superego to regulate the needs of the id people also have defense mechanisms that can prevent aspects of the unconscious from reaching their awareness. These include things like repression of unpleasant experiences, unconscious projection of an aspect of the unconscious on to unrelated people or objects, regressing to an earlier developmental stage, and more.

Another aspect of Psychoanalysis is the theory of the collective unconscious. Jung theorized that people are all born with innate knowledge and understanding of archetypes (sort of like a template that represents a basic example) these archetypes help humans to understand the world around them and are used around the world in mythology and folk tales. Examples such as the hero, the wise old woman, and the devil have been used in countless stories in every corner of the world.

A simple example of these theories from popular culture would be to look at the main characters from The Wizard of Oz:

Dorothy: Motivated by her wish to get back home to Kansas. Ruled almost entirely by her superego. The archetypal heroine with her trusty canine sidekick Toto.

Scarecrow: Motivated to get a brain.

Cowardly Lion: Motivated to gain courage.

Tin Man: Motivated to get a heart.

Wicked Witch of the West: Wants to keep power. Acts on id.

Oz the Great and Terrible: Wants to continue ruling Oz and to prevent people finding he is a fraud. Acts on his id, but ultimately is ruled by superego to help Dorothy.