Blog Post 5: Who, Why, What

Put simply Psychoanalytic criticism is examining a media artifact using psychoanalysis as lens understand the character(s) and/or the creator of the work. Psychoanalysis is the study of the development of persons mind and identity. This lens of media analysis works in concert with Semiotics, the study of the parts and components that create a media artifact, where in the signs are behaviors and they signify the way in which a character's psyche developed or deals with situations. Unlike other media analysis techniques, Psychoanalytic criticism focuses closely on the characters, in the same way a detective uses a magnifying glass, it allows us to take in the subtle clues and put them in the context of psychology.  The psychoanalytic lens draws its criticism from the studies of Sigmund Freud and Carl G Jung.  These two are considered the fathers of psychoanalysis and thus it is from their research into the development and understanding of the psyche that Psychoanalytic criticism. Even though it involves the complex science of psychology, it is not necessary to understand. Character's in a media artifact are not as complex as a real human being and therefore only the most basic of ideas are necessary to understand and analyze a character.