Psychological Criticism

An Introduction

Quiz: What do you know?

Provide the appropriate answer below. I know who Sigmund Freud is.
I am familiar with his theories of how the unconscious motivates our daily actions. I know who Carl Jung is.
a. Yes a. Yes a. Yes b. Kind of b. Kind of b. Kind of a. Yes b. Kind of c. Not at All

c. Not At All c. Not at All

4. I am familiar with his theory of archetypes.

c. Not At All

Beginnings
Sigmund Freud:
1856-1939 Why did you do that? Looked to literature for answers and examples Conscious actions driven by unconscious desires and fears (often in response to personal trauma) Unconscious expresses itself in form of dreams, creative acts, slips of the tongue, jokes, etc.

Key Concepts
Internal conflict is caused by a struggle to fit into society because of hidden unacceptable desires or fears, often caused by personal trauma.

Discussion
If one did not deal with his or her internal conflict, what might be the psychological and emotional results?

Key Concepts
This internal conflict expresses itself in a variety of ways: depression, mental illness, emotional disturbance, abnormal sexual activity, drug and alcohol abuse, obsessions, violence, etc.

Key Concepts
One can deal with traumatic events and uncomfortable emotions in a variety of unhealthy ways:

Repression: hiding ones desires and fears in the unconscious Isolation: disconnecting ones emotions from a traumatic event Denial: refusing to accept ones unacceptable desires or fears or a traumatic event Sublimation: redirecting an unacceptable desire into a creative act

Memento (2000)

Key Concepts
Displacement: replacing an unacceptable object of ones emotion with a safe one Projection: placing ones unacceptable or unworthy desires or fears onto another Intellectualization: avoiding ones desires and fears by analyzing them and rationalizing them instead of feeling them Reaction Formation: believing the opposite is true to avoid facing the truth about a traumatic event

Felicias Journey (1999)

Carl Jung
1875-1961 Looked to fairytales and myths for answers to human motivation/actions Conscious vs. collective unconscious that contained images and themes common across time and culture (archetypes) Archetypes present in dreams, myths, fairytales

Archetypes
Images and patterns experienced in the unconscious by all humans, regardless of culture or place. Images and patterns that symbolize or guide ones psychological journey toward identity. Archetypes help psyche develop by representing common experiences and shared knowledge of lifes journey. Common Archetypes: Animus/Anima; Mother/Father; Sage (Wise one); Orphan; Destroyer; Warrior; Caregiver; Fool; the Double etc.

Psychology and Film

Films activate unconscious desires and fears. Film is a form of voyeurism (scopic drive)
Fetishizing the body: Body becomes a visual fetish for viewer. Taboo Images: Images and experiences forbidden society such as sex and violence give voyeuristic pleasure in film

Yet More
Films offer viewers a clue into the unconscious motivations, desires, and fears of directors and actors. Similar patterns of images, plots, and topics occur of the course of a career that reveal something about the director or actors unconscious mind.

Alfred Hitchcock

Marnie

How to . . .
Ask why the director created such a film, particularly focusing on what may have been unconscious motivations Ask why the character acted a certain way in a film, again particularly focusing on unconscious motivations Ask how the viewers unconscious motivated a particular reaction to a film.

How to . . .
Look for instances of repression, isolation, sublimation, displacement, denial, projection, intellectualization, and/or reaction Formation in the actions of characters. Identify internal conflicts present in characters that cause them difficulty fitting into society or being happy. Note expressions of the unconscious in characters dreams, voices, creative acts (or any actions), slips of the tongue, jokes, etc. Note descriptions of the unconscious in a film. Note archetypal images or patterns in a film. Note how a characters identity is developed in a film. Analyze viewers response to the film, especially in terms of scopic drive. Analyze a set of films by a director or actor for patterns of images, plots, topics, etc. that give clues to his or her unconscious motivations, fears, and desires.

Resources
Lynn, Steven. Texts and Contexts. New York: HaperCollins, 1994. Giannetti, Louis. Understanding the Movies. 11th ed. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008. Pearson, Carol S. Awakening the Hero Within. HarperCollins, 1991. Prince, Stephen. Movies and Meaning. 2nd ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2001.