For this applied theory paper, I used Karen Horney’s Psychoanalytic Social Theory and chose Black Swan as the movie which I will critique with Horney’s theory. The character I chose to observe was the main character Nina Sayers. As I analyzed her I noticed two neurotic needs which I focused on and these neurotic needs were the neurotic need for perfection and unassailability and the neurotic need for self-sufficiency and independence (Horney, 1942). In the first neurotic need, “Neurotics strive relentlessly for perfection, neurotics receive “proof” of their self-esteem and personal superiority. They dread making mistakes and having personal flaws, and they desperately attempt to hide their weaknesses from others” (Feist & Feist, 2008).
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Nina wasn’t given the chance of independency from her mother. To combat her basic anxiety, she decided to move away from people around her. At the very beginning of the movie, Nina was already the type of person who’s shy and doesn’t talk much with the people around her except her mother, but after she was chosen as the Black Swan, her neurotic tendencies got worsened. She started seeing everyone as enemies, as people who would hurt her, as people who would snatch away the crown from her. She decided to be detached from people, including her mother. Nina’s neurotic search for glory became more prevalent. She started focusing on her idealized self-image, which is to be perfect. The scene where her mother offered her a slice of cake and she became picky because she was maintaining the shape of her body was a manifestation of her ambition to become perfect. Her idealized self-image swept her away from her real self and “she started moving toward actualizing her idealized self” (Fiest & Fiest,2008), but as she practiced her role, she got pressured by Leroy which gave birth to her self-hatred; the idea that she won’t be able to do it—Self-contempt (Horney, 1950), lead her to drinking, taking drugs and working too hard— Self-destructive actions and impulses (Horney, 1950). Lastly, still under self-destructive
Nina wasn’t given the chance of independency from her mother. To combat her basic anxiety, she decided to move away from people around her. At the very beginning of the movie, Nina was already the type of person who’s shy and doesn’t talk much with the people around her except her mother, but after she was chosen as the Black Swan, her neurotic tendencies got worsened. She started seeing everyone as enemies, as people who would hurt her, as people who would snatch away the crown from her. She decided to be detached from people, including her mother. Nina’s neurotic search for glory became more prevalent. She started focusing on her idealized self-image, which is to be perfect. The scene where her mother offered her a slice of cake and she became picky because she was maintaining the shape of her body was a manifestation of her ambition to become perfect. Her idealized self-image swept her away from her real self and “she started moving toward actualizing her idealized self” (Fiest & Fiest,2008), but as she practiced her role, she got pressured by Leroy which gave birth to her self-hatred; the idea that she won’t be able to do it—Self-contempt (Horney, 1950), lead her to drinking, taking drugs and working too hard— Self-destructive actions and impulses (Horney, 1950). Lastly, still under self-destructive