Psychoanalytic Analysis Of The Joker

Intriguing heroes are plenty, villains, not so many. However, the ‘Batman’ universe gave the world a menacing yet fascinating super villain with a chalk white face, green hair, and a fear inducing Glasgow smile. Unlike the many other fictional villains who petrified the world with super powers and super weapons, this man was able to instil gut wrenching fear by virtue of his “strange” personality. It is for this very reason that the “Joker” is such a captivating and interesting character to study. One way to understand the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of the Joker’s personality is through the Psychoanalytic approach. Developed by Sigmund Freud, the psychoanalytic theory of personality focuses on the unconscious. This school of thought believes that all behaviour stems from one’s unconscious as well instinctual and biological drives. He described the personality as encompassing three structures- id, ego, and superego. These three …show more content…
These aggressive drives are what put his psychic energy –the libido- to work.
The psychoanalytic theory has certain limitations though. To explain the personality of the Joker using this perspective, we need to know more about his childhood. In spite of the character being created seventy four years ago, there is not much known about his childhood or how he came to be the “Joker”. Borrowing from psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus’ statement about Psychology, it can be said that “the Joker has a long past but a short history”. The lack of childhood history makes it difficult to fully understand and acknowledge the genesis of the character’s many faults and traits.
However, we may just empathise with Alfred the Butler and show our agreement when he says, “Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world