Interpreting the Movie Psycho Using Freudianism
Who is Norman Bates? Was he born psychotic? Why did he form an unusual attachment to a verbally abusive mother? One might pose these questions after watching Alfred Hitchcock’s classic monochrome thriller, Psycho. Although one might initially believe that Psycho is only a film about scandalous homicides and horrors, however, it essentially documents the life of Norman Bates suffering from mental illnesses. Moreover, 1{Sigmund Freud’s concept of the unconscious is intentionally mirrored throughout the plot of the film.} 2{According to Freud, the defense mechanism is a psychological mechanism in which traumatic memories, especially during childhood, are repressed. In Norman’s case, he was not able …show more content…
Additionally, the movie’s plot unfolds themes of sexual identity, gender roles, and sexual expression and introduces conflicts such as character vs. self, psychological illnesses, murder, and theft. Before delving into the deeper interoperation of Psycho, one would need to understand his theories. Firstly, his theory of the subconscious is made up of three parts: the Id, Ego, and Superego. Freud compared the human mind to an iceberg in which the unconscious lies below the surface of the iceberg and conscious lies above the surface of the iceberg. The Id is known to be the instant pleasure-seeking part of the brain or the libido, the human’s sexual drive. The Ego, however, reacts to reality, while the Superego represents humans’ moral code. Moreover, Freud’s concepts can be seen in the movie and effectively be applied to it. movie …show more content…
Norman Bates’ mansion has three floors that resemble the three levels of the human mind: the first level parallels the superego, where Norma Bates lives, the ground floor is Norman’s ego, where he presents himself as a “normal” being, and finally the basement is his ego. Norman moves his mother’s corpse from the top floor to the basement. This is a symbolic representation of a change from the superego to the id, which is his alter egos. Hitchcock used Freud’s theories for the viewers to piece together Norman’s odd behavior and the events leading up the
Who is Norman Bates? Was he born psychotic? Why did he form an unusual attachment to a verbally abusive mother? One might pose these questions after watching Alfred Hitchcock’s classic monochrome thriller, Psycho. Although one might initially believe that Psycho is only a film about scandalous homicides and horrors, however, it essentially documents the life of Norman Bates suffering from mental illnesses. Moreover, 1{Sigmund Freud’s concept of the unconscious is intentionally mirrored throughout the plot of the film.} 2{According to Freud, the defense mechanism is a psychological mechanism in which traumatic memories, especially during childhood, are repressed. In Norman’s case, he was not able …show more content…
Additionally, the movie’s plot unfolds themes of sexual identity, gender roles, and sexual expression and introduces conflicts such as character vs. self, psychological illnesses, murder, and theft. Before delving into the deeper interoperation of Psycho, one would need to understand his theories. Firstly, his theory of the subconscious is made up of three parts: the Id, Ego, and Superego. Freud compared the human mind to an iceberg in which the unconscious lies below the surface of the iceberg and conscious lies above the surface of the iceberg. The Id is known to be the instant pleasure-seeking part of the brain or the libido, the human’s sexual drive. The Ego, however, reacts to reality, while the Superego represents humans’ moral code. Moreover, Freud’s concepts can be seen in the movie and effectively be applied to it. movie …show more content…
Norman Bates’ mansion has three floors that resemble the three levels of the human mind: the first level parallels the superego, where Norma Bates lives, the ground floor is Norman’s ego, where he presents himself as a “normal” being, and finally the basement is his ego. Norman moves his mother’s corpse from the top floor to the basement. This is a symbolic representation of a change from the superego to the id, which is his alter egos. Hitchcock used Freud’s theories for the viewers to piece together Norman’s odd behavior and the events leading up the