So in other words, ID is the whining baby, Ego is the smart one and Super-ego is benevolence and morality. “Ed, Edd n Eddy” is evidently a caricatured form of this Freudian theory. Now, this theory can be applied on the novel “The perks of being a wallflower”; from an aerial view, the whole plot is sort of knitted by this theory and the different components that it offers (ID, Ego and Super-Ego) i.e. each character represents a certain part of the brain of this psychoanalytic theory. Furthermore, this theory can be applied on the protagonist, Charlie and how it defines his actions.
The characters of the novel represent a certain psychoanalytic component, as mentioned above. The main protagonist, Charlie, he represents Super-ego because he
…show more content…
He’d play the records for the party sitting alone on one side, buy meaningful gifts for everyone, and keep “little secrets” for everyone: be it his dad, his sister or his Aunt Helen and save Patrick from Brad and his friends etc. Next up, Patrick at first gives more of an ID’s impression but once analyzed in detail, he fits the EGO component more. Why? He has a realistic view about life, is very smart and accepts reality. For example, when Brad refuses to come out publicly and to his family, Patrick realizes that in order to be with Brad he has to keep their relationship secret and he has to make this compromise for Brad. Charlie would agree with the following statement: Mary Elizabeth represents ID. She is selfish, makes everything primarily about herself and is a control freak. Charlie did not want her to come to the dinner to which Sam and Patrick were invited but she invited herself by asking Charlie at what time she should come to his house and Charlie’s Super-ego did not let him be truthful and rude; instead, it urged him to go with the flow and just agree, which he did. Also, Mary Elizabeth wanted to expose Charlie to different kinds of music and art and she felt proud of herself for doing it. Their relationship was only working because Charlie was dishonest and agreeable. Sam fits in all the three components: ID, Ego and Super-ego altogether. Sam knows the importance of good morals and values …show more content…
“Repression”, as it suggests, is an unconscious mechanism that comes into use by the ego to keep harmful and threatening thoughts from become unconscious (Freud). “Denial” involves blocking external events from awareness e.g. the popular phrase “Ignorance is bliss”. “Displacement” is a mechanism that satisfies an impulse with a substitute object (For example, boxing, to lessen your frustration) and “Sublimation” is another mechanism that does the same as “Displacement” but in a socially acceptable way (Freud) ; for example, Charlie writes to a “friend” to not feel frustrated and alone with his malicious, monstrous thoughts. There are instances of the mechanism of “Displacement” as well, when Charlie hits Sean in the beginning of the novel and keeps saying that he could have hurt him worse than he has. He saves Patrick from Brad and his friends by taking them all single-handedly. Aggression (Displacement) is another aid in lessening the anxiety and keeping the bad chunks of the past hidden. Charlie’s letters to this anonymous “dear friend” provides him with an emotional release and decreases his anxiety. That is his way of repressing the threatening thoughts of his mind waiting to blow up anytime. Charlie finds emotional release in befriending people at school as well and in helping others. He constantly replaces the thought of Aunt Helen with something else
Growing up, Charlie faced two difficult loses that changed his life by getting him admitted in the hospital. As a young boy, he lost his aunt in a car accident, and in middle school, he lost his best friend who shot himself. That Fall, Charlie walks through the doors his first day of highschool, and he sees how all the people he used to talk to and hang out with treat him like he’s not there. While in English class, Mr. Anderson, Charlie’s English teacher, notices that Charlie knew the correct answer, but he did not want to speak up and let his voice be heard. As his first day went on, Charlie met two people that would change named Sam and Patrick who took Charlie in and helped him find himself. When his friends were leaving for college, they took one last ride together in the tunnel and played their favorite song. The movie ends with Charlie reading aloud his final letter to his friend, “This one moment when you know you’re not a sad story, you are alive. And you stand up and see the lights on buildings and everything that makes you wonder, when you were listening to that song” (Chbosky). Ever since the first day, Charlie realized that his old friends and classmates conformed into the average high schooler and paid no attention to him. Sam and Patrick along with Mr. Anderson, changed his views on life and helped him come out of his shell. Charlie found a
At this stage of the story we are compelled to feel a little bit sorry for Charlie who has been separated from his father.
She just wanted him to be happy just like Charlie's family. Happiness is key. Both characters struggled in their lives, but they made friends and had family that were there for
In Freud’s research on the mind he found three functional areas--the id, the superego, and the ego. These interrelated parts permit the self to function in society. The id is the innermost component of the three. It is the extreme unconscious. This is where the child-like unsocialized drives and instinctual impulses arise. The id knows no rules and does not abide to any external logical laws. It is only ruled by the desire for pleasure. When the id sees something it wants, all it says is, "I want that, I want that, I want that," like a young child in a toy store. The id is selfish; it represents self-centeredness in its purest form.
Charlie struggles with apparent mental illness throughout his letters, but he never explicitly addresses this problem. His friends make him realize that he is different and it is okay to be different from everyone else. This change in perspective gives Charlie new opportunities to experience life from a side he was unfamiliar with. Without these new friends, Charlie would have never dared to try on the things he has. His friends have helped him develop from an antisocial wallflower to an adventurous young man who is both brave and loyal. Transitioning shapes how the individual enters into the workforce, live independently and gain some control over their future
There is a great deal of social interaction that can be used for psychological analysis in the film The Perks of Being a Wallflower directed by Stephen Chbosky. This movie holds a strong focal point regarding mental illness, coming of age, and acceptance. (Halfon, Malkovich, Smith & Chbosky, 2012) Social psychology concepts from the textbook Social Psychology and Human Nature: Brief Version will be used to describe some of the actions and cognitions of the characters. (Baumeister & Bushman, 2014) The Perks of Being a Wallflower follows the life of main character Charlie, a high school freshman who tries to find acceptance and validation of his troubles by the help of his peers. Charlie, as well as his friends, suffer from mental illness in several different ways. This movie shows how the characters overcome the fears they hold and develop into stronger individuals. The three people that Charlie interact with the most are Sam, her Step brother Patrick, and Mary Elizabeth. (Halfon,
Freud (1960) said \"that very powerful mental processes of ideas exist which can produce all the effects of the mental life that ordinary ideas do, though they themselves do not become conscious\" (p. 4). This is an indication that there are other parts of the mind in which thoughts occur. According to Freud (1960), \"the state in which the ideas existed before being made conscious is called by us repression\" (p. 4). It is by the theory of repression that the concept of the unconscious is obtained.
The coming of age novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky, follows the self-discovery of an introverted 15-year-old boy named Charlie. The novel is written in a series of letters to an anonymous person, which he sends, as he needs someone to talk to after his best friend’s suicide
The Perks of Being a Wallflower written by Stephen Chbosky follows the protagonist and narrator, Charlie, a teenage boy who writes a series of letters to an anonymous recipient. Throughout the book Charlie is confronted with a variety of issues, including teen sexuality, drugs, alcohol and suicide in which are expressed through his letters. Chbosky explores the themes of sexuality, participation and maturity with the use of intertextual references to enhance the chosen themes. The theme of sexuality is enhanced with the references to The Rocky Horror Picture Show as it explores similar ideas. Participation is a problem for Charlie and also for the narrator of The Great Gatsby, Nick as they are constantly observing others and avoiding participation.
There’s no Perks in having Anxiety Disorders Waking up in the morning and having the feeling of anxiety is normal, since it’s part of being human, but for some people, it develop and turn into a full fledged anxiety disorder. It can even change the person the you were before, confident or outgoing person to constant fear and instability. Anxiety is not just one disorder, it can be several disorders that cause nervousness, fear, apprehension, and worrying. For example, Social Anxiety disorder affects the way you act and talk around people. In the book, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, the protagonist, Charlie is no exception.
Displacement, in context of psychoanalytical criticism, is the replacement of a goal that is considered to be unacceptable or dangerous with a new aim that yields the same outcome but does not carry the disagreeable connotations present in the original goal. It is the unconscious transferring of ideas or emotions into a different form so as to repress them. Displacement is the unification between an image and a specific emotion.
In the book The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, the biggest conflict for Charlie is himself. The reason being that itś his thoughts that the book is about and itś his fights with himself that the reader has to follow. Charlie tends to overthink things, leading to that being his main internal conflict. A quote to clear that up would be towards the beginning of the story, when Charlie is listening to Sam talk about girls after Charlie admits heś in love with her, ¨I look at people holding hands in the hallways, and I try to think about how it all works. At the school dances, I sit in the background, and I tap my toe, and I wonder how many couples will dance to "their song.
The ego is referred to as a “reality principle”, because the child starts to interact with the world during this stage, and becomes more aware or his or her surroundings. This is where a child will realize that other people have desires and needs as well, and he or she understands that impulsive or selfish behavior can lead to harm. The ego meets the needs of the id, while also understanding the reality of the situation. The ego seems to become Chief Bromden’s strongest trait, after McMurphy’s influence on him. Gradually, Bromden begins to follow McMurphy’s ways and fight for what he wants, while still being careful because he understands consequences. One example would be when he first speaks out to McMurphy. It had been years since he had ever said a word, yet he decided to start speaking. It was all because of the influence McMurphy had on him, and he was finally confident enough to feel like he could be heard, however he does not let the ward know he can speak, realizing all the trouble that could get him into. The next step is when McMurphy decides to go on the fishing trip with everyone. He had always dreamed about going outside the ward, and it finally is able to happen. This is the biggest development the Chief has through the story, also being a positive one. Freud believed if a person’s ego was strongest, they were extremely healthy,
The narrator, Madeline and Roderick all fit together and complete the human psyche. The narrator represents the superego, an unselfish, conscious filled perspective, while Madeline portrays the total opposite id of the story. As seen, Roderick symbolizes the ego of the story, since he has qualities of both the id and the superego. Even though “The Fall of the House of Usher” is a popular short story, it is not the only piece of literature that includes Freud’s concepts. Everyone human being, at one point or another, and characters from literature, contain the qualities of ego, superego and id. For example, as a baby, everyone illustrates the qualities of id because at that age, all one knows what to do is act based upon one’s emotions. Overall, Roderick, Madeline and the narrator, in “The Fall of the House of Usher” are just one example of how Sigmund Freud’s personality theory is portrayed in everyday
Because of the parties he attends with his new friends he has tried using some drugs. These new friends help Charlie see things with a positive perspective, and to be confident in himself. When his friends move away, Charlie experience isolation and has a mental crisis that leads him to be internalized in a clinic.