Viola Hastings: A Psychoanalytic Analysis

Viola Hastings is not your average conflicted teenager; she comes from an affluent family and has had a rather privileged upbringing, however, her conflict is very unconventional. Her preliminary issue seems to rise when the school she attends, Cornwall, cuts her soccer team, and she is forced to devise a plan to get back on the field. Her brother, Sebastian runs off to London and asks Viola to cover for him while he is away, which allows Viola the platform for her master plan. This is an example of biosocial development because adolescents make the transition to becoming emerging adults by taking risks. (Berger, 2014) According to the text, “A theory of human development that holds that irrational, unconscious drives and motives, often originating in childhood, underlie human behavior.” (Berger, 2014) Viola is a proclaimed tomboy, is very outgoing and exudes an immense amount of courage and conviction. She is not afraid of fighting for what she believes in and what she feels she deserves. (Gilbert, 2014) Her lack of femininity does not deter her dedication to girl-power and hatred toward sexism, because her premise surrounds the idea that girls can in fact beat boys. Regarding theories of human development

and behavior conditioning, “ responses allow linking of particular stimuli and eventually learning takes place”. (Berger, 2014) This is relent to Violas behavior because this particular stimuli, although irrational, will teach her a lesson in the long run. (Berger, 2014)
Viola is at times inclined to make irrational decisions, she is vulnerable to her emotions and can let them affect her better judgement. Her mother plays a significant part in the way Viola reacts to girly things and certain situations. This is consistent with the idea of identity versus role confusion, especially because Viola falls into the age demographic. (Berger, 2014) Because her mother feels Viola lacks the grace of a woman, her overcompensation pushes Viola to masculinity. Viola overtly rebels against her mothers wishes for her to act like a lady, especially when her monster intrudes on her plans and attire for the debutant ball. Viola, however, maintains a strong sense of self, as she is capable of remaining true to who she is and not who her mother wants her to be. (Gilbert, 2014) However, Viola continues to display characteristics and behavior that prove she is emotionally unstable, which is one of her incapacitating weaknesses. The coping skills she exhibits are unreasonable to say the least, however, she uses them to motivate her to achieve her objective of making the men’s soccer team.
The problem Viola faces is presented as a dilemma of sexism and self actualization. She is extremely passionate about this issue because it directly affects her and she conceives a plan that may solve her dilemma. The theory of attachment bonds allows Viola the ability to bounce back from misfortune and create a plan that seems practical to her; she employs the help of her friends to aid her in concealing her femininity. (Gilbert, 2014) Viola is seeking fulfillment of what she believes in. Self actualizing tendencies allow individuals who are constantly seeking self fulfillment to transform into what they perceive themselves to be. (Gilbert, 2014) Viola also radiates qualities consistent to being an extrovert, according to Hans Eysenck extroversion dimension, because she is very “gregarious, assertive, talkative, social, outgoing, expressive and distractible” (Berger, 2014)
According to the Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner) , Viola’s primary micro system places her in an education environment at school, and occasionally at home with her overbearing mother. (Gilbert, 2014) However, her micro system is peculiar because she is impersonating her brother in most situations, which makes it impossible for her to build honest relationships. (Berger, 2014) Viola uses the social learning theory called “mirroring”, to effectively duplicate her brothers actions and mannerisms. (Berger, 2014)This affects her social interactions because although she is still Viola, the social agents that surround her are not aware of her true identity. (Bronfenbrenner) Viola’s macrosystem appears to be higher class and of a rather affluent socioeconomic status. It is apparent in the way she dresses and the schools she attends that her family is of the second estate. The mesosystem directly correlates to the relationships Viola creates because they affect her as she is impersonating her brother. (Bronfenbrenner) She falls in love with Duke and it is difficult to conceal her feelings and she finds herself in uncomfortable situations. Viola experiences an emotional conflict when Duke professes his affection for Olivia, and she can only speak in the third person and omnisciently coax Duke into pursuing the real Viola.
Viola is at the cusp of Erikson’s fifth and sixth stages.

In stage 5 adolescents are in pursuit of their personal identity, and this is very relevant to the situation Viola is going through.(Schwartz) Although she may not have been aware of it, all of her decisions and the relationships she makes will affect the foundation of her adulthood. As she transitions to the sixth stage, Viola is faced with the conflict of intimacy when she realizes she has feeling for her roommate Duke. This is difficult for her because she is forced to maintain her exterior and remain focused to make the soccer team. (Gilbert, 2014) The most important event of this stage is finding the ability to create and maintain deeper relationships on a personal level.

(Schwartz)
Attending school is possibly the catalyst in Viola’s psychosocial development because college attendance and subsequent success can improve personality as well as overall happiness. (Gilbert, 2014) Although her mother is portrayed as a nuisance, Voila is both financially and emotionally supported by her, which creates an intergenerational bond and allows for a smooth transition from adolescence to adulthood. (Gilbert, 2014) Also a determinant of healthy cognitive development and post formal thought, Viola exhibits the ability to counter social norms and gender roles by challenging the sexism thrust upon her. (Russell) According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Viola achieves the quintessential property of self actualization and transcendence at the end of the film. (Huitt, 2007) Like most coming of age stories, our heroin eventually gains the wisdom she was seeking when the story began.