Post by sjangwal on Sept 19, 2017 23:45:16 GMT
Reflect on films you have seen and your past study of literature. What examples can you recall of stories in which unconscious processes are a prominent feature?
When I was reading the question the first two movies that came to mind were Shallow Hal and Liar Liar.
In short summary, Shallow Hal is a comedy about a man who would only choose to date physically attractive women. He meets a guru who hypnotizes him unknowingly so he is only able to see women's "inner beauty". The movie goes on to him finding a woman who he falls in love with but only the audience can see that she is not someone he would typically date because she is obese. I believe this movie may pertain to this question solely based on the fact that the main character was not in control of his own views and perceptions.
Likewise, the movie Liar Liar is a comedy about a lawyer who has built a career on his terrible habit of lying. More importantly, he continues to lie in his personal life and rarely is able to keep promises with his son. After breaking the promise to show up to his son's birthday party, his son wishes that his father loses his ability to lie for one day. Through a series of embarrassing incidents, the main character finds out that he is unable to lie or even withhold a true answer. He blurts out exactly what he is thinking. This example also illustrates the Freudian definitions pertaining to our unconscious mind and inner conflict within where the main character loses the ability of the ego to control the impulses of the id and superego. The characteristics of the id are seen in some scenes when he is found verbally expressing his sexual desire towards a coworker, and in other scenes the superego is seen when questioning a witness as he objects to himself when he tries to lie to get the desired information.
This is probably just scratching the surface but I'm sure you could talk further about these movies and the different types of behaviours affected positively or negatively in both characters losing their ability to consciously (or unconsciously?) react the way they normally would.
Why do you think the unconscious is so readily taken up by film and literary critics, but treated rather skeptically by academic psychologists?
I think the unconscious is so readily taken up by film because currently there is no concrete definition of what the unconscious mind is entirely capable of, leaving the door open for creative/imaginative minds to come up with stories alluding to the many possibilities still out there. However, academic psychologists treating the unconscious rather skeptically is understandable because research, observable facts, and evidence is what lacks in the topic of the unconscious.
When I was reading the question the first two movies that came to mind were Shallow Hal and Liar Liar.
In short summary, Shallow Hal is a comedy about a man who would only choose to date physically attractive women. He meets a guru who hypnotizes him unknowingly so he is only able to see women's "inner beauty". The movie goes on to him finding a woman who he falls in love with but only the audience can see that she is not someone he would typically date because she is obese. I believe this movie may pertain to this question solely based on the fact that the main character was not in control of his own views and perceptions.
Likewise, the movie Liar Liar is a comedy about a lawyer who has built a career on his terrible habit of lying. More importantly, he continues to lie in his personal life and rarely is able to keep promises with his son. After breaking the promise to show up to his son's birthday party, his son wishes that his father loses his ability to lie for one day. Through a series of embarrassing incidents, the main character finds out that he is unable to lie or even withhold a true answer. He blurts out exactly what he is thinking. This example also illustrates the Freudian definitions pertaining to our unconscious mind and inner conflict within where the main character loses the ability of the ego to control the impulses of the id and superego. The characteristics of the id are seen in some scenes when he is found verbally expressing his sexual desire towards a coworker, and in other scenes the superego is seen when questioning a witness as he objects to himself when he tries to lie to get the desired information.
This is probably just scratching the surface but I'm sure you could talk further about these movies and the different types of behaviours affected positively or negatively in both characters losing their ability to consciously (or unconsciously?) react the way they normally would.
Why do you think the unconscious is so readily taken up by film and literary critics, but treated rather skeptically by academic psychologists?
I think the unconscious is so readily taken up by film because currently there is no concrete definition of what the unconscious mind is entirely capable of, leaving the door open for creative/imaginative minds to come up with stories alluding to the many possibilities still out there. However, academic psychologists treating the unconscious rather skeptically is understandable because research, observable facts, and evidence is what lacks in the topic of the unconscious.