Psychology at the Movies Read online

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title

  Copyright

  Dedication

  List of Illustrations and Figures

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1: Introduction—The Many Sides of Psychology and the Many Faces of the Movies Goals of Psychology at the Movies

  Story, Entertainment and Art in the Movies

  A Liberal Use of Psychology

  A Symbolic Framework for the Psychology of Film

  Organization of Psychology at the Movies

  Further Reading

  Chapter 2: The Search for Meaning—Psychological Interpretations in the Movies Human Behavior in the Movies

  Unconscious Conflict in the Movies

  Archetypes in the Movies

  Ideology in the Movies

  Spectators in the Movies

  Closing Shots: The Boons and Banes of Interpretation

  Further Reading

  Chapter 3: Psychopathology, Psychotherapy and Psycho—Psychologists and Their Patients in the Movies Representations of Psychological Disorders

  Representations of Psychologists and Psychological Treatment

  Closing Shots: The Impact of Representations of Psychology

  Further Reading

  Chapter 4: Crazy Genius—The Psychology of Filmmakers Psychobiography and Filmmakers

  Auteurs: Profiles of Directors

  Star-Gazing: Profiles of Actors

  Psychology for Filmmakers: The Case of Woody Allen

  Closing Shots: Evaluating Psychobiography

  Further Reading

  Chapter 5: Picturing the Audience—Psychological Profiles of Moviegoers Movie Audiences through the Years

  The Movies People Watch

  The Movies People Like

  Closing Shots: The Viewers behind the Numbers

  Further Reading

  Chapter 6: The Cinematic Moment—Emotions and the Comprehension of Movies Cognitive Psychology and the Movies

  The Perception of Movies

  The Narrative Comprehension of Movies

  The Emotional Comprehension of Movies

  Brain Functioning and the Movies

  Closing Shots: An Unlikely Partnership

  Further Reading

  Chapter 7: Reflecting on the Screen—The Reception of Movies Viewer Enjoyment of Movies

  Viewer Interpretations of Movies

  Closing Shots: The Challenges of Audience Response

  Further Reading

  Chapter 8: The Movies Made Me Do It—The Effects of Film Effects on Behavior

  Effects on Thoughts and Emotions

  Propaganda and Effects on Culture

  Closing Shots: The Great Debate over Media Effects

  Further Reading

  Chapter 9: Movies as Equipment for Living—The Functions of Film Professional Functions of Movies

  General Functions of Movies in Everyday Life

  Personal Functions of Movies in Everyday Life

  Closing Shots: Seeing Movies from a Different Angle

  Further Reading

  Chapter 10: Conclusion—Putting the Pieces Together An Appeal for Interdisciplinarity

  Movies as Art

  Appendix A: Mental Health Professionals in Top Box Office Grossing Movies, 1990–1999

  Appendix B: Three Top 50 Lists of Acclaimed Movies

  Appendix C: Emotionally Arousing Movie Scenes

  Appendix D: Therapeutic Movies

  Endnotes

  Bibliography

  Filmography

  Index

  End User License Agreement

  List of Illustrations

  Chapter 1: Introduction—The Many Sides of Psychology and the Many Faces of the Movies Figure 1.1 Symbolic activity in film.

  Figure 1.2 The many faces of Psychology at the Movies.

  Illustration 1.2 Director Martin Scorsese holds a gun on the set of Taxi Driver © Steve Schapiro/Corbis.

  Illustration 1.3 John Hinckley Jr, who attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan in 1981, poses in front of the White House. © Bettmann/Corbis.

  Chapter 3: Psychopathology, Psychotherapy and Psycho—Psychologists and Their Patients in the Movies Illustration 3.2 Robin Williams & Matt Damon as Sean & Will in Good Will Hunting (1997) © Moviestore Collection Ltd/Alamy.

  Chapter 4: Crazy Genius—The Psychology of Filmmakers Illustration 4.2 Mia Farrow & Woody Allen as Judy & Gabe in Husbands and Wives (1992) © AF archive/Alamy.

  Chapter 6: The Cinematic Moment—Emotions and the Comprehension of Movies Figure 6.1 Symbolic activity in film viewing: Comprehension, emotion and perception.

  Chapter 7: Reflecting on the Screen—The Reception of Movies Figure 7.1 Symbolic activity in film viewing: Interpretation and evaluation.

  Chapter 8: The Movies Made Me Do It—The Effects of Film Figure 8.1 Symbolic activity in film viewing: Function and effect.

  Illustration 8.2 A still from a security video shows Dylan Klebold & Eric Harris on the day they killed twelve students and one teacher at Columbine High School, Colorado. April 20, 1999. © Reuters/Corbis.

  Chapter 10: Conclusion—Putting the Pieces Together Figure 10.1 Symbolic activity in film (expanded).

  Illustration 10.2 Alec Guinness & George Lucas on the set of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) © AF Archive/Alamy.

  Illustration 10.3 Skip Young, Star Wars fan, age 10.

  Psychology at the Movies

  Skip Dine Young

  Professor of Psychology, Hanover College, Indiana, USA

  This edition first published 2012

  © 2012 Skip Dine Young

  Wiley-Blackwell is an imprint of John Wiley & Sons, formed by the merger of Wiley's global Scientific, Technical and Medical business with Blackwell Publishing.

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  The right of Skip Dine Young to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher.

  Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.

  Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Young, Skip Dine.

  Psychology at the movies / Skip Dine Young.

  p. c
m.

  Includes bibliographical references and index.

  ISBN 978-0-470-97177-2 (pbk.)

  1. Motion pictures–Psychological aspects. 2. Psychoanalysis and motion pictures.

  3. Motion picture audiences–Psychology. 4. Psychiatry in motion pictures.

  5. Psychoanalysis in motion pictures. 6. Mental health personnel in motion pictures.

  I. Title.

  PN1995.Y63 2012

  791.43′6561–dc23

  2011042656

  A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.

  To My Family

  List of Illustrations and Figures

  Illustrations

  1.1 Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver (1976) © AF archive/Alamy

  1.2 Director Martin Scorsese holds a gun on the set of Taxi Driver © Steve Schapiro/Corbis

  1.3 John Hinckley Jr, who attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan in 1981, poses in front of the White House. © Bettmann/Corbis

  2.1 Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Judy Garland & Bert Lahr in The Wizard of Oz (1939) © Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy

  3.1 Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates in Psycho (1960) © AF archive/Alamy

  3.2 Robin Williams & Matt Damon as Sean & Will in Good Will Hunting (1997) © Moviestore Collection Ltd/Alamy

  4.1 Woody Allen and Mia Farrow in New York City. March 1986. © Trinity Mirror/Mirrorpix/Alamy

  4.2 Mia Farrow & Woody Allen as Judy & Gabe in Husbands and Wives (1992) © AF archive/Alamy

  5.1 Natalie Portman as Nina Sayers in Black Swan (2010) © Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy

  6.1 Jim Carrey & Kate Winslet as Joel Barish & Clementine Kruczynski in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) © AF archive/Alamy

  7.1 Linda Blair & Max von Sydow as Regan & Father Merrin in The Exorcist (1973) © Moviestore Collection Ltd/Alamy

  8.1 Juliette Lewis & Woody Harrelson as Mallory & Mickey in Natural Born Killers (1994) © AF archive/Alamy

  8.2 A still from a security video shows Dylan Klebold & Eric Harris on the day they killed twelve students and one teacher at Columbine High School, Colorado. April 20, 1999. © Reuters/Corbis

  9.1 Al Pacino as Sonny in Dog Day Afternoon (1975) © Photos 12/Alamy

  10.1 Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher & Harrison Ford as Luke, Leia & Han in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) © Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy

  10.2 Alec Guinness & George Lucas on the set of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) © AF Archive/Alamy

  10.3 Skip Young, Star Wars fan, age 10

  Figures

  1.1 Symbolic activity in film

  1.2 The many faces of Psychology at the Movies

  6.1 Symbolic activity in film viewing: Comprehension, emotion and perception

  7.1 Symbolic activity in film viewing: Interpretation and evaluation

  8.1 Symbolic activity in film viewing: Function and effect

  10.1 Symbolic activity in film (expanded)

  Acknowledgments

  I would especially like to thank Lindsay Marsh and Mary Ryan. Without their help I would never have been able to finish this book (at least not in the current decade). As my research assistant, Lindsay’s patience and attention to detail allowed me to focus and work around my own limitations. Mary’s invaluable editing and commentary made the manuscript infinitely more readable and helped me (begin) to unlearn decades of bad writing habits.

  I appreciate the feedback I received on drafts of the manuscript from my colleagues Bill Altermatt, John Krantz, Ellen Altermatt, Mark Fearnow, Bill Bettler, Jared Bates and Ron Smith. Their comments helped me make adjustments and gave me perspective when I needed it. I am lucky to be a part of a vital faculty that is a tribute to the liberal arts.

  Hanover College has been a great support to this project. The grant I received from the Faculty Development Committee and the sabbatical leave from the Board of Trustees provided me with the funding and time I needed. In addition the staff at Duggan Library (especially Patricia Lawrence, Mary Royalty, Ken Gibson and Lela Bradshaw) were extremely accommodating in my attempts to acquire the materials I needed for my own little psychology and film library. I would also like to thank whoever made the decision for the College to mow the lawns on campus housing. That was one distraction I didn’t have to worry about that might otherwise have pushed me over the edge.

  I am grateful to the many students I have worked with, particularly those who have taken “The Psychology of Film” over the past 15 years. I have found that having students is the only way professors can figure out what is really important.

  I thank the faculty at Clark University, particularly my mentors Bernie Kaplan and Lenny Cirillo. Most of the ideas in this book first came to me in graduate school, and I am eternally grateful for the unique intellectual environment at Clark that nurtured so many different thoughts and convinced me that psychoanalytic interpretations of movies and psychological experiments belong in the same universe.

  The publication team at Wiley-Blackwell (Andy Peart, Karen Shield and Tori Halliday) gently guided me through a process that was new to me. I appreciate the opportunity.

  Special thanks to Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, George Lucas, and the many other filmmakers who inspired my passion for film in the first place.

  Finally, I’d like to express my gratitude to my family for accommodating my distraction and diminished energy. I hope to spend more time with them now, playing and maybe watching a few movies (instead of just writing about them).

  Chapter 1

  Introduction—The Many Sides of Psychology and the Many Faces of the Movies

  Like all art, movies are saturated with the human mind—they are created by humans, they depict human action, and they are viewed by a human audience. Movies are a particularly vivid art form, making use of striking moving images and vibrant sounds to connect filmmakers to the audience through celluloid and the senses.

  Illustration 1.2 Director Martin Scorsese holds a gun on the set of Taxi Driver © Steve Schapiro/Corbis.

  Illustration 1.3 John Hinckley Jr, who attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan in 1981, poses in front of the White House. © Bettmann/Corbis.

  Consider the following story1: Martin Scorsese was born in Flushing, New York in 1942 and grew up in the tough Little Italy section of lower Manhattan. Because of an asthmatic condition he could not play like the other children and spent much his time indoors watching movies, where he was partially protected from the mean streets of New York City, yet felt lonely and isolated. He was deeply immersed in Catholicism and briefly attended a seminary before enrolling in NYU's film school.

  By the mid-70s, Scorsese was one of the young, ambitious directors (along with Arthur Penn, Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg and others) who were revolutionizing Hollywood. In 1976, he made Taxi Driver about an emotionally unstable cabbie, Travis Bickle, who is trapped by the haunted streets of New York City. Actor Robert De Niro starred in the film and invested Travis's intrapsychic struggles with a terrifying realism.

  Taxi Driver was a tour-de-force of raw language, disturbing imagery, and innovative cinematic techniques. In one famous sequence, an elaborate, slow-motion overhead tracking shot surveys the carnage that has resulted from Travis's convoluted attempt to rescue a child prostitute (Jodie Foster). That scene in particular was considered so violent that the Motion Picture Association of America insisted that Scorsese alter the hue of the blood in order to avoid an X rating.

  Despite its less than commercial subject matter, Taxi Driver was highly successful and audiences lined up. Reactions among audience members were polarized. Some viewers proclaimed it to be not only technically brilliant but also a cathartic descent into the scarred psyche of an individual character and of America itself. Other viewers found the film to be exploitative and morally misguided. A scene in which Travis,
shirtless but outfitted with multiple guns and holsters, looks into the mirror and asks threateningly, “You talkin' to me?” became a part of the common lexicon.

  In 1981, one viewer, John Hinckley, Jr, watched the movie 15 times in a retro theater. He was inspired to assassinate President Reagan in order to gain the attention of Jodie Foster with whom Hinckley was romantically obsessed. The assassination failed, but Reagan was shot and several people were seriously wounded, including Reagan's Press Secretary, James Brady, who was paralyzed for life. Hinckley was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and found not guilty by reason of insanity. The incident became part of the cultural debate on the insanity defense, gun control, and the role of media in society.

  Over 30 years later, Taxi Driver is still used frequently by pundits and college professors to make points about all manner of things—the cultural zeitgeist of the 1970s; the distortion in media representations; the nature of paranoid thinking; and so on.

  Where is the psychology in this story? Obviously, it is everywhere. Scorsese's personal background in a difficult social environment becomes melded with his individual talents and obsessions. These themes of sin, hardship, aggression and redemption appear in films like Taxi Driver, not only in the stories but in the choice of camera angles and color schemes. Aware that art has a relationship to the world outside of the theater, some viewers laud the film for its insightful portrayal of insanity and cultural rot while others find the film disturbing and worry about the message it sends. One psychotic viewer takes the movie as a usable model for assassinating the president. One can easily imagine an entire book on The Psychology of Taxi Driver.