Intra-Psychic Viewpoint Term Paper

Total Length: 992 words ( 3 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 1+

Page 1 of 3

Freud, Jung and Star Wars

The Star Wars movies, especially the first three, are clearly a type of myth written to demonstrate archetypal personalities. The characters are driven by their behavior, so what they do and why they take the actions they take can be used to analyze their characters in terms of Jungian and Freudian theories.

In the Empire Strikes Back, many of the characters are acting out of great personal need or personal striving, and many of them fit fairly well into Jung's theory or archetype personalities.

The "Self" is the highest form a personality can take, well integrated and centered. To become a self-actualized Self is Luke Skywalker's goal and the final achievement of his mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobe. In an interesting twist, Darth Vader also sees himself that way. He believes self-actualization can be either good or evil, and finds evil more powerful and rewarding.

Most viewers will identify with heroes, so most will see Luke Skywalker as the hero, and Darth Vader as the shadow. The hero often has to fight the Shadow in the story. The hero is often very naive, so we see Luke not realizing who his father is, not realizing who his sister is, and overestimating how well his Jedi skills are.

The Shadow, by comparison, is connected more to our animal past, and isn't self-aware. The movie talks about the "dark side" of the Force, and the Shadow could be viewed as the dark side of an individual. By itself the Shadow is neither good nor evil but more practically concerned with survival.


Freud said that the goal of therapy was to make the unconscious conscious (Boeree, 2002).

The movie has two people who might be viewed as the "Old Wise Man." The first one would be Obi-Wan Kenobe, who first guides Luke to recognize his Jedi powers. Later that role is turned over to Yoda, who is both ancient and wise.

Lando might be viewed as the "trickster." He lures Luke and Leia into a trap so they can be captured by the Emperor's forces as an act of self-preservation, but he also acts as a loyal friend at other times.

The mother might be Leia, fiercely defending those she loves, grieving for an entire planet's population, and guiding those around her with a wisdom more mature than theirs.

Luke and Han might be viewed as sons. Luke would be a Type A individual, driven to do the very best he can and never satisfied with what he has accomplished so far, always focusing on the next goal. Han might be more like a Type B personality, although a flawed one. He is more easily satisfied by whatever circumstances he is in and often not driven to super-achievement.

The Persona, or the parts of ourselves we reveal to others, is sometimes misleading. Lando might give a good example of the persona. Before he greets Han when they land on his planet, he has already been in….....

Show More ⇣


     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Intra-Psychic Viewpoint" (2002, November 11) Retrieved July 7, 2025, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/intra-psychic-viewpoint-138451

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Intra-Psychic Viewpoint" 11 November 2002. Web.7 July. 2025. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/intra-psychic-viewpoint-138451>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Intra-Psychic Viewpoint", 11 November 2002, Accessed.7 July. 2025,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/intra-psychic-viewpoint-138451