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Walbert, Chris Psychology (8am) 10-25-13 Psychology and Super Villains Psychologists Sigmund Freud, and Abraham Maslow

were pioneers in their science and fathered the theories still used today in modern psychology. Little did they know that generations after their time their theories would be far more encompassing than they had imagined when it came to assessing human behavior. The Batman villains, other than adding an intriguing antithesis to Batmans moral code, serve as an interesting opportunity to apply the theories of Freuds psychosexual stages and Maslows Hierarchy of Needs as to evaluate their certainly unique psychological traits especially when it comes to my favorite villain, the Joker. The Joker is famous for not having a solid backstory. This makes psychoanalysis challenging when it comes to assessing childhood, but the most popular theory is the one featured in The Killing Joke, in which he has a family, job, aspirations, but loses everything in a whirlwind of terrible misfortune that turns him into the super villain we know today. Knowing this, when using Freuds psychosexual stages to examine The Joker I believe Freud would say that Joker suffered through the entire process. Joker appears to be what Freud would call orally aggressive meaning he is independent and is a manipulator. This shows that when Joker was a child we would have been weaned from breast milk early, suggesting perhaps that his mother cared little for him and broke contact sooner that was in the norm. The lack of strong parental figures is also apparent when examining the anal phase, which determines whether a subject is Expulsive or Retentive. Jokers entire persona revolves around chaos, which is definitely a sign of an expulsive personality,

which is where he operates, in the realm of creating and controlling chaos. Since the Joker has no apparent sexual drive when he commits his crimes, his phallic stage might have been virtually none existent, lending evidence to the suggestion that his parents were not around when he was a kid, abandoning him between the ages of three and six, sending him to live with a relative who didnt necessarily care for him either. There is apparent social trauma during his latency stage, seeing as that none of his crimes are rooted in sex, but rather the general exploitation of the public. This would be characterized signs of early anti-social feelings, lack of empathy, and a basic disregard for the feelings of others. The Jokers lack of feeling for other people as a result of the outcomes of his previous psychosexual stages, coupled with the events that took place in The Killing Joke would inevitably result in a highly deficient genital stage. The Joker seems to have no particular sexual drive when it comes to living his life, he never goes out of his way to find a partner or to even mildly flirt. He is in love with his own insanity, which was what he filled the hole in his persona with after he lost everything, thus turning him into a very dangerous kind of psychopath. Where Abraham Maslow and his Hierarchy of Needs are concerned, the Joker is not unlike most other psychopaths. His physiological needs are met; he is eating, drinking, and generally has a place to stay. His safety needs are met, he is alive, not unhealthy, and his operation outside of normal society eliminates the need for social stability. The man who the Joker was before The Killing Joke took place, would have met all these needs, as well as belongingness and love needs in regards to is family. The man (whose name we never know) would have stopped fulfilling the hierarchy at the self-esteem stage, where his employment and general social status leave him bitter and timid. This is an unstable stage much like any of the others, but when he loses everything that snap in his mind removed the presence of the hierarchy and suddenly a man who has no psychological need for anything above literally staying alive for one more day is created.

The Joker, one of the most famous Batman villains is a step above the rest when it comes to a psychopathic mind. The use of Freuds psychosexual stages and Maslows Hierarchy of Needs provide a surprising insight into the backstory of this criminal. The results of the analysis show that however insane and crazy Joker may seem to be, at his heart and core, he was still a human susceptible to chance, bad judgment and misfortune just like everyone one of us.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Freud's Psychosexual Development in Psychology 101 at AllPsych Online. (n.d.). Freud's Psychosexual Development in Psychology 101 at AllPsych Online. Retrieved October 27, 2013, from http://allpsych.com/psychology101/sexual_development.html Joker. (n.d.). (Character). Retrieved October 27, 2013, from http://www.comicvine.com/joker/4005-1702/ Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. (n.d.). - Simply Psychology. Retrieved October 27, 2013, from http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow

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