Psychology – Fight Club uniquely projects common Freudian

Film Analysis I: Fight Club

             Although many films address the topic of Freudian psychoanalysis, Fight Club uniquely projects common Freudian themes as “symbols” in its characters and even in the titular organization.  The film is meant to show how two opposing individuals (portrayed by Edward Norton and Brad Pitt) interact antagonistically in their personas, their attitudes, and their behaviors.  These two characters do, however, have a common ground to resolve their differences: fight club. The organization of fight club represents a “battle zone” for two competing wills (Norton as the Narrator and Pitt as Tyler Durden). Moreover, the fight club serves as its own character that results when too much tension arises between the Narrator and Durden.  The film’s director, David Fincher, then foreshadows the idea that the two characters are elements of the same person, whose constant conflict represents common Freudian principles like tension from equilibrium, psychic motivation (id, ego, and superego), conscious defenses mechanisms. Your assignment (if you choose to do so) is to write a persuasive essay that supports this assertion by providing evidence from the film and evidence from the scientific community (i.e., a minimum of two journal articles to support the content of psychoanalysis). You should answer all of the following throughout the paper:

a.) An introduction that gives an overview of your assertion (i.e., that the film represents Freudian concepts).

b.) A rationale that explains how tension and strives toward equilibrium are evident.

c.) A clear characterization of how psychic forces (i.e., id, ego, superego) are represented in the story