Introduction
Unlike other horror comedies centered around improbable or supernatural happenings, Jordan Peele’s 2017 horror thriller Get Out is completely distinct from other films based on horror. Rather, it is founded on the sometimes exaggerated and extreme concerns of Black people over racism. Because it exposes people’s racist impulses, it is simultaneously terrifying and hilarious. The movie’s central topic is the uncomfortable sense of being too wanted or unwanted in a location and realizing that one does not belong there. With a satirical, ethnic twist, the movie also revolves around the timeless theme of sensing something is wrong behind closed doors. Get Out shows how wider institutional racism and resurgent “negrophilia” interact. White people’s misconception of black culture prevents them from humanizing the black experience despite their “efforts.” As demonstrated in the movie, white people make black people feel self-conscious about their characteristics and judge them according to qualities that are not always “desirable,” which further alienates them. The paper will focus on Chris as a character and analyze the character based on the concept of the theory of personality, Psychoanalysis (Freud), and Cognitive-Behavioral Theory while also providing the reason for selecting the theories and their limitations.
Brief Description of the Case
The protagonist of the film Get Out, Chris Washington, represents a black photographer living in an interracial relationship. Chris feels guilty about his mother’s death because of the lie, or falsehood, he told himself that caused her to die. He consents to go on a weekend visit to the white family estate of his new girlfriend, where he finds things rather strange and creepy. Chris demonstrates care, empathy, skepticism, and adaptation throughout the movie. Chris’s solution is to stop using the excuse that “life isn’t fair” in conversations with other people and instead utilize it to support his arguments. He transforms by acknowledging that mishaps do occur occasionally. This shift is confirmed by getting out of the automobile to look for the fallen Georgina. Regretfully, by taking a wider view, he permits justice and equity to overpower the objective of Storytelling via the line’s conflicting balance. His acts, which range from bocce ball to strangulation, fight fire with fire and validate the stereotype of the contemporary black man held by white America, along with the underlying prejudice. In this case, the pattern of his behavior is observing, analyzing, and understanding the odd behaviors in people.
Selection of Theories and Their Significance
The two selected strategies for analyzing this issue include psychoanalysis and cognitive behavior theory. The two theories present conflicting views that help develop a complete image of Chris’ personality. It is evident from the context of the movie in general that “Get Out” keeps viewers on the precipice of their seats from the first to the last scene, never letting up for comedic moments. The producer is aware that there is always anxiety and uneasiness when a black man visits his white girlfriend’s parents. He’s amplifying that, using a readily recognized racial conflict to create a scary film. The psychoanalytic approach explores the unconscious mind through its involvement in psychological conflicts and demining mechanisms. At the same time, Cognitive behavioral theory is a theory of thought that considers the relationship between thinking, feeling, and behavior. These techniques help examine the mechanisms of workings of Chris’s thought process and the associated behaviors.
Psychoanalytic Theory by Freud
Since psychoanalysis was founded, Freud has focused on the neurophysiological phenomena that underlie the observed psychological processes. He was forced to give up on his aspirations because, first, the scientific instruments of the moment were not developed enough to support his neuroscientific ambitions, and second, he was skeptical of the prevailing phrenologic perceptions and the tendency to assign a particular brain region to every mental process (Cieri & Esposito, 2019). In this regard, psychoanalysis, founded by Sigmund Freud, emphasizes behavior concerning the unconscious mind. This means that personality develops out of unconscious conflicts, the occurrences in childhood, and the need to find shelter from anxiety or stress.
For example, psychoanalysis makes us understand why Chris is initially rather reluctant and suspicious about the “odd” behavior of his girlfriend’s family. From Freud’s perspective, Chris’s unconscious could have caught these unspoken hints and made him suspicious or uneasy (Cieri & Esposito, 2019). Additionally, his former experiences being a black man might have made him extra cautious, aware, and alert while hanging out with mostly whites. Other defenses, including repression and denial, may be involved in suppression or ignoring Chris’s increasing worries about the real motive behind the family. Usually, being cautious minimizes the trauma of the first experience, and the anticipation of trauma reduces the shock that may be experienced. According to Freud, following a traumatic occurrence, there could be two different stages. When trauma breaches the protective layer, there is an initial collapse and potentially catastrophic disruption of functioning. One gets the impression that they are about to die or that they are in danger of destroying themselves. The victim is frequently in shock and confusion, maybe not knowing how to process what has happened. He might be gregarious and animated or quiet and reserved. People in this state are sometimes referred to as “dissociated.”
Under such premises, Chris often said, “Life isn’t fair.” With such a mentality, he was advised to stop using the phrase to try to bring events to normalcy. According to Freud, the more complex and maybe sneakier psychological symptoms might arise. To resume their regular activities, the victim or survivor could look for a logical explanation for what happened. Chris tries to establish blame or cause of his situation on an entity they believe is internal or external. According to Freud, following a disaster, people are all likely to have acute feelings of persecution, which they may associate with long-standing (and often unconscious) misgivings about the reliability of the people they typically rely on to look out for them.
Limitations of Psychoanalysis Theory
However, one weakness of Psychoanalysis is that it is heavily reliant on subjective interpretations and speculations. Because the unconscious mind is not directly observable or measurable, psychologists generally do not have any empirical data on which they can rely regarding Freud’s theory (Cieri & Esposito, 2019). Furthermore, psychoanalysis dwells on experience, including childhood, which may not necessarily consider influences of the present and surrounding environment in forming one’s personality. Nonetheless, research has shown that patients receiving these treatments continue to progress. There are drawbacks to analytical treatment as well. For example, therapists might not always be able to give their clients an atmosphere that fosters growth, which could impair their reflexivity tendencies. Notwithstanding these drawbacks, psychoanalytic psychotherapy has demonstrated noteworthy advantages concerning mental health symptoms, life satisfaction, adaptive abilities, and the decrease of maladaptive social behaviors.
Cognitive-Behavioral Theory
The core tenet of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the belief that individuals’ mental processes are largely responsible for forming and maintaining their emotional and behavioral reactions to external stimuli. According to the cognitive-behavioral theory, human thought influences human conduct and emotion (Rajabi Majd et al., 2020). According to behavioral therapy, these cognitive factors may immediately impact people’s response to situations. According to CBT models, interpretations, judgments, appraisals, and preconceptions related to particular life experiences are cognitive processes that play a major role in determining how someone feels and behaves in reaction to events in life, which can either help or impede the procedure of adaptation.
This implies that our feelings towards the events and situations determine our reactions and feelings in this context. Cognitive-behavioral theory explains why Chris has both an adaptive behavior and an analytical attitude. In other words, he constantly watches people’s actions, trying to explain the more and more incomprehensible things that happen to him. His innate belief that everything should be logical fuels him and drives his course of action or decisions. The Cognitive-Behavioral Theory would also highlight how his racial identities and the life experiences accompanying them have affected him (Rajabi Majd et al., 2020). Notably, some of the negative beliefs/schemas that are associated with race may also affect his interpretation and response towards the event, thus dictating his emotional state and behavior pattern. When dealing with trauma related to his situation, CBT may be applied under controlled cognitive behavior therapy to nurture Chris in adapting to the situation. According to Beck, being reminded of trauma makes an individual adaptive to any future encounter, and being around the trauma story is frequently employed to assist the patient in lessening avoidance and unhealthy linkages with the event.
Limitation of CBT
A drawback of the Cognitive-Behavioral Theory is that it only highlights cognition, thus failing to include unconscious inputs toward behavior. In addition, it may be too simplistic to explain the often complicated interaction of thoughts, feelings, and conduct because human actions are based on many elements. Additionally, Cognitive-Behavioral Theory focuses on present elements and intrapersonal functions while overlooking social and cultural features crucial for personality formation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the two theories describe Chris’s personality as the story’s protagonist in the movie “Get Out.” Combining these two approaches gives us a better picture of Chris’s intricate persona and what made him act and experience certain things. Nevertheless, it is important to accept the deficiencies of two theories – subjective character and exclusion of situation elements – so as not to be too biased. Following his disposition of friendliness, perceptiveness, and quick wit, Chris gets along with everyone around him and is always up for a talk. Irrespective of the individual he is with, he always strikes up a conversation. He has also cultivated deep connections with people with whom he can laugh. He can adjust to the circumstances that his girlfriend’s parent has put him in.
References
Cieri, F., & Esposito, R. (2019). Psychoanalysis and Neuroscience: The Bridge Between Mind and Brain. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01983
Rajabi Majd, N., Broström, A., Ulander, M., Lin, C.-Y., Griffiths, M. D., Imani, V., Ahorsu, D. K., Ohayon, M. M., & Pakpour, A. H. (2020). Efficacy of a Theory-Based Cognitive Behavioral Technique App-Based Intervention for Patients With Insomnia: Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(4), e15841. https://doi.org/10.2196/15841
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