It's the Little Things in Life...

Normally textbook chapters begin with a brief story to introduce the chapter. Usually they're unbearably dull or unbelievably cheesey. One history textbook I had never failed to impress with anecdotes that bore such titles as "The Cup of Death" and "A Dangerous Baby." When I opened my Psychology textbook to Chapter 15 on Personality, I expected nothing more than the normal drivel along the lines of "You may ask yourself 'Who am I?' Have you ever tried to describe someone by their traits?" I began the first line, and realized the entire intro was about Sam Gamgee's personality in Lord of the Rings. It even went as far as to include a quote from the books. Instantly I grinned and laughed aloud. Nothing is more joy-inducing than a textbook referencing Lord of the Rings. It's not just that I absolutely love the books/movies, it's that the writers chose in their great wisdom to reference the pinnacle of nerd culture. It really is the little things in life that make everything worthwhile.

One intro to rule them all...

This assignment is also in the first class I ever passed a note in. We were discussing the Id, Ego, and Superego. Naturally I thought the Joker was the perfect example of the Id. Then I tried to reason out who were the Ego and Superego. I couldn't pick between Batman and Ra's al Ghul. So I wrote my thoughts on some paper and slid it to my twin. I have never been so troublesome as to pass notes, but I just really needed to know someone else's take on my Freudian interpretation of The Dark Knight. In my opinion it was completely justifiable, as I still paid attention and I wanted to apply Freud's theories to a really fantastic example of human morality and behavior. In the end, I decided the Joker was the Id, Gordan was the Ego, and both Batman and Ra's al Ghul were the Superego. Still not sure about Gordon as the Ego, but he's the best option.

Textbook Id

Psych again was on my mind when I went to see Sweeney Todd. After relaxing in my chair at intermission and chatting with friends, I sat up straight with the force of my epiphany. I realized that Sweeney Todd's murderous rein of terror was Sublimation, a Defense Mechanism used to shield the Id from harm. Sweeney channels his rage of Lucy's murder and Johanna's kidnapping into killing his barbershop clientele.

Freudian Barber

Psychology makes life much more interesting. Not that psychopaths make life more interesting (they do in a bad way), but the lens of Psychology makes everything so much more interesting.