Divided Against The Self :The ego-dystonic individual as illustrated in
Stephen Frear’s “Prick up Your Ears”
An essay
On
Erotic Identity, Homosexuality and the Cinema
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document in english
social sciences
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published 20/04/2007
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SummaryStephen Frear's Prick Up Your Ears (1987) is based upon the life of England's notorious playwright Joe Orton. The film focuses primarily on Joe's 16 year unconventional relationship with Kenneth Halliwell. This relationship shall be used in the analysis that follows as an illustrative example of problematic homosexuality. Firstly, the effects of social stigma on personality will be examined to show how social stigma can become an integrative part of the super-ego of the stigmatized individual and thereby generate guilt feelings. Secondly, the hypothesis that stigmatized homosexuals may suffer a type of ego splintering shall be examined and elucidated by studying the film's main character, Joe Orton. In fact, as we shall see, it can very well be the case once split, aspects of Ego may work against one another, they may become ego-dystonic.
From a psychological standpoint, the film is telling in that it illustrates the problematic nature of the love relationship between two stigmatized homosexual men. In this sense, the following analysis must be two-fold: it must take into consideration not only psychology, but also sociology. It goes without saying that personality dynamics depend largely upon external environmental factors. To gain a truly holistic psychological understanding, one must not forget the cultural and social factors in which a person was raised. In the case of Joe Orton, the sociological emphasis shall be placed on the prevalent homophobia in England of the 1940's, 50's and 60's. In fact, it is clear that homosexuals of that époque were part of a stigmatized minority group. Essential for this propos are the psychological repercussions of being a member of a stigmatized minority. How does being part of a stigmatized minority group affect the psyche of the stigmatized, how does it affect their perception of themselves and the world around them? The answers to this question are infinite. We therefore here focus on the erotic repercussions experienced in the stigmatized homosexual.
From a psychological standpoint, the film is telling in that it illustrates the problematic nature of the love relationship between two stigmatized homosexual men. In this sense, the following analysis must be two-fold: it must take into consideration not only psychology, but also sociology. It goes without saying that personality dynamics depend largely upon external environmental factors. To gain a truly holistic psychological understanding, one must not forget the cultural and social factors in which a person was raised. In the case of Joe Orton, the sociological emphasis shall be placed on the prevalent homophobia in England of the 1940's, 50's and 60's. In fact, it is clear that homosexuals of that époque were part of a stigmatized minority group. Essential for this propos are the psychological repercussions of being a member of a stigmatized minority. How does being part of a stigmatized minority group affect the psyche of the stigmatized, how does it affect their perception of themselves and the world around them? The answers to this question are infinite. We therefore here focus on the erotic repercussions experienced in the stigmatized homosexual.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- The Film as it Portrays Orton's Homosexuality
- Punishing, Stigmatizing Super-Ego
- Ego-Fragmentation or Division Against the Self
- Conclusion
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