Download 1b. Trickster plus Maslow

The Myth of the Hero
Archetype is the term the psychologist Carl Jung uses for a recurring pattern in stories. There are archetypal
characters, like the hero, and archetypal plots like the hero’s journey:
1. the call to adventure
2. setting off on the road to adventure
3. crossing the threshold into a strange place, a dark place
4. tests and trials
5. the ultimate struggle
6. return with a treasure, elixir, or revelation
7. final triumph
In Cool Hand Luke, Luke is “called” to his adventure by the police. He’s crosses the threshold to the prison where he
faces tests and trials. His struggle with prison authorities ends with his death. But Luke returns in the stories told by other
prisoners and that is his final triumph [however, that triumph only occurs in the movie version].
The Trickster and the Hero
In his book The Trickster, anthropologist Paul Radin defines the characteristics of the trickster and says that the
archetypal trickster often evolves into the archetypal hero.
The Trickster
1. tricks others, is often tricked by others
2. lies, cheats, and steals
3. ignores conventions and expectations
4. has little sense of responsibility
5. acts impulsively, is often controlled by passion
6. is motivated by lust
7. is cruel and cynical
8. acts amorally, without any standards
9. creates mischief, stirs up pointless excitement, fights and argues for petty reasons
10. is selfish, often insensitive and lacking empathy
11. engages in meaningless destruction and purposeless activity
The Hero
1. Has some special abilities or talents that mark him as superior to other people.
2. Is willing to help others, even if he must sacrifice or risk his life.
3. Follows a code of conduct, most of which is acceptable to the society at large.
4. Is responsible and, to an extent, unselfish.
5. Rescues those in danger, especially the weak, damsels in distress and children.
6. Acts with a purpose.
7. Willingly faces dangers and difficulties when on a quest.
8. Is courageous in the face of danger.
9. Often quests with companions, but is willing and able to act alone if necessary.
In stories, many different characters are tricksters:
1. a gods; 2. a devil; 3. a clown; 4. a child; 5. a villain; 6. a femme fatale (a fatal woman); 7. A hero; 8. Someone without
power, like a slave or a tramp
Characteristics of romantic love
1. Romantic love is the personal choice of two individuals.
2. The worthiness of a lover depends on intrinsic character, not social class, wealth, or convenience.
3. Love is passionate feeling, emanating from heart and soul, which ennobles men and glorifies women.
4. Love is constant, exclusive, and faithful.
5. In the romantic relationship, both lovers are spiritual and emotional equals.
6. Love gives women power over men.
7. Love is more important than honor.
8. Lovers are destined for each other. There is only one lover for every individual and happiness is impossible with anyone
else.
9. Lovers think and feel alike.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
A. Physiological needs
1. Food; 2. Shelter; 3. warm clothing
B. Safety needs
1. Personal security; 2. financial security; 3. health and well-being; 4. security against accidents and illness
C. Love and belonging
1. Friendship; 2. intimacy; 3. family
According to Maslow, humans need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance among their social groups, regardless
whether these groups are large or small. For example, some large social groups may include clubs, co-workers, religious
groups, professional organizations, sports teams, and gangs. Some examples of small social connections include family
members, intimate partners, mentors, friends, colleagues, and confidants. Humans need to love and be loved – both sexually
and non-sexually – by others. Many people become susceptible to loneliness, social anxiety, and clinical depression in the
absence of this love or belonging element. This need for belonging may overcome the physiological and security needs,
depending on the strength of the peer pressure.
D.Esteem
Most people have a need for stable self-respect and self-esteem. Maslow noted two versions of esteem needs: a "lower" version
and a "higher" version. The "lower" version of esteem is the need for respect from others. This may include a need for status,
recognition, fame, prestige, and attention. The "higher" version manifests itself as the need for self-respect. For example, the
person may have a need for strength, competence, mastery, self-confidence, independence, and freedom. This "higher" version
takes precedence over the "lower" version because it relies on an inner competence established through experience.
Deprivation of these needs may lead to an inferiority complex, weakness, and helplessness.
E. Self-actualization
Self-actualization refers to what a person's full potential is and the realization of that potential. Maslow describes this level as
the desire to accomplish everything that one can, to become the most that one can be.
Introduction to Freud
Sigmund Freud is the father of modern psychology. Freud hypothesizes that the mind is composed of three aspects,
superego, id, and ego.
1. The superego is a mental function which pressures a person to follow the standards of the society, the laws of the
state, or the traditions of a culture. It is the superego that tells a person to adhere to the laws and rules of authority-figures
such as parents, police officers, government officials, and church officials. A psyche dominated by the superego always does
what it thinks it is supposed to do and does not question authority. An assertive person with a personality dominated by the
superego will follow the rules and demand that others follow those rules. An introverted person with a personality dominated
by the superego will follow the rules but not insist that others follow the rules.
2. The id is the primitive, unconscious basis of the psyche dominated by primary urges. The psyche of a newborn child
is primarily id. The id desires physical pleasures like food, sex, and leisure. It desires fame, power, wealth, prestige, and has no
scruples about attaining whatever it desires to feel good. However, the id is not evil, just as sexual desire or ambition are not
evil. Evil occurs when sexual desire or ambition are not restrained and injure others; we use different words to indicate lack of
restraint and resulting evil: rape and embezzlement, for example. The id needs to have its desires moderated and balanced. All
beings desire food because they need it to live. All animals, including humans, desire sex because that is nature’s way to
propagate the species. The id’s greed, if moderated, can motivate a person to achieve success. Lust, if moderated, can lead to
love and family life.
3. The ego is the mental function which tries to balance the rules of the superego with the desires of the id. The ego can choose
to give up immediate pleasure in order to reach a state of greater gratification. For example, a student can choose to work
hard to get a more satisfying job and more pay. Likewise, a person can choose to give up promiscuous sexual gratification and
be sexually faithful to a spouse in order to have the pleasures of a long-term relationship and a stable family. The ego can
adapt to changing situations. It can judge and evaluate customs, laws, and traditions and choose to follow them or not. The ego
can choose to seek some pleasures but not others; it can defer temporary gratification to gain long-term gratification.