References to Psychology in Neon Genesis Evangelion
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To be paired with Religious References in Neon Genesis Evangelion (and perhaps with Sexual Imagery in Neon Genesis Evangelion?). Guidelines for expansion: The top part is only for concrete and confirmed references. The bottom part, which bears the T&A label, allows some theorization, thematic analysis etc. But please be concise and try to avoid that type of kitchen sink philosophy found on trillion dubious fan-sites.
Contents
Destrudo
Destrudo describes a psychic energy that arises from the Death Drive (Thanatos). It is basically the mechanism that is involved in the destruction of a living being, essentially returning that living being back to "nothing" in extreme cases. It is implied that the effects of destrudo manifest in a living being's A.T. Field. The term is loosely taken from Freudian Psychology and is an opposing energy to Libido as seen in the Psychographs of Episode 20.
Depression
A BGM title that's a reference to the mental disorder. To read more in detail about the disorder, the wikipedia article on it is quite broad in scope.
Hedgehog's Dilemma
This is a concept created by the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. [Source needed] The analogy describes a situation of hedgehogs having to hurt one another with their quills if they wish to be close to each other for warmth during cold weather. It is a statement on how human beings cannot become intimate with others without sustaining the unavoidable mutual harm that comes with it. The dilemma is then simply trading pain for a deeper connection and interaction with others. As such, it is an explanation to why people sometimes avoid contact, even to the point of complete isolation. Although the analogy is flawed in that hedgehogs don't actually hurt each other in close proximity, the idea behind this attribute of human interaction has been adopted by others, notably Freud.
Libido
Libido describes a psychic energy that arises from the Life Drive (Eros). It is basically the mechanism that is involved in the creation of a living being, essentially forming a living being out of "nothing" in extreme cases. It is implied that the effects of libido manifest in a living being's A.T. Field. The term is loosely taken from Freudian Psychology and is an opposing energy to Destrudo also as seen in the Psychographs of Episode 20.
Oral Stage
The English title for Episode 20, Weaving a Story part two: Oral Stage. In psychoanalysis, the oral stage is the first stage of Freud's psychosexual stages about child development. An infant derives pleasure from having things in their mouth at this stage.
Pleasure Principle
A BGM title. It is a principle that simply states that people seek pleasure and avoid pain. According to Freud, the part of the psyche that acts according to this principle is the id. You can find the Wikipedia entry here
Thanatos
This is the Death Drive, somewhat like an "instinct/wish" to die. Freud says this on the Death Drive: "an urge inherent in all organic life to restore an earlier state of things". This may be related to tanging. It is also another BGM title.
The Sickness Unto Death
The first title of Episode 16, Sickness unto death, and..., is a reference to a book by the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. <- Wikipedia link, we could use something better.
Separation Anxiety
A BGM title that's a reference to the psychological condition where people feel extremely anxious with being away from home or people they're emotionally attached to. Separation Anxiety can become a disorder depending on the severity of it.
Ambivalence
English language title for Episode 18. A psychoanalysis term coined by Swiss psychoanalyst Paul Eugen Bleuler in 1911. It is a state of having simultaneous, conflicting feelings toward a person or thing. More specifically for psychoanalysis it refers to an underlying emotional attitude in which the co-existing contradictory impulses derive from a common source and are thus held to be interdependent. It would not usually be expected that the person embodying ambivalence would actually feel both of the two contradictory emotions as such. One emotion is usually very open and expressed while the contradictory emotion is repressed and can only come to light through analysis. In the episode this term is referring to Shinji's thought about fighting Evangelion Unit-03.
Introjection
English language title for Episode 19. It is the incorporation of characteristics of a person or object into one's own psyche unconsciously. According to Freud, the ego and the superego are constructed by introjecting external behavior into the subject's own persona. This can be a defense mechanism where one takes on attributes of a strong other person who is able to cope with the current threat. In the episode Evangelion Unit-01/Yui "incorporates" Shinji, similar to introjection except in a physical sense.
Theory & Analysis
Freudian Applications
1. Shinji/Asuka/Rei as Ego/Id/Super-Ego
A theory that has been tossed around quite a bit, and holds some superficial merit, this theory postulates that the three main pilots of Evangelion represent the different regions of the Freudian mind.
Asuka=Id
In this theory, Asuka would represent the Id, the aspect of the Freudian mind that is the storehouse of unconscious desires such as hunger and lust. Her actions in parts of the series often represent this aspect of the mind, most often in a sexual sense, but it Asuka is far too deep a character to just simply dismiss her as "lustful". But in this respect, her influences are what bring Shinji (ego) to a point in which he must determine the course of his sexual development, so in a sense, this aspect checks out.
Rei=Super-Ego
In the theory, Rei would represent the Super-Ego, the part of the mind in which societal post-Oedipal expectations input on the functions of the Ego. Rei's apparent coldness and devotion to Shinji father (Oedipal much?) also seem to evidence this theory, and her cold relationship with Asuka (Id and Super-ego being diametrically opposed) also further this theory.
Shinji=Ego
Finally, in this context, Shinji would represent the Ego, the mediator between the Id and Super-Ego, which process the demands of both and makes informed decisions. This is where comparison begins to get a bit shaky. Though Shinji processes the influences of both Asuka and Rei, he is often too weak to make any informed decision at all. This may be evidence of a weakened ego, but for now, it will be left at that.
Jungian Applications
See this thread for a more complete (though questionably endorsed) analysis of Carl Jung's theories that may have influenced Evangelion.
Major Propositions:
1. The Evangelions represent the unconscious, LCL represents the Libido, the soul inside EVA-01 represents part of Shinji's anima, the soul inside EVA-02 represents Asuka's anima, Rei is part of Shinji's anima, Eva-00 has no resident soul and AT Field represents barrier between consciousness and unconscious.
2. Evangelion is the myth of Anno in anime form.
