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Psychoanalyzing George Videos on YouTube
Costanza
Interactive Essay Assignment 5
Objectives
Seinfeld
Instructions
- Read the excerpt on psychoanalytic criticism from Lois Tyson’s Critical Theory Today.
- Watch the video “A Psychoanalysis of Bruce Wayne” from Emory University
- Read the instructions for the “Psychoanalyzing George Costanza” interactive essay assignment
- Watch the video montage, “Psychoanalyzing George Costanza”
Perhaps you hear the term psychoanalysis and assume it is something with which you have no
experience. Odds are, however, you do it every day. Have you ever observed someone else’s bad
behavior and wondered what motivations are at play beneath the surface? Have you ever
suspected that an arrogant co-worker’s attempts at belittling you are a covert way of making
himself look better in front of others? Do you ever wonder what’s going on with that family
member who continually chooses to hang around destructive people, despite the obvious costs?
Have you ever said of a sibling, “She’s the peacemaker, and I’m the rebel,” or something like
that? Do you like to analyze people and try to get at the bottom of what makes them tick? If you
have done any of these things, you’ve already tried your hand at psychoanalyzing. It seems to
come very naturally to us humans.
Psychoanalysis, as most people know it, originated with the 20th century Austrian neurologist
Sigmund Freud. His ideas didn’t remain in his time and place, though; they have permeated
Western thought, even though many of his scientific theories are now discredited as fanciful and
speculative. It’s difficult to read a modern novel, or watch a contemporary film or television
show, and not see some vague or explicit allusion to psychoanalysis. It has seeped into the way
we think about other people, especially the way we think about their misdeeds.
After completing the reading assignment from Lois Tyson’s Critical Theory Today, watch the
video montage “Psychoanalyzing George Costanza.” This video contains several short excerpts
from the popular American television sitcom Seinfeld. If you are unfamiliar with Seinfeld, you can
read a Wikipedia article about it here to acquaint yourself with its setting and characters.
View the clips with the principles of psychoanalysis in mind. Then, write an interactive essay in
which you psychoanalyze George Costanza, doing your best to use some of the terminology
associated with psychoanalysis as it is presented in Lois Tyson’s Critical Theory Today. Here are
some questions to get you thinking about how to psychoanalyze George:
What defense mechanism(s) do you see George enacting?
What types of situations cause George to become anxious or excited?
What fears, or core issues, does George seem to struggle with?
What secret motivations does George seem to harbor?
How has George’s family influenced the way he perceives the world?
How do George’s core issues affect his relationships with others