The Paper Is Designed To Facilitate Assessment And Synthesis

The Paperis Designed To Facilitate Assessment And Synthesis Of Theori

The paper is designed to facilitate assessment and synthesis of theories and constructs, the purpose of these analyses is to demonstrate your ability to apply knowledge gained during the course to real world individual cases. Minimum length is 3 pages. choose a person (fictional or nonfictional) from a book, movie, headlines, television, etc. Choose someone your instructor is likely to know. Describe this person from the viewpoint of two of the theories we've covered. Analyze the person's behavior, feelings, personality from the viewpoint of the theorist. Be consistent and thorough. Consider why this person acts as he or she does, conceptualize problems in terms of the theory, describe what kind of childhood such a person must have had. Let your imagination go as you hypothesize about what your theorist might say about this person.

Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

The process of understanding human behavior and personality is complex and multifaceted, often requiring psychological theories to interpret motivations, feelings, and behaviors. For this paper, I will analyze a well-known fictional character, Walter White from the television series "Breaking Bad," through the lenses of two psychological theories: Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory and Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory. This comparative analysis aims to demonstrate how these theories can provide different insights into the same individual's behavioral patterns and personality development.

Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory and Walter White

Freud’s psychoanalytic theory emphasizes the influence of unconscious motives, childhood experiences, and the dynamic interplay among the id, ego, and superego. Applying Freud’s theory to Walter White reveals a person motivated by deep-seated conflicts and unresolved childhood issues. Walter’s initial motivations stem from a desire to secure his family’s financial future after his impending death from cancer, which reflects a strong concern for his ego’s need for security and societal approval.

Freud might suggest that Walter’s transformation into a criminal drug manufacturer is driven by unconscious conflicts and repressed impulses. His suppressed anger and frustration over his mundane life and perceived inadequacies as a scientist could have originated from early childhood experiences where achievement and recognition were scarce. Walter’s authoritarian relationship with his family and his desire for control are expressions of his unresolved Oedipal complex, representing his need for power and recognition suppressed during childhood (Freud, 1923).

Walter’s behavior also indicates the presence of the ego deflecting guilt through rationalizations. His insistence that he is doing it for his family could be a defense mechanism to justify his increasingly immoral actions, concealing feelings of guilt and shame. His childhood, characterized by neglect or lack of approval, may have fostered a fragile ego, necessitating the development of a compensatory grandiosity and dominance in adulthood (Freud, 1923).

Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory and Walter White

Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes observational learning, self-efficacy, and the interaction between personal, behavioral, and environmental factors. From this perspective, Walter’s behavior results from learned patterns and perceptions of self-efficacy. His transformation into a drug kingpin can be seen as a product of modeling behaviors (such as his own mentor, Gustavo Fring) and the belief in his ability to control his environment.

Walter’s high self-efficacy is evident in his mastery of chemistry and his confidence in manufacturing high-quality methamphetamine. His prior academic success and scientific expertise reinforce his belief that he can succeed in this dangerous enterprise. Moreover, his sense of justice and desire for respect contribute to his motivation, aligning with Bandura’s emphasis on the importance of personal goals and outcome expectations in behavior (Bandura, 1977).

Environmental factors, including his diagnosis of terminal cancer and frustration with his low socio-economic status, interact with his personal beliefs, prompting a shift from passive acceptance of his circumstances to active engagement in criminal activity. His childhood, possibly marked by instability or lack of acknowledgment, could have contributed to low self-esteem, prompting him to seek validation and respect through power and control (Bandura, 1986). Walter’s observational learning from figures like his mentor also shapes his acceptance of criminal behavior as an effective method to achieve his goals.

Analysis of Behavior, Feelings, and Personality

From Freud’s perspective, Walter exhibits a personality driven by unconscious conflicts, with his repressed anger and fears manifesting in aggressive and compulsive behaviors. His feelings of inadequacy are masked by a façade of confidence, and his actions serve as compulsive attempts to restore a sense of control and worth. His personality shows signs of a fragile ego struggling to reconcile internal conflicts, leading to a narcissistic need for dominance.

Using Bandura’s framework, Walter's behavior is primarily learned and reinforced through environmental cues and his own perceptions of mastery. His confidence in chemistry, coupled with environmental triggers like his cancer diagnosis, prompts a behavioral shift towards criminality. His feelings of frustration and helplessness are alleviated when he gains a sense of accomplishment and power, reinforcing his new identity as a drug lord.

Overall, Walter’s actions are a culmination of unresolved childhood issues and learned behaviors, illustrating the importance of both internal drives and environmental influences in shaping personality. His personality oscillates between vulnerability and grandiosity, with his behavior influenced by unconscious desires and conscious beliefs about self-efficacy.

Childhood and Theoretical Implications

Freud might hypothesize that Walter’s childhood was marked by neglect or feelings of inadequacy, cultivating a fragile ego that seeks compensatory dominance in adulthood. A lacking nurturing environment might contribute to his overcompensation and moral flexibility.

From a Bandura view, Walter’s childhood may have involved environments that limited opportunities for mastery and recognition, fostering low self-esteem and a need for external validation through risky pursuits. His observational learning from role models, such as his mentor or criminal figures, shaped his perceptions of what success entails, leading him to imitate and adopt these behaviors in adulthood.

Conclusion

The application of Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory and Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory offers distinct yet complementary insights into Walter White’s complex personality. Freud’s perspective emphasizes unconscious conflicts, childhood influences, and internal drives, while Bandura highlights learned behaviors, self-efficacy, and environmental contexts. Together, these theories illustrate that Walter’s transformation is a result of deep-seated conflicts intertwined with learned behaviors reinforced by environmental factors. Understanding such psychological dynamics can enrich our comprehension of human behavior, especially in complex cases involving moral descent and personality change.

References

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