'Black Swan': Depiction of Mental Illness in the Film

Introduction

Throughout the film, Black Swan, mental ilness along with various concepts of psychology are explored. The psychological concepts displayed in the movie include such mental illnesses as psychosis, dissociative identity disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The movie chronicles the story of Nina, who is a ballerina in New York and works for the city ballet company. Nina is completely obsessed with dance. The director of the dance auditions, Thomas Leroy, gives Nina the role of a prima ballerina for the opening of the new season of Swan Lake. However, Nina competes with another dancer, Lily, who she is afraid might perform better. As a result, she develops anxiety and paranoia. Lily is Nina’s antagonist. The white swan character is a role that represents grace and innocence, and Nina is able to play it effectively. However, Lily best fits the role of the black swan, which represents guile and sensuality (Sari, Resen, & Parthama, 2016). To fit both roles, Nina has to unlock her sexuality and be open-minded. When she is in the process of rehearsing the roles, Leroy makes sexual advances toward Nina, causing her to become more confused and vulnerable. On the one hand, Nina has a great opportunity, and on the other, the director wants to sexually exploit her. The choices cause Nina to lose touch with reality. If she declines Leroy’s offer, she would be disqualified from performing, however, if she agrees to his sexual advances, she would ruin her dignity. As a result, she becomes psychotic. The film, therefore, displays various psychological issues and explores how the main character struggles with her mental health disorder in a high-stress environment.

The primary psychological concept displayed in the movie is a mental illness - dissociative identity disorder, which is evident in the fact that Nina has to play two completely different personalities, that of the black swan and the white swan. In reality, Nina is innocent, focused and hardworking. However, when she changes into the role of the black swan, she becomes conniving and evil. Psychosis is a type of disorder in which, a person loses touch with reality. Due to all the confusion surrounding Nina’s life, she becomes psychotic and cannot decipher what will happen next in the competition. Moreover, Nina has uncontrollable thoughts about dance and artistry. Displaying characteristics of OCD, she constantly thinks about her rehearsal and her opportunities as an artist, and she becomes consumed by this goal.

Black Swan movie: psychological analysis

Three key things that I have learned from this source are patriarchy, mental illness and personal identity. Patriarchy is evident in the movie, whereby women are objectified and sensualized to make more profits. Leroy makes sexual advances towards Nina, not because he loves her, but because he is the dance director and decision-maker. Leroy does not view Nina as a talented performer but as a sex object (Goldenberg, 2013). Moreover, I have learned that mental illnesses are becoming prevalent, largely because society is unfair and inconsiderate to people. If Nina were treated fairly, and with dignity, she would not fall prey to the mental disorders she suffers from. The characters in the film also suffer from identify crises. Nina and Lily, for instance, cannot make informed decisions, but just have to conform to the roles assigned by the director. Together, these aspects educate the audience and create empathy for the characters involved.

Furthermore, Black Swan relates to three important theories in psychology: Rosalind Cartwright’s theory of dreams, double bind theory and behavioral theory. Cartwright’s theory of dreams is exemplified through the constant dreams that Nina has. She always dreams of her dance, her role in Swan Lake and her future. According to Cartwright’s theory, dreams are a reflection of the events that happen in one’s life. True to this fact, Nina’s dreams revolve around dancing, performances and generally, the occurrences in her life (Goldenberg, 2013). The double bind theory depicts the mental conflicts that occur when one is confronted with situations and they cannot make decisions about their circumstances. Nina and Lily, for instance, can only comply with the director’s decision, even if they do not agree with the directives. Behavioral theory best elucidates Nina’s obsession with dance and art at large. Dance is her niche, and wants to achieve the best she can, in regards to her career. Her obsession with dance is not something that she is born with, but rather, it is acquired from the environment. These three theories of psychology can be inferred from scenes throughout the movie. I found the concept of personal identity an important aspect in people’s lives. The course introduces learners to sound judgment and teaches students how to define their identity. In life, one needs to have a firm stand based on convictions, and this is only possible when a person is able to make independent decisions, even if these decisions do not please other people.

Black Swan: psychology in the film

The movie, Black Swan, does a perfect job in portraying psychology as a science. The source displays the relationship between brain function and human behavior. The human brain is programmed, based on the environment an individual is exposed to. Therefore, the mental illnesses that Nina experiences, for instance, are influenced by the conditions in her environment. An example is the depiction of her dreams, which are based on occurrences in her life. To understand all these occurrences, one needs to apply scientific approaches and not just study psychology, as the functioning of the brain. The human brain relies on conditioning, which depends on the environmental condition. As a science, psychology is an interdisciplinary field that combines different concepts. In understanding psychosis, for instance, one will need to explore behaviorism theory, the society at large and other things, such as the individual’s career.

Conclusion

Overall, Black Swan is a classic example of how psychological concepts can be demystified and simplified through fiction. The movie adopts fictional characters and events, and the use of verisimilitude brings forth psychological concepts in the same way they affect people in real life. Most people, once in a while, are quite obsessed with specific things, while others suffer from psychosis as a result of depression and disappointments, just like Nina.

References

1. Goldenberg, J. L. (2013). Black swan/white swan: on female objectification, creatureliness, and death denial. In Death in Classic and Contemporary Film (pp. 105-117). New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
2. Sari, I. A. A., Resen, W., & Parthama, G. N. (2016). Psychological analysis of main character in the Black Swan movie (Doctoral dissertation). Udayana University, Indonesia.