Mental Health in Literature 6

Mental Health Training

The following book reviews contain a mental health study on personality disorder. The first is mummy’s boy Norman; seconds out, round two is a private gentleman's club activity swirling out of control; after all, men will be men.

We begin by exploring Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho”, the psychological thriller, by providing various perspectives and interpretations that can better enhance your exploration of the film’s resilience and understanding of mental illness.

Robert Bloch’s Psycho, published in 1959 by Simon and Schuster, uses a real-life case of Ed Gein, the so-called “butcher of Plainfield”, a gruesome slaying in a small town in Wisconsin, as inspiration to write this novel. Robert was genuinely able to tap into the minds of readers with Psycho.

Paramount Studio refused to finance the making of this film; Hitchcock made the movie with his own money in 1960, even mortgaging his house to do so. Then film critics like Bosley Crowther damned it with faint praise, writing that “Hitchcock is an old hand at frightening people.

Pauline Kael, in 1978, complained about it as a borderline case of immorality because of the director’s cheerful complicity with the killer, having had a sadistic glee during the shower scene.

Even though it was a flop with the critics, Hitchcock made a fortune from it, leaving him joyfully screaming to the bank.

However, he had an excellent rave review from Andrew Sarris, who called Hitchcock “the most daring avant-garde filmmaker in America today.”

Psycho, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, continues to captivate audiences with its masterful storytelling and chilling portrayal of human nature and mental illness.

Psycho lands on the list of the greatest horror films ever made. The film centres around Marion Crane, a young woman who steals $40,000 worth of real-estate deposit money from her employer and drives from Phoenix to Fairvale, California, to start a new life with her lover Sam Loomis, only to find herself at the eerie Bates Motel by mistake.

Hitchcock uses the time for her to marinate in her feelings of guilt and shame and her total inability to mask it around strangers. As the plot unfolds, Marion’s encounter with the timid Norman Bates, the motel’s owner, reveals a disturbing glimpse into his fractured psyche.

One of the most powerful aspects of “Psycho” is its exploration of dissociative identity disorder, commonly known as a multiple personality disorder. Through Norman Bates’ character, Hitchcock delves deep into the complexities of this mental illness, blurring the lines between reality and illusion.

However, Norman Bates can also be seen as exhibiting characteristics of both psychopathy and dissociative identity disorder. Although it is suggested that Norman suffers from dissociative identity disorder, it is the psychopathic tendencies that become evident through his actions, such as his ability to manipulate others and his lack of empathy.

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