According to Freud...
Perhaps the most widely known psychologist in history--and the most-mentioned one in "House"--Sigmund Freud seems like a good place to start.
Like House, Freud (1856--1939) was an off-beat character whose opinions greatly ruffled the general public around him. His meticulous psychological study of disturbed individuals led him to develop countless thereoms concerning human behavior, such as the unconscious and his famous id, ego, and superego. Nothing was off limits--including sex, an incredibly controversial topic that was simply not discussed during his time.
While Freud's theories are incredibly too vast to cover, let's take a look at how some of his points come into play on "House":
In "Love Hurts," House and Cameron endure an awkward dinner date. Cutting straight to the point, Cameron brings up Freud, who hypothesized that a person who can't control something will act negatively toward that object, "like an eighth grade boy punching a girl." This, formally known as the "Reaction Formation," is one of Freud's eight Defense Mechanisms. The other seven are also apparent in House's behavior to various people throughout episodes:
1.) Rationalization: Making up acceptable excuses
Two words: Clinic. Duty. Cuddy could make a list of House's evasive techniques with this one.
2.) Repression: Pushing disturbing thoughts/memories out of one's mind without realizing it
3.) Denial: Refusal to accept a reality that makes one feel anxious
This was also the focus of one episode, the five stages of acceptance.
4.) Projection: Throwing inner feelings outside of oneself and assigning them to others.
House does this a lot with Wilson, finding it easier to poke and prod at his friend's weaknesses (particularly in the love department) rather than fess up to his own.
5.) Reaction Formation
6.) Regression: Returning to earier and less mature behavior.
Just a thought... But yo-yos? GameBoys? Tossing around that ball in the office? There's something comforting in the simple joys, especially when they can district you.
7.) Displacement: When one can't take anger out on the source of frustrations, one takes it out on a less powerful person.
House had a opportunity to do this with Vogler, though instead of avoiding confrontation he just messed up the speech. (Bravo, for facing the antagonist, House! Freud would be proud.) He does, however, act more than particularly angsty to everyone as the Stacey issue begins to escalate early in Season Two:
House: Listen, none of this has anything to do with Stacy.
Wilson: Right, giant coincidence that you've gone completely off the rails since she left; inducing migraines, increased leg pain-
House: [whacks Wilson's shin with his cane]
Wilson: Ow!
House: Aw, you miss Stacy too?
Great scene, and great example of Defense Mechanism No. 7.
8.) Sublimation: Redirecting a forbidden desire into a socially acceptable desire.
Take "Honeymoon" for example. House confesses to Wilson over a drink the hard time he's having with treating Stacey's husband. He could conveniently make a medical mistake and poof, Mark's out of the picture. But instead he suppresses the urge to rid the picture of his rival and instead uses it as motivation to one-up him in Stacey's eyes by finding a cure for his mysterious ailment.
(One more interesting tidbit: Freud was infamously known to smoke 25-30 cigars every day, a habit that eventually led to a painful cancer of the mouth. Just thought it was a nice parallel with House smoking the stogie during "All In.")
More to come; in the parade of great thinkers, philologist Nietzche will be next on the list. So, with a thought to ponder:
From "Fidelity":
“What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” –Foreman
“Nietzsche wouldn’t be so glib…” –Chase
Like House, Freud (1856--1939) was an off-beat character whose opinions greatly ruffled the general public around him. His meticulous psychological study of disturbed individuals led him to develop countless thereoms concerning human behavior, such as the unconscious and his famous id, ego, and superego. Nothing was off limits--including sex, an incredibly controversial topic that was simply not discussed during his time.
While Freud's theories are incredibly too vast to cover, let's take a look at how some of his points come into play on "House":
In "Love Hurts," House and Cameron endure an awkward dinner date. Cutting straight to the point, Cameron brings up Freud, who hypothesized that a person who can't control something will act negatively toward that object, "like an eighth grade boy punching a girl." This, formally known as the "Reaction Formation," is one of Freud's eight Defense Mechanisms. The other seven are also apparent in House's behavior to various people throughout episodes:
1.) Rationalization: Making up acceptable excuses
Two words: Clinic. Duty. Cuddy could make a list of House's evasive techniques with this one.
2.) Repression: Pushing disturbing thoughts/memories out of one's mind without realizing it
3.) Denial: Refusal to accept a reality that makes one feel anxious
This was also the focus of one episode, the five stages of acceptance.
4.) Projection: Throwing inner feelings outside of oneself and assigning them to others.
House does this a lot with Wilson, finding it easier to poke and prod at his friend's weaknesses (particularly in the love department) rather than fess up to his own.
5.) Reaction Formation
6.) Regression: Returning to earier and less mature behavior.
Just a thought... But yo-yos? GameBoys? Tossing around that ball in the office? There's something comforting in the simple joys, especially when they can district you.
7.) Displacement: When one can't take anger out on the source of frustrations, one takes it out on a less powerful person.
House had a opportunity to do this with Vogler, though instead of avoiding confrontation he just messed up the speech. (Bravo, for facing the antagonist, House! Freud would be proud.) He does, however, act more than particularly angsty to everyone as the Stacey issue begins to escalate early in Season Two:
House: Listen, none of this has anything to do with Stacy.
Wilson: Right, giant coincidence that you've gone completely off the rails since she left; inducing migraines, increased leg pain-
House: [whacks Wilson's shin with his cane]
Wilson: Ow!
House: Aw, you miss Stacy too?
Great scene, and great example of Defense Mechanism No. 7.
8.) Sublimation: Redirecting a forbidden desire into a socially acceptable desire.
Take "Honeymoon" for example. House confesses to Wilson over a drink the hard time he's having with treating Stacey's husband. He could conveniently make a medical mistake and poof, Mark's out of the picture. But instead he suppresses the urge to rid the picture of his rival and instead uses it as motivation to one-up him in Stacey's eyes by finding a cure for his mysterious ailment.
(One more interesting tidbit: Freud was infamously known to smoke 25-30 cigars every day, a habit that eventually led to a painful cancer of the mouth. Just thought it was a nice parallel with House smoking the stogie during "All In.")
More to come; in the parade of great thinkers, philologist Nietzche will be next on the list. So, with a thought to ponder:
From "Fidelity":
“What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” –Foreman
“Nietzsche wouldn’t be so glib…” –Chase
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