Freudian Analysis

The id, ego, and super-ego are names for the three parts of the human personality, these terms are part of Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic personality theory. According to Freud, these three parts combine to create the complex behaviour of human beings, these terms have different meanings and control different things within the human behaviour.

This video portrays Id, Ego and SuperEgo demonstrated in Movies and TV Shows:

Example of a film that portrays Freud's Theory:

• Fight Club: This film explores the 3 components of the complex behaviour of human beings according to Freud's theory.

EGO: Jack {The Narrator} has a weak ego, which could be due to his fatherless upbringing and not having a male role model within his life. Jack is split within two personalities himself who is unable to create and sustain adult relationships due to his immaturity and Tyler's who is a fantasy of Jack's mind. 

ID: Tyler fantasy of Jack's mind, who forms the ID. Tyler is the mature aspect of Jack's mind, he is confident and one with the ladies. Tyler sleeps with Marla, the lady who caught Jack's eyes within the support groups, this act caused friction between the two. This friction resulted in Jack killing Tyler to become his true self.

SUPER-EGO: Marla Singer is the lady that Jack meets at the support groups, who he slowly falls in love with. She is a strong-willed woman who can come across as being a complete nutcase, her character helps to support Jack's to evolve him into the mature gentleman he should be. Marla continuously calls Jack to see how he is but due to him being unable to sustain adult relationships, he doesn't always answer.

Fight Club Scene - Letting Yourself Become Tyler Durden

In this specific scene of Fight Club, it portrays all of three characters of the mains characters that are associated with Freudian's Theory of the 3 components of the complex behaviour; The Id, The Ego and The Super-Ego. This scene starts of with a shots that Parallel Editing, these shots are used to keep the continuity of the conversation which is displayed between Jack and Marla Singer, Jack persistently asks Marla what his name is and upon her reply he is shocked that she thinks he is Tyler Durden. This shocks Jack due to him being unaware that Tyler is a fantasy of his mind, who forms the ID; Tyler is the mature aspect of Jack's mind, he is confident and one with the ladies. In this scene Tyler is revealed in a Two Shot, the smoothly changes to a shot reverse shot during the exchanging conversation between the two.

This clip is a 2 minute discussion between Jack and his ID Tyler, in which reveals that Tyler Durden is just a fantasy of Jack's mind, he finally realises that they are on person instead of two, this is revealed in a montage of flash backs. All they ways Jack wishes he could be is who forms Tyler; Jack {The Narrator} has a weak ego, which is  split within two personalities: himself who is unable to create and sustain adult relationships due to his immaturity and Tyler's who is a fantasy of Jack's mind. This whole scene is portrayed in various Shot Reverse Shot; film technique where one character is shown looking at another character which is often off-screen, then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. In Lacanian terms this would suggest there is a 'lack' in one of the characters, possibly showing the difference between aspects of their personality, this relates perfectly to this movie due to Jack showing a lack in creating and sustaining adult relationships due to his immaturity this is where Tyler is involved as he is just a fantasy of Jack's mind. 

Specific Shots:

• Two Shot: A shot of two people together. {If we apply a Two Shot in Lacan's perspective, the two shot would suggest the characters are 'mirrors' of each other, but each character possessing something that the other is without, which is once again referring to a 'lack' within the character}. 
• Shot Reverse Shot: A film technique where one character is shown looking at another character which is often off-screen, then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. {In Lacanian terms this would suggest there is a 'lack' in one of the characters - possibly showing the difference between aspects of their personality}.
• Parallel Editing: Parallel editing {Cross Cutting} is the technique of alternating two or more scenes that often happen simultaneously but in different locations. {This cinematic technique could also be used indicate that the characters are polar opposites: each possessing aspects that would make the other complete}.