Psycho Analysis of TV Show
The TV Show Teen Mom has several instances where the id, the ego and the super-ego functions of the brain are clearly illustrated to be working together or sometime one trying to balance between the two.
As a simple introduction, the id is the constant in the personality and is governed by the “pleasure principle” and that it is always present. On the other side, the ego is the surface of personality and is what is shown to the world and governed by the reality principle. It is the one that is sometimes known as common sense or reason and serves three masters i.e. the super-ego, id and the external world. Finally, the superego always calls for perfection; it criticizes, fantasizes and or prohibits drives.
It is the one that brings feelings of guilt (Snowden, 2006). In the TV show Teen Mom, Maci’s id is to become the best mom despite the challenges she meets everyday. On the other hand, the ego presents these challenges in a way that it becomes unbearable for the young mom to achieve her id and end result is that the super-ego catches up with her and she sees Ryan as not supportive as such and she gives up. Despite these challenges, she doesn’t give in to the guilt, but instead she hanges her id and wants to inform the girls who may get pregnant while in school that there are opportunities out there which one can pursue and still be successful. She recomposes her personality and finds ground to advise other girls in the hood (Seidman, 2009).Farrah Abraham on the other hand is an aspiring model.
Her id is to be identified well by the Derek’s family because she has Derek’s child (Seidman, 2010). After living for a while with Debra, her mom, she gets hit and files a lawsuit against her mom and decides to live in her mom’s rental apartment across the road. Her emotions are hurt regarding Underwood’s death and goes for a paternity test for Sophia. Derek’s mum id is put to test when she files a lawsuit for visitation rights though there was no previous contact. Catelynn Lowell the mother to Carly, finds her id in being with her boyfriend Tyler.
Her ego defines how she achieves this. She first of all gives out Carly Elizabeth for adoption by Brandson and Theresa and goes back to her parents. Tyler’s father is not happy about her decision and goes for the child. Later in the season, Catelynn accepts her ego i.e.
being a birth mother and start living with Tyyler when her mother and stepfather moved to live in another city. Her ego in this case satisfies the id and the superego and the two decides to crown this agreement with tattoos to honour their daughter.Amber Portwood, another mom presents her side and surrounds Leah. She has faced many difficulties which emanate from her efforts to raise her daughter Leah and at the same time stay with her fiance Gary. Her id is overshadowed by the ego when living a life which she would be full of free time, but found out that she doesn’t have much free time because she needs to take care of her daughter Leah. Her superego is most of the time taking charge of her as she tries to strike a balance between school and parenting.
She always finds herself in trouble with others as tries to satisfy her id. On the other hand, her ego is does not seem to take her well and therefore decides to do other things that she is capable of, not to satisfy her id, but to hide the failed super-ego which openly shows her weakness or guilt of failing to achieve what the id requires. She later turns violent even in front of her daughter. The law seems to get hold of her when her boyfriend, Gary, gets her arrested for domestic violence against him (Duke, 2010).
