How Freud's Theory Creates Fictional Characters
Develop Realistic Characterisation by Using Freudian’s Ego States
May 24, 2009
Compelling, interesting and authentic characterisation is half the battle whilst authors are conceiving a novel. Flat characters will lead to a flat read, but how does the author begin to conceive characters on which to drive the plot?
How to Conceive Realistic Characters
The author at this stage might already know what their characters look like, their names and their biographies. But even so, the character could remain flat and lifeless, in need of an activating ingredient. In order to breathe life into the character, the writer must have an intimate understanding of what drives the person.
Developing Inner Drives and Desires
Freud’s Structural Model describes the three ego states of the human psyche. These are:
- Id or the Child. From birth, humans have to make their desires known, thirst, hunger and loneliness, for instance. This “id” cannot be reasoned with, for it has no sense of reality, but is driven by the avoidance of pain and the seeking of pleasure (the “pleasure principle.”) Throughout life, the developing person learns to keep the id in check. Telltale signs that the id has taken over is heightened emotional states, such as temper, desire and elation.
- The Ego or the Parent. The individual becomes increasingly aware of what is real during early childhood. This “ego” state understands how the world works and that behaviour has consequences (the “reality principle.”) It knows the difference between right and wrong and lives by social rules, but it also negotiates for the id’s demands.
- The Superego or the Adult. Not only does the superego understand what is right and wrong, but why. It contains morals and social values of which some label as the conscience. The superego sees things from different perspectives, reflects and questions things. It also forms a counterbalance to the demands of the id and its inappropriate behaviour.
Shape Characters With a Psychological Past
Freud believed that earlier ego states remain imprinted upon the individual throughout life, like growth rings in a tree trunk. During certain situations, an earlier version of the person might emerge. For instance, family get-togethers could stimulate the child version of the person within the context of their siblings.
A Plot Fuelled by Motivation
The author could use a higher ego state to create characters. Continuously asking the question “why?” will help a full understanding of what drives the character. This includes seeing and understanding how a particular behaviour might impact upon the other characters and to see it from their point of view.
An Understanding for Character’s Behaviour and Motives
Perhaps the author could go back to their own id to get to the core of their characters. The character does not have to have the same needs as the novelist, but the emotion of the needs. For example, the author might have experienced a lack of love during their childhood state. This might manifest itself as an insatiable need for attention during adolescence. The character conceived might have had a similar deficit in childhood, such as a loss of a parent. This same sense of loss might manifest itself as a need for recognition. This character might, as a result, become a business mogul, but a damaged upbringing and the emotions it has brought will be fully understood by the author.
Motivating Believable Characters With Fears and Desires
If the author projects their own fears and desires onto their characters, the characters are likely to be intricately understood by the author and the reader will instinctively know this character is real. Freud’s Structural Model could help the creative process in breathing life into the characters until they possess such a life of their own, even the writer is unsure of what they will do next.
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