Split - Movie Analysis Essay

Introduction

The movie "Split" elaborates on the life of an individual having dissociative identity disorder. Kevin, who is the primary character in the film, has twenty-three separate personalities. The movie's storyline is connected to the battle of the twenty-three personalities, three teenage girls, and therapists that are abducted at the start of the film. The dissociative identity disorder is termed as a severe condition where multiple distinct identities are present and take control of an individual. Kevin waits for the twenty-fourth personality that others term as "the beast," thus kidnapping women who act as food for "the beast." "The beast" reveals itself as a powerful being that has an overwhelming force of conducting impossible stuff, such as acquiring muscles within seconds and growing up. Also, the personalities possessed by Kevin have their ages, tastes, interests, talking, sex, among others. In the movie, it is the role of the filmmaker's to extend sympathy to the affected individuals even when they portray the signs of delusion. The actions conducted by Kevin can be explained using various psychological theories to promote an exceptional understanding of the viewers. Therefore, due to the different personalities possessed by Kevin and portrayed in the movie, this paper will discuss the psychological theories that are related to the film.

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Freud's Theory

Freud's theory of psychoanalysis is among the arguments that are related to the Split movie. Freud's theory states that a person's behavior, such as violent behavior, is a product of the 'unconscious' forces that tend to operate within an individual's mind. Also, Freud believes that conflicts that happen at specific psychosocial stages tend to create an impact on one's ability to conduct various activities as adults (Dhaliwal, 2018). The experiences faced by individuals during the psychosexual development construct their identity, and the obstacles during these developments can dismantle their identity. For example, the developmental stages in this theory are the oral, phallic, latent, and the genital stage. According to Freud's theory, every developmental stage is faced with various challenges that shape a person's personality. Whenever an individual undergoes through the psychosexual stages successfully, they possess a healthy character (Dhaliwal, 2018). Also, fixation occurs whenever individuals do not resolve various issues at the proper stage. Therefore, there are fixations in Kevin's life since he could not resolve the problems he went through during his developmental stages.

Consequently, in the movie, Kevin is said to have Dissociative Identity Disorder, which makes him experience various challenges in his life. The disorder tends to combine the traits of epilepsy and hysteria. Dissociative Identity Disorder is a complex psychological condition that is facilitated by a couple of factors such as severe trauma during the early stages of childhood. "Split movie" references to Erik Erickson's theory and Freud's approach as the primary character has twenty-three personalities that impact his life negatively (Dhaliwal, 2018). As Kevin undergoes through this severe traumatic experience, he has the desire to get out of this mental illness. Due to his passion, Kevin is undergoing a therapeutic process that is conducted by Dr. Karen Fletcher, where the psychiatrist identifies twenty-three personalities that trouble Kevin (Dhaliwal, 2018). Therefore, the movie has raised awareness concerning various mental disorders, their causes, and how society reacts to these disorders.

In the movie, Kevin is viewed to live under construction where most of the actions take place during his child development and at Dr. Fletcher's home. Since Kevin is a victim of child abuse, he wants to express his experiences, thus making the world comfortable for other victims having a mental disorder. As Fletcher tries to treat Kevin from the destructive disease, she makes Kevin realize he will recover from the destructive part of his personality. The psychiatrist uses Freud's theory to explain to Kevin about the different characteristics of his personality and how they are dominating each other (Dhaliwal, 2018).

Behavioral Theory

The behavioral theory states that human behavior, such as violent behavior, is acquired through the interactions one has with their social environment. This theory argues that individuals are not born having violent behavior, but they learn to act violently due to their daily experiences. Some of the factors that lead to the development of violent behavior are stressful events such as assaults, belief that violence or aggression is socially rewarded, and the value systems which disregard the violent actions within specific contexts. Also, this theory expresses how various experiences affect the personality of others. For example, 'the Beast' personality is among the rebellious side of the main character's personality as he is undergoing various suppressions in his life (Brand & Pasko, 2017). The crackdown in Kevin's life can become destructive in his life and that of others, thus making Dr. Fletcher deny Kevin's twenty-fourth personality. Also, "Hedwig" is the most significant suppressed personality that is depicted in Kevin's character. For example, whenever girls interact with Kevin, they find that he behaves childishly due to the experiences he undergoes throughout his life.

Additionally, the movie shows that Kevin has severe personality defects termed as psychopathy. Low guilt levels characterize psychopathy, and they tend to violate other people's rights. Psychopathic individuals are described as being manipulative, forceful, cold-hearted, and egocentric. Also, psychopaths justify their actions to appear reasonable and justified to others. Kevin acts like a psychopath due to the action he undertakes. For example, Kevin's kidnaps Casey, Marcia, and Claire and puts them in an abandoned basement (Dhaliwal, 2018). Also, it interesting how Kevin and Dr. Fletcher talk about various personalities and how Kevin relates to each of them. Therefore, early childhood factors led to the development of the sociopathic characteristics, thus causing Kevin not to have a proper relationship with other persons.

Cognitive Development Theory

Cognitive theorists concentrate on how individuals perceive the different social environments and learn how to solve issues. Individual reasoning abilities are developed in an orderly and logical manner. For example, during the early stages of an individual's development, children respond to social development by concentrating on the exciting stuff and development of their motor skills. At the final stages of development, children develop into mature individuals who can get involved in complex reasoning. For example, according to Brand & Pasko (2017), in the movie "The Split," Kevin was involved in complex arguments by Dr. Fletcher as she was trying to learn more about Kevin's characters. Also, when Kevin went to seek help from Dr. Fletcher, he was willing to share and find a solution for the challenging experiences he was experiencing (Brand & Pasko, 2017). Therefore, therapists used the theory of moral development when she was studying the behavior of Kevin and other individuals who had Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Cognitive theory has also acquired significant attention from violence, thus causing researchers to focus on how information is processed. For example, whenever individuals make various decisions, they tend to engage in specific thought processes. When Kevin noticed that his personality harmed his life, he had complex thoughts on the person who could help him deal with his situation. Dr. Fletcher related Kevin's experiences with the one from other persons who had Dissociative Identity disorders (Brand & Pasko, 2017). Through the experiences elaborated by Kevin, Dr. Fletcher was in a position of providing appropriate solutions related to Kevin's encounters. Therefore, through the cognitive development theory, researchers indicate that kidnappers possess little sympathy for their female victims.

Conclusion

"The Split" movie is related to the cognitive development theory, Freud's, and the behavioral approach. The three psychological theories explain the traits of Kevin, who is the primary character in "The Split" movie. Freud's theory states that a person's behavior, such as violent behavior, is a product of the 'unconscious' forces that tend to operate within an individual's mind. The experiences faced by individuals during the psychosexual development construct their identity, and the obstacles during these developments can dismantle their identity. Kevin is said to have Dissociative Identity Disorder, which makes him experience various challenges in his life. The behavioral theory states that human behavior, such as violent behavior, is acquired through the interactions one has with their social environment. Some of the factors that lead to the development of violent behavior are stressful events such as assaults, belief that violence or aggression is socially rewarded, and the value systems which disregard the violent actions within specific contexts. Cognitive theorists concentrate on how individuals perceive the different social environments and learn how to solve issues. For example, in the movie "The Split," Kevin was involved in complex reasoning by Dr. Fletcher as she was trying to learn more about Kevin's characters. Therefore, through the three psychological theories, individuals can understand how the personalities of Kevin affects his life.

References

Brand, B., & Pasko, D. (2017). Split is based on myths about dissociative identity disorder. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316612331_Split_Is_Based_on_Myths_About_Dissociative_Identity_Disorder

Dhaliwal, M. (2018). Child Abuse and Dissociative Identity Disorder: A Psychoanalytic Study of Split (2016) Movie. Retrieved from https://ijrar.com/upload_issue/ijrar_issue_20542424.pdf