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Psychological Analysis of Dr. Gregory House Essay

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Analysis of Gregory House

By Becca Kinkoph
6th per. Psychology
4-15-09

In the show, House M.D., there is an especially difficult doctor whom people cannot help but love despite his unpleasant demeanor. This is Doctor Gregory House. He specializes in diagnosing rare medical anomalies with the help of his team of diagnosticians: Foreman, Chase, and Cameron. House is somewhat a mystery to his team members and everyone else. He is a cynical and bitter medical genius who can sometimes come across as an arrogant jerk. Some of this is due to his drug use (he has acquired an addiction to painkillers) and his leg injury which came about from an incorrect diagnosis. House also possesses an almost O.C.D. like symptom of having to …show more content…

His superego might as well be nonexistent. House displays many of the defense mechanisms as well. He finds ways to rationalize his drug abuse since he is in pain due to his leg. However, he knows he has a problem and is just in denial. He refuses to address the problem and chooses to ignore it and go along seeking to please his Id. Another explanation for why Dr. House is the way he is could be the Social Cognitive Theory, which states that one’s personality is shaped by environmental learning, cognitive and personal factors, and behaviors. The cognitive factors would be House’s beliefs, values, and expectations. Since House has a pretty bleak outlook on life and a lack of values, this is one reason for why he is the way he is. So basically, it’s just his views on life and since they are pretty sinister and pessimistic, it shows through in his personality such as the bitterness, bluntness, and rudeness. Some of this could be from personal factors as well. In one episode we meet Mom and Dad House. Genetics can influence personality and we find his mother is relatively normal while his father is a complete jerk. Also, environmental factors such as living with a jerk as a father could be a probable cause for rudeness and bitterness too. When it comes to Type A and Type B behavior, House definitely would be more on the B side of things. He tends to be easier going about things and possibly a bit lazy as

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