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The Perception Of The Psyche

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Have you ever thought about death? What it would be like? How it would happen? When it really comes down to it, are you afraid? If so, what is so captivating about watching death and/or other horror scenes in movies or reading it in books? For many years researches have been looking for ways to explain why the psyche is so attracted to the idea of horror. From books to television and everything in between, horror has been manufactured as a part of our lives, whether it be to trigger a mechanism in our bodies to protect ourselves, or as something to watch as an entertaining pastime. People may never know the real reason fear is so attractive to the human mind, but many theories include that of Evolution, Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalytical …show more content…

(Clasen 5). To further the theory regarding evolution, “Why We Are Attracted to Monsters” argues that humans have adapted in order to search for survival methods in all aspects of our lives. The author discusses that the reason this vital instinct is the pushing factor for why humans actively seek out horror in films is to, “pay attention to enhance chances of survival” (Why We Are Attracted To Monsters). Because horror movies represent such fear, anguish, and gore, the mind is triggered to respond to this stimuli, in order to find protection for the body which in result, continues to catch our attention. In Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalytical Theory, researchers argue that because of the Id, Ego, and SuperEgo, we are inherently attracted to the idea of horror. When discussing the Psychoanalytical Theory, it is important to note that our psyche, per Freud, is broken down into three main categories—Id, Ego, and Superego. The Id, is the impulsive aspect of our psyche where humans have an instinctive primitive nature where we tend to make very irrational and hasty decisions without any conscious thought. Unlike the Id, the Ego is the decision-making center that mediates the primitive nature of the Id. The Ego finds ways to satisfy the demands of the Id without suffering any of the negative

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