Psychology in Film class notes

4.9.

11 seminars on different psychological topics
- 1h lecture, movie clips, movie analysis
Attendance: 70% mandatory attendance to pass
Active participation is expected
Before each seminar please watch the TED talk that is in the course program for that lesson. It is reccomended to watch the listed movie before each seminar to successfully participate in the discussion and get everything out of it.
Exam 08.1.26 10:15 (probably in class)
- 3 types of questions: how you would apply this psychology in your creative work, analyse a short clip by using information from class,
Materials found in Ois, there is a link to the slides
Teachers email: annika.vaumail@gmail.com (no tlu email)

11.9. Emotions and Eliciting Emotions in the Viewer (Inside out)

18.9. Relationships and Conflicts in Films (Marriage Story)

25.9. Mental Health Disorders and their Depiction in Film (A Beautiful Mind)

— more in the file in Ois

Last lecture 20.11.

Think: What film has had a significant impact on you?

The Piano Teacher
- Impact: felt like a successful depiction of codependence and trauma being perpetrated by the main character back onto themselves through selfharm and social inaptitudes

Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalysis in Film:

Directors use psychoanalytic concepts like repression, the oedipal complex, and drem symbolism to add psychological depth to characters. Films like inception (ecploration of dreams and unconscious) or Black Swan (repression and inner conflict) are rich with psychoanalytic ideas
Interpretive but helpful in explain symbolism, deep emotions and inner motivations in films, and implying
Jungianism: the system of psychology founded by Carl Gustav Jung, based on the concepts of the collective unconscious and the complex
- Structure of Personality — Mandala model

Science based approaches

Empirical, research-based methods (behavioural/cognitive psychology, neuroscience)
Science-based approaches in Film: These are often reflected in films that depict psychological realism based on measurable behaviors or mental disorders.

TED talk: myths on psychology

Short: The Present (puppy and kid)

11.9.

Theory of the emotional brain (emovere)

Emotional regions can be traced back to the oldest structures in the human brain (Joseph LeDoux)
- subcortical cortex regions that are most important to survival

Discussion on Inside Out

Primary emotions vs Secondary emotions

Immediate response to stimuli (survival) = primary, ie joy, sadness, fear, anger, disgust, surprise
Secondary emtions are more complex, can arise from combination of primary or from reflection

Appraisal theory of emotion

Empathy and the mirror neuron system

When viewers see characters express emotions, their own mirror neurons fire as if they were experiencing the same emotions. This allows the audience to feel what the characters feel

Impact of music on emotions

Music in films elicits emotions through a process called emotional contagion. Viewer catch the emotional tone conveyed by music which can induce feelings ranging from tension to joy, often independent of the visual content.

2.10.

Childhood (film: Boyhood by Linklater)

Keypoints:

Importance of secure attachment for emotional and social development
Effects of family structure changes (e.g. Divorce, remarriages) for children
Resielience: 1. Temprerament of child 2. Good relationship with at least one parent 3.
Key theories: Eriksons Psychological stages, Piagets Cognitive development stages, Attachment theory

Eriksons: