"Star Wars” is a series, which exemplifies in a
clear-cut manner many of the archetypes of Jungian psychology. These films are
modern retellings of ancient myths. Carl Jung has described myths as
"fundamental expressions of human nature" (Hull, 1991). In the films,
fairy tale motifs such as typical clothing, animals, knights, princesses, and
emperors, along with primeval settings, are projected into the future with star
ships, death stars and light sabers as swords. Although the films take the
viewer far into the future, connections to an unconscious past are never
forgotten. The popularity of these films could be attributed not only to the
actors, special effects, and adventure, but more than that, to the connections
with the collective and personal unconscious the trilogy continually evokes.
In the first episode of the “PBS Joseph Campbell and the
Power of Myth” series (1988), “The Hero's Adventure” and the fifth chapter of
the book, "The Hero's Adventure," Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell
discuss George Lucas' report that Campbell's work directly influenced the
creation of the “Star Wars” films. Moyers and Lucas filmed an interview in
1999, modeled after “The Power of Myth.” It was called the “Mythology of Star
Wars with George Lucas and Bill Moyers” and further discussed the impact of
Campbell's work on the Lucas' films.
According to Baxter and Babbie (2003), virtually anything
can function as a social text, so long as it has symbols and meaning –
including films. A qualitative approach to analyzing a film or a series of
films as social text, involves understanding the meaning of that social text.
In this case, I analyze the meaning behind the “Star Wars” film series by
filmmaker George Lucas (with a little help from our friend, Carl Jung). My
endeavor is an interpretive one, not a numerical one (as with a quantitative
analyses). For this assignment, the social text, the “Star Wars” series,
functions as the primary data being analyzed. There are many messages communicated
within the work, known as “Star Wars.” My approach to analyzing this particular
social text is “Communication Criticism.” Baxter and Babbie (2003) believe that
there is little difference between the qualitative approaches to communication
and the more humanistic approaches found in communication criticism.
Communication criticism focuses on four stages: textualization, analysis,
interpretation and judgment (Baxter & Babbie, 2003).
Sometimes documents (whether electronic, visual, or written)
are helpful as resources for participants, including the researcher, as they
conduct their everyday lives. Also, they are helpful in providing information
that is not easily found through observation or interview. Studying the
history, religiosity, and psychology embedded within the “Star Wars” series,
can be fascinating. One can see that the films are conceptually very rich and
robust, and quite self-revealing, if you look closely.
Although I had seen the film series time and again, I chose
to watch critically to gain a better and deeper understanding of the meaning of
the social text, “Star Wars.”
Many people judge simply on entertainment value. To know the
difference between being truly joy-ful or being simply entertained is a life’s
lesson many never comprehend. Any one of the films in the “Star Wars” series is
never simply a good or a bad film. Each installment in the series is much more
than a film in front of which we sit and munch popcorn. If aware, a viewer
understands that each film is an invitation to look inside our selves. Each
film offers us a reminder, an opportunity to visit that “shadow” or “dark side”
which resides within each of us. It is the collection of negative or
undesirable traits we keep hidden. Most of us never analyze our own dark side…and
we don’t recognize it even when it’s larger than life on a 50-foot movie
screen. Our own dark side is the collection of negative or undesirable traits
we keep hidden – the things we don’t like about ourselves, and certainly don’t
want others to recognize in us. These are things we are afraid to admit:
egotism, non-politically-correct proclivities, extreme material desires, a
gross need for power, and forbidden sexual desires, for examples.
However, as evidenced by the character, “Anakin,” a very
likeable character who later becomes “Darth Vader,” a very unlikeable
character, we know deep inside that we too have the capacity to go to the dark
side. We have an equal (or greater, if you’re lucky) capacity for positive (yet
often untapped) potential. This potential includes qualities that we admire in
others but may disavow in ourselves. Befriending our dark side enables us to
live a more authentic life. Had Anakin heeded the wise words of his mentor, the
series may have turned out quite differently (Anakin’s loss is our gain). He
was weak and naïve, became distrusting and greedy. We too fall prey to the
negative behaviors fear and anxiety can perpetuate.
I find great value in analyzing “Star Wars” from a Jungian
perspective. Jung was interested in the collective subconscious (Hull, 1991).
If a film is consciously Jungian then the subconscious content that was clearly
being portrayed was made for psychological self-realization – and to earn
money, of course. Do you believe that Jung’s subconscious archetypes really
exist? If you take the time to analyze “Star Wars” you will see, as George
Lucas did, “A great classic hero saga, dealing with the classical questions
about religion and history based on a psychological theme, played out in the
futuristic setting of space” (Moyers & Lucas, 2010).
I believe that the “Star Wars” series falls within the
social tradition of communication criticism because it highlights what we all
share in common, a capacity for good and evil. The series does a good job of
constructing shared meaning between people. Even for those who are not seeking
the meaning in the messages within the film series, one cannot help but walk
out of the theater with a need to reflect on “The Force,” God, the Self, or
god-within, as some people refer to the universal force that is greater than we
our selves are.
To understand, and truly appreciate the “Star Wars” film
series you have to understand the main theme, a classical saga. In the series,
the saga is the religion – a conviction; a system of values or beliefs -- and
religion is something with which we can all identify, whether a religious
person or not. The series presents the viewer with a story where an ordinary
person, faced with many of the same challenges we experience, is faced with
life-changing opportunities or challenges (again good versus bad). He, as with
most of us, must go on a life quest where a number of life-challenges and
struggles between good and evil, present themselves. These struggles are
evident throughout history. Many pit fear against love, ego against spirit, the
devil against God. But we all have “the Force,” as considered by many,
intuition within us.
What is the Force? I believe it is an energy that resides
within each of us at a cellular level. It can guide you and show you your
life’s path. One is still left with the concept of free will to choose the
“right” path or the “wrong” path. Many interpret the Force as God or as a
positive, at the very least, and the dark side as the devil, or a negative at
the very least. However, what many viewers fail to recognize is that there is
no good guy or bad guy…there is only both within each of us. Our intuition may
guide us but we still have free will to choose to do the right thing or not.
In Carl Jung’s collective unconscious, that which can be
likened to the Force, intuition shows us what to retreat from and what to
embrace; it is a gift of knowing, inherited from those who have gone before
us…it heavily influences our free will, it guides us. The idea that we create
our own reality correlates with this. In other words, if one lives in fear and
negativity, bad things happen. If one lives with hope and positivity, good
things happen.
The dark side of the Force attracts people/characters to
power in a Machiavellian sense. Influence is seen as being afforded to those
with power. Those with power can use their power for good or evil. The problem
arises when leaders become dictators and influence is no longer enough, such
that power and greed take over a person’s character. We see this all the time
with politicians running for office who want to solve the problem and later, as
elected political leaders, become the problem. Pure greed, without any struggle
with conscience, gives the illusion of great power. Just because someone avoids
struggling with his conscience does not mean his issues go away. The shadow or
dark side will lie dormant until one day without warning will rear its ugly
head and all will be lost. Again, we see this often with those same political
leaders. Anakin suffered from never having embraced his dark side and all the
while the fear and insecurity worked its black magic inside him until fear and
greed were all he knew. When one is distrusting, it is often a sign that he
cannot be trusted. Anakin relinquished his power to the dark side – the
collection of his undesirable traits that had remained hidden from others, and
himself. As presented in mythology, the Bible, psychology, and even in “Star
Wars,” denying or worse, ignoring the dark side will only result in fear and
anxiety –the presence of the ego, the devil, whatever negative name we wish to
give “it,” returning to make demands of us.
Filmmaker George Lucas says that “Star Wars” is a classical
saga, but in a futuristic environment (Moyers, B. & Lucas, G., 2010). But
what is a classical saga? Adolf Bastian (1826-1905) first proposed the idea
that myths from all over the world seem to be built from the same
"elementary ideas.” Bastian was a 19th century ethnologist best
remembered for his contributions to the development of ethnography and
the development of anthropology as a discipline. Modern psychology owes
him a great debt, because of his theory of the “Elementargedanke”
(Britannica, 1999). This led to Carl Jung's development of the theory of archetypes, which he
believed to be the building blocks not only of the unconscious mind, but also
of a collective unconscious (Hull, 1991).
The Jedi Knight represents a basic psychological theme that
fits well with the hero archetype. To the naïve, young Jedi, Luke Skywalker,
the wise, old Jedi, Yoda states, "A Jedi's strength flows from the Force.
But beware of the dark side. Anger...fear...aggression. The dark side of the
Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you
start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it
will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice." Luke then says, "Vader. Is the
dark side stronger?" to which Yoda replies "No...no...no. Quicker,
easier, more seductive." And Luke again asks "But how am I to know
the good side from the bad?" and Yoda replies, "You will know. When
you are calm, at peace. Passive. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and
defense, never for attack” (Yoda, a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far
away).
We all have the Force within us; we all have free will to
choose to use the Force for good or evil. As Jung stated, the shadow is a very
common archetype that reflects deeper elements of our psyche, where “latent
dispositions” which are within us all, arise (Hull, 1991).
It is, by its name, dark, shadowy, unknown
and potentially troubling. It embodies chaos and wildness and tends not to obey
rules. As such, it may plunge us into a world of chaos as it did to Anakin in
the film series. It has a sense of the exotic and can be disturbingly
fascinating and mythical, like mysterious fighters and dark enemies. We may see
the shadow in others and, if we are truly healthy, know it in ourselves.
Mostly, however, people deny it and project it onto others. Our shadow or dark
side may appear in dreams and hallucinations as it did with Anakin, often as
something or someone who is bad, fearsome or despicable in some way. It may
seduce through false friendship (think Sith Lord). Encounters with it, as an
aspect of the subconscious, may reveal deeper darker thoughts and fears.
Do you acknowledge your dark side and if
so, how do you manage it?
In what setting does your dark side rear
its ugly head most?
When people disagree with your beliefs do
you shut them down or open your mind to alternative beliefs?
Do you have a far right conservative friend
whose opinions differ from yours? How do you handle?
Do you have a far left liberal friend show
opinions differ from yours? How do you handle?
Thoughts?
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