Pschoanalysis In Alien

In 1896 Sigmund Freud coined the phrase ’psychoanalysis’, which basically is a theory that there are three forces that control the body, they are the id, the ego and the superego.

The id is the unconscious, it contains what is inherited from previous generations and more importantly, the instincts or desires of the person. The unconscious is made up of fantasies, wishes, desires repressed or not.

The ego is conscious, and exists between the id and the exterior world. The ego strives to achieve enjoyment and tries to avoid discomfort or displeasure.

The superego however is the inner parent, who is managed by the id. The superego is responsible for the influence of other authority figures such as parents or role models.

In An Outline of Psychoanalysis (Freud 1949) Freud states that the ultimate cause of all behaviour stems from the instincts Eros (love) and the death / destruction instinct.

But how does this apply to Alien (dir: Ridley Scot, 1979) ?.

The Alien obviously represents the id, the alien operates on pure instinct as it has not been taught otherwise by other stimuli, he succumbs to whatever desire he is feeling at the time. For instance when he kills / ‘rapes�

However, deeper within the ship are pods or eggs, this gives a conflicting view, the eggs give it a feminine characteristic but what interested me is the fact that the eggs or pods are kept in a massive chamber which if you look at it one way, could represent the testicles, this point is further emphasised by how the alien ‘impregnates’ Cain, especially as at this point the alien does bear some resemblance to a sperm i.e. it has a head and a tail. Also it is very reminiscent of the human reproductive system, the alien foetus enters Cain and grows using Cain’s body as an incubator almost and when it is ready to be born it leaves through the stomach like a chicken breaking out of its shell or like a caesarean section.

The superego is represented by ‘Mother’ the computer that cares for the crew by guiding and instructing them, much like a mother.

Another major part of psychoanalysis is the Oedipus complex. This theory states that a child goes through 3 stages of development. The oral stage where the (predominantly) male child gains pleasure and gratification from breast feeding, the anal stage where the child is fascinated or disgusted by its natural bodily functions. Finally the child goes through a phallic stage where the child seeks pleasure from self stimulation, from this castration theory can result if the child is told not to pleasure himself I.e. “if you do that, it will drop off” from this, the child could develop a fear a castration, usually by the father.

In the closing scenes where the alien is in the escape ship, Ripley first encounters the Alien sleeping, his mouth opens, arms fall and tongue extends. In my opinion the Alien is having what could only be described as a sexual dream which makes sense as this follows the scene where the alien kills Lambert.

Some topics in this essay:
Ripley Alien, Ridley Scot, Sigmund Freud, Psychoanalysis Freud, , alien phallus, phalluses domes, ripley’s feminine, alien cat, male dominated, id alien, masculine persona, scene alien, gains pleasure, stage child,