Schemas Essay Example

Schemas Essay A schema is a mental structure, a framework, used to organise our knowledge of the social world around themes or subjects. There are various schemas (or schemata) which work in many different ways such as role schemas (e. g. how to be a mother), situational schemas (or scripts) and person (self) schemas. Schemas are important because they affect how we see the world, they help guide us through it, influencing how we feel and behave in certain individual and group situations, and also towards certain individuals and groups of people. Studies show that schema have wide-ranging scope and application, from status schemas such as those used by doormen at a nightclub, influencing whether or not they allow people entry (Rivera, Lauren 2010 ) to gender-schema, and their effect on how consumers identify with brands and also how the brand in turn effects the persons self-schema ( Lau, Kong Cheen ; Phau, Ian 2010). We use schemas all the time, every day, such as in understanding what a door is. However, a primary use of schemas relates to our emotions and to our sense of ourselves i. e. our self-schemas. A self-schema is a mental model or a representation, containing knowledge about our identity, our self-concept, essentially who we are. The self-schema is a cognitive or a mental structure that integrates and organises the knowledge, feelings and ideas that make up the self-schema. Much of our self-schemas are developed mainly from how others treat us and their expectations of how we will behave. We will write a custom essay sample on Schemas specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Schemas specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Schemas specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Studies show that people behave in keeping with the expectations others hold of them e. g. participants in a study behaved in a more extrovert manner because other participants had been led to believe that they were extroverts (Synder as cited in Introductory Psychology ;G. Neil Martin,Neil R. Carson and William Buskist, 2010,Ch. 15 ). Similarly, a study by Terry Marks, Arlene Mayol and Robert de Mayo (1984 and 85) showed that a combination of depressive self-schemas and depressive life events can lead to people experiencing depression. Ninety three college students participated in a study which showed that there is a stronger link between depression and schema relevant or depressive, life events than between depression and schema irrelevant, negative achievement, events. Another source of the development of self-knowledge or self-schema is through a process known as social comparison. According to Festinger’s Social Comparison Theory (as cited in Introduction to Psychology) (1954) people need to know that their perceptions, attitudes, feelings and behaviours are valid and acceptable to others. This validity, and the confidence that accompanies this, comes from knowing that other people, who are like us, agree with our perceptions. This in turn leads to a strong self-identity and higher opinion and confidence in our own beliefs. This self-comparison shows how self-identity and our self-schemas are dependent on others, and their validation of our attitudes and perceptions. Posovoc, Posovoc Posovoc’s study (as cited in D. Trampe et al 2007) showed how important social comparison can be in our self-image and the satisfaction we have with our own bodies. This study found that body-dissatisfied women were more prone to social comparison on seeing thin female body images. This social comparison was evident when the women were shown images of models and non-models. Participants reported more dissatisfaction when they saw attractive non-models, who were seen as similar to themselves, but seeing the attractive models did not affect reports of dissatisfaction, as models were seen as different to them. As well as emotions relating to ourselves, we also have emotions relating to others, and schemas that organise and control these emotions. Aggression, physical or emotional, a behaviour that physically or psychologically hurts someone, is one such emotion. Aggression can be biological or innate, something intrinsic, that we are born with, as suggested by Freud. Freud suggests that we redirect our death wish or Thanatos towards others and this takes the form of aggression. Alternatively, aggression can result from frustration, which inevitably causes it (Frustration-Aggression theory (Dollard et al 1939 as cited in L. Berkowitz ,1989). Aggression can also be heavily influenced by situational factors that are the social context. According to Bandura’s study (1977), aggression can be learned from watching other people being rewarded for aggressive behaviour and then modelling our behaviour on these people. Additionally, the media can be a factor in both developing and maintaining aggression throughout life. L. Rowell Huesmann (1986) found that â€Å"In both childhood and adulthood, certain cues in the media may trigger the activation of aggressive scripts acquired in any manner and thus stimulate aggressive behaviour. A number of intervening variables may either mitigate or exacerbate these reciprocal effects. If undampened, this cumulative learning process can build enduring schemas for aggressive behaviour that persist into adulthood†. Thus we can see that while the media and situations where aggression is positively rewarded can be factors in developing and maintaining aggressive schema, other factors e. g. innate and biological, can also feature in developing aggression. Additionally, we use situation schema, or scripts, to help us get around, deal with particular situations for example, queuing at the bank, eating in a restaurant, and behave appropriately in given situations. â€Å" script contains a standard sequence of events characterizing typical activities in a restaurant from the point of view of the customer. †(Robert Abelson, 1981). As a result, we dont waste time interpreting each situation anew, but can rely on our schema to help guide us instead. While schemas influence individuals emotions, self-concept and behaviour, they also influence group behaviour, such as prejudice, where a group and its members are prejudged in specific ways. This is similar to stereotyping, where people share schemas of social groups and these group schemas seem to be very resistant to change (Fiske and Neuberg, 1990 as cited in Introductory Psychology; G. Neil Martin, Neil R. Carson and William Buskist, 2010, Ch. 15). Like all schemas, stereotyping is a time effective, although negative, way of dealing with people i. e. the script or schema tells us what people in a certain group are like, without us ever having to get to know them. Additionally, an individual may well hold prejudiced views but not behave in accordance with these views. Expression of prejudiced views is very much influenced by the group, and the concept of an in-group (own group) and out-group (others groups) is helpful in understanding this. People think that members of other groups (out-group) are more similar than members of their own group (in-group) (Linville, 1982). This is known as the illusion of out-group homogeneity (uniformity). Sometimes, however, this effect is reversed, so that people think their own group is more alike. This is more likely to happen if their group is a minority one. However, Alport (1954 as cited in m. Brewer 2001) proposed that loyalty and identification with a persons in-group does not always mean there will be hostility towards out-groups. This means that discrimination (which is prejudiced behaviour) can result from in-group preference, or favouritism of the in-group, rather than from hostility toward other groups. In conclusion, this assignment has explored schemas, explained how they develop e. g. hrough social comparison theory and others expectations of ourselves, and how they influence individual and group behaviour, ranging from experiencing depression, to feelings of prejudice and expression of such views. Schemas vary from situational schemas (scripts), which save us time, to group, role, gender and person schemas. Schemas are important because they try to help us understand some of the factors that influence individual and group behaviour, emotions such as aggression an d prejudice and attempt to explain human behaviour in a wide range of social contexts. References: Rivera L, Status Distinctions in Interaction: Social Selection and Exclusion at an Elite Nightclub. Qualitative Sociology, Volume 33, Number 3, September 2010, pp. 229-255(27), publisher Springer Lau, K, C; Phau, I, Impact of gender on perceptual fit evaluation for prestige brands, The Journal of Brand management, Vol 17, Number 5, march 2010, pp 354-367 (14), publisher Palgrave Macmillan. G. N Martin,N R.. Carlson W. Buskist,(2010) . Introduction to psychology ,4thed. ,Pearson T. marks, A. Mayol Robert De Mayo (1985),Volume 95,issue 2. D. Trampe,D. A Stapel F. W Siero,(2007) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 92, No. 1, 106–118 A. Bandura(1978),Journal of Communication,Wiley Online Library L. Berkowitz ,(1989), Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis:Examination and Reformulation ,Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 106, No. 1, 59-73 L. Rowell Heussman (1986) Psychological Processes Promoting the Relation Between Exposure to Media Violence and Aggressive Behav ior by the Viewer ,volume 42,issue 3, pg. 25-139 Robert Abelson, (1981) Psychological Status of the script concept, American Psychologist, Vol. 36, No. 7, 715-729 PW Linville,(1982). The complexity-extremity effect and age-based stereotyping. Journal of Personality and Social Psycholog2g, 42, 193-211. J. ThompsonL. L Crocker,C. M McGraw c. Ingerman, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Volume 52, Issue 5, May 1987, Pages 907-916 M. B. Brewer,(2002)The Psychology of Prejudice-InGroup love and Outgroup Hate,Journal of Social issues,Volume 5,issue 3,

Symbols in the Movie Citizen Kane essays

Symbols in the Movie Citizen Kane essays In the movie Citizen Kane, the word Rosebud symbolizes the original life that Kane had. Kane seemed to have two lives in the movie. The first life wasnt heavily shown, as was the second life. What I mean by first life is when Kane first lived with his mother in the country away from city life, quiet, peaceful, etc. When his real father came to take him to a better environment with money, opportunities, culture, etc., Kane didnt want to go. When he was forced to live with his father in a totally different environment, this signifies Kanes second life. The symbol of Rosebud throughout the movie is very important because Rosebud symbolizes the first life that Kane had and never wanted to leave. He didnt want to move with his father and become one of the rich socialites that his was father was. It seemed as though he wanted to live the life isolated from everyone else. That is probably why he moved away from the city and built a huge castle where he wouldnt be disturbed by anyone. While watching the movie it was very hard to see how Kane missed the life that he had in the country. To me it seemed as though Kane was depressed; and everything he would buy or try to do to fill the whole in his heart just never worked out. Although Kane was conquered by money (as so many people are), deep down inside it seemed as though he wished he could take his life back and never leave his mother and his small quiet home. ...

How the Study of Psychology Can Help You Interact with People

How the Study of Psychology Can Help You Interact with People How the Study of Psychology Can Help You Interact with People The human mind is very complex. It can be extremely difficult to understand why people in your life behave the way they do. Why does your boyfriend or spouse keep leaving his dirty socks on the floor even though you keep asking him not to? Why does your friend always cancel plans with you at the last minute? Why does your mother always criticize? The reasons are complicated; that’s why we have psychology to understand them. Here are all the ways the study of psychology can make your interactions with others go more smoothly. The art of skillful communication is made up of many little things: word choice, tone, facial expressions, and body language. Any small misunderstanding can lead to problems later. Studying psychology helps you understand verbal and nonverbal communication better, and also convey your own message to others more clearly. Understanding different personalities. Each individual reacts to situations differently based on his/her personality type. At Psychology classes, you learn all about these personality types and what kind of behavior to expect from them. In addition, there are many disorders (narcissism, passive-aggression, etc.) that cause people to behave in dysfunctional ways. Understanding these can help you cope with such behaviors in other people more effectively. Understanding yourself. It’s not unusual to feel alone in your thoughts and feelings. But the fact is there are probably many other people who share them. Studying psychology helps you learn about those thoughts and feelings which may be confusing and difficult, giving you perspective to deal with them better. You will become a stronger person Giving constructive feedback. Everyone needs feedback. But sometimes, if it’s given in a manner that’s critical or unkind, feedback can cause the other party to shut down. Psychology teaches you the nuances of how your feedback affects others, so you can use it to bring out the best in them instead of discouraging them. Conflict resolution. No one enjoys conflicts, but sometimes it’s inevitable. When you learn what causes people to respond in a negative way to the behavior or situation, you can resolve the conflict calmly, without allowing yourself to get carried away by your emotions. Identifying problem behavior. Sometimes we don’t realize that a friend’s or a co-workers behavior is a problem until it’s got out-of-control. Psychology helps us spot toxic behaviors and relationships early so that we can change the course or weed them out before things get too crazy for us to handle. Avoiding unnecessary power struggles. Some things are worth fighting for. Others are not. Studying psychology helps you choose your battles and save your energy for the areas in which you really can make a difference. Making the best of people’s good qualities. Studying psychology can make you more aware of dysfunction like anxiety or depression. But it also makes you more tuned into people’s positive qualities so you can appreciate them and use them to advantage in your personal life or the workplace. Being a good leader. A study of psychology is excellent preparation for a position of leadership in a company. It helps you understand your employees and how to get the best out of them. More options for careers. Studying psychology opens the doors to many great careers. You could become a clinical psychologist, a college professor, or a therapist, just to name a few. Your degree can also be useful if you go into a career as a vocational counselor, a human resource officer, a detective, or a market researcher. As you can see, Psychology is more than just a class. It can be a key component to navigating human relationships and finding success.

Control in an Organization Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Control in an Organization - Case Study Example Whisemand and Ferguson (2009) proposed a management style called Agile Organization that expands the perception on police forces. The proponent has taken into account years on experience as a police officer before drawing such strategy. Whisemand and Ferguson maintain that police organizations need to define their values. These are the aspects that give justification to their existence and foundations for all police actions. The next part involves the creation of a vision. The vision serves as the operational backbone and leads the force to their plotted goals. Whisemand and Ferguson contend that the vision has to prepare policemen to changes as well as improve the flexibility of the organization. The size of the police force is important in the success of the entity. Whisemand and Ferguson suggest that â€Å"The Rule of 150† (2009, 288) is the best start. Increasing the number of policemen beyond 150 poses several problems especially in the management aspect. Bureaucracy beco mes an issue when there are several chains and subsections. Lean organizations ensure better lateral movement and improvement communication within the organization. Speed often makes or breaks organizations. The pace in which leaders react to important events related to the police for will determine future success. Decision making is critical and such needs to be carried out seamlessly. For most crime victims, justice starts when the police force does their homework and resolves the cases. Moreover, information dissemination has to speed up to improve overall police work. Alternative approaches to managing police organizations require limitless possibilities. This means ending of boundaries within organizations such as making the operation more efficient and leaving by-the-book styles behind. More important, an entity of meritocracy has to be implemented where promotions are not based on connections or in most cases seniority. Most police entities have fixed goals and plans. Whisema nd and Ferguson proposes a brand of management that stretches these goals. The aim of this scheme is to eliminate rigid views and open an avenue of ideas and useful insight. Despite the complex issues facing police organizations, operations need to be done with simplicity. The method of communication has to be concise and delivered with a sense of clarity. In addition, facts and statistics have to be presented in a manner understandable to all stakeholders. At the end of an operating year, there has to be an evaluation done by the management. This involves an appraisal of decisions made and plans put to action. This ensures that past mistakes are prevented and contingency measures are drafted in the future. Also, continuous improvement has to be a theme well embedded among

Paper Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Paper Critique - Essay Example Since Chondrus crispus is dominant in the low tidal zone, Lubchenco looked at the effect of Chondrus crispus on the lower limit of F. vesiculosus and F. distichus zone: Chondrus crispus was removed from a section of the lower tidal zone at each site, and recolonization of the section was monitored regularly. (This involved either scrapping the erect part of Chondrus crispus off the rocks to mimic natural removal of Chondrus thallus during a winter storm, or removing even the Chondrus crust to mimic the rarely occurring complete Chondrus destruction by limpet grazing or ice scouring). I believe that in such a complex system as a natural ecosystem, it is hard to point to a single factor (biotic or abiotic) as the main determinant of a species specialization to a particular environment. In my opinion the author performed this part of the study in a rather biased way and looked solely at the effect of Chondrus crispus on the lower limits of fucoid species zone. I would suggest locating other environments with the same zonation pattern and comparing them to identify the range of parameters that are common among them. Another option might be examining the effect of the best three candidate biotic and abiotic factors in laboratory simulation conditions and looking whether these influence significantly the Fucus capacity to colonize the low tidal zone. 4. The author succeeded partially in answering and discussing the questions posed in the study. Her data confirmed that biotic factors do play a role in zonation pattern formation, along with previously identified abiotic factors. These data also demonstrated that inter-species competition and herbivory are the two biotic factors affecting species zonation patterns, with competition determining species survival, and herbivory affecting species abundance. Lubchenco discussed extensively the niche width-related question and concluded that this is

Essay on Fame in Djerassi’s Cantors Dilemma -- Cantors Dilemma Essay

Dreams of Fame in Djerassi’s Cantor's Dilemma  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚   Opportunistic scientists, the most hypocritical deviants of the modern age, revolve around the scientific method, or at least they used to. The scientific method once involved formulating a hypothesis from a problem posed, experimenting, and forming a conclusion that best explained the data collected. Yet today, those who are willing to critique the work of their peers are themselves performing the scientific method out of sequence. I propose that scientists, or the "treasure hunters" of that field, are no longer interested in permanent solutions, achieved through proper use of the scientific method, and rather are more interested in solutions that guarantee fame and fortune. Fame and fortune as a motive for scientific discovery is a popular theme in fictional writing, especially in Cantor's Dilemma by Carl Djerassi. Cantor's Dilemma is a novel of the struggles of two scientists through life and a Nobel Prize "campaign". As one digs deeper into the context of the novel, one finds it similar to that of a political race, a fight for glory. For example, the "Cantor-Stafford experiment", the first tumorigenesis experiment tested in the novel, was not validated before its findings were published. This example fails to meet the standards of the scientific method because a conclusion was reached before experimentation was fully executed. Surely any true scientist would know such conclusions to be unsuitable and not "Nobel" worthy. Yet, Cantor and Stafford, both, won a Nobel Prize for their work. Kurt Krauss in Cantor's Dilemma, an opportunistic scientist, is the extreme of scientific deviance. As a fellow scientist and a competitor, Krauss is charged with the duty of ch... ...o not believe my experience has changed the ways of the scientist at that company. Both in fiction and in real life a certain breed of scientists has decided to ignore the scientific method and chase dreams of fame. With that fame, they hope to dig deep into our pockets and reap the benefits of their poor workmanship. It is most evident from the examples given that these scientists, who have seemingly reversed scientific evolution, no longer care for true science and the scientific method, but rather are interested in personal glory. 1 Carl Djerassi, Cantor's Dilemma (New York, New York: Penguin Books, 1991), pg. 113. 2 Djerassi, Cantor's Dilemma, pg. 113. 3 Abbott laboratories, medical news, (http://www.plsgroup.com/dg/72da.htm), 5:25 p.m. 9/23/97 4 "Cold Fusion Times", (Wellesey Hills, MA http://world.std.com), 7:15 p.m. 9/23/97      

He Garfunkeled Your Mother: a Psychoanalytic Reading of the Graduate

He Garfunkeled Your Mother: A Psychoanalytic Reading of The Graduate The 1967 film, The Graduate, staring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft contains a plethora of human idiosyncrasies that would be of the utmost interest to the psychoanalytic minds of both Freud and Lacan. For this reading, I will focus on the theories of both Freud and Lacan in accordance with textual evidence to prove that Benjamin Braddock never achieves happiness in the end of the film, but has only just prolonged his quest to fight a miserable human existence.The most glaring and obvious reading of this film focuses around the character of Mrs. Robinson. An obvious Oedipal Complex emerges as Ben and Mrs. Robinson begin an affair. As an older woman, who Ben never calls by her first name, Mrs. Robinson becomes a replacement mother for Ben. Ben’s jealousy for his father emerges as Ben begins to understand his father is not worried about his own future, though Ben himself is extremely unsure about what the fut ure holds for his life. In fact, Ben’s father has built a distinctly upper class and well kept home for Ben and his mother.Ben subconsciously senses that his father holds all the power within the family dynamic as the sole breadwinner for the household. Understanding this unstated father-son rivalry, it is predictable through a Freudian interpretation that Ben would ultimately have sex with Mrs. Robinson, the wife of his father’s business partner. By doing, Ben can displace his Oedipal desires of wooing his mother to distract from his father’s power and wealth without actually committing incest, and therefore displace his father from a position of power.The focus on mother imagery does not stop there. Ben is often depicted in water in the form of his swimming pool, or staring into the water of his fish tank. Tyson tells us that the imagery of â€Å"dreams that involve water, especially immersion in water, might also be about our relationships with our mothersâ €  (Tyson 21). This explains why filmmakers chose to emerge Ben, in his phallic looking scuba suit, into his swimming pool. This symbolizes Ben’s emersion into the depths of his Oedipal Complex.At one point his parents push his head back under the water, thus illustrating that they are the ones who subconsciously pushing Ben into a state of dependence upon them. Though this backfires as he displaces the need for a mother or parental figure into his relationship with Mrs. Robinson. In this same scene one could conclude that this setting emphasizes Ben’s submersion into a conflict of the id, ego, and superego. Under the water, where there is no language or sound, like the Laconian Imaginary, Ben has to battle with his id, the pleasures he receives from sex with Mrs.Robinson, and his ego, deciding upon the rationality of his decisions. Once he emerges from the water and enters into the Symbolic, he is then again subject to the superego where he must decide if what he i s doing with Mrs. Robinson is right or wrong (Tyson 25). Ultimately, Ben continually chooses to avoid the situation and confrontation entirely and emerge himself and his thoughts in his pool or fish tank in order to repress any further emotional agitation (Tyson 15). The Freudian concept of fetishes is also highlighted throughout the film to serve as a constant reminder and protection to Ben.In the infamous scene between Ben and Mrs. Robinson in the Robinson’s living room, Mrs. Robinson has conveniently placed her legs up on the bar stool next to her. Her legs are spread just enough to seem inviting but not enough to reveal the fact that she has been â€Å"castrated† to Ben. There is even a series of dialogue that occurs as Mrs. Robinson sexily removes her stockings. What is most important about this scene, though, is that the line â€Å"Mrs. Robinson, are you trying to seduce me? † is delivered by Ben as the camera focuses on him through a frame made by Mrs.Rob inson’s leg, arched and positioned on a stool. By choosing to frame the most famous line from the movie this way filmmakers can ensure that Ben is still seen by viewers as innocent, protected from shame, and therefore likable, as he has not been subjected to the fact that Mrs. Robinson does not have a penis. Freud also suggests that the fetish is important because â€Å"it also saves the fetishist from becoming a homosexual, by endowing women with the characteristic which makes them tolerable sexual objects† (Freud 843).Benjamin can retain his absolute heterosexuality in the eyes of the viewer even though he is explicitly stating he does not want to have sex with this woman. His attention and focus on her legs informs the reader that he is still interested in her as a sexual being. Soon, though, this view of Ben as innocent is then shattered, as Mrs. Robinson appears to Ben in the next scene as completely nude. After seeing the naked female body, Benjamin is fully awar e that Mrs. Robinson has been castrated. He interjects, â€Å"Oh God,† â€Å"Let me out,† and â€Å"Jesus Christ,† in fear of what his has seen.The playful focus on Mrs. Robinson’s legs is gone and what remains serves as the glaring realization that Ben could be â€Å"castrated† by losing favor or power in his community if anyone found out that he had seen Mrs. Robinson naked. Benjamin eventually uses the premise of castration and phallus as power in an attempt manipulate Mrs. Robinson after their affair has been going on for some time. After deciding he has had enough meaningless sex, Ben asks Mrs. Robinson about her family including her daughter Elaine. Mrs.Robinson insinuates that Ben is not good enough for her daughter and then refuses to answer why he is not deemed good enough for Elaine. Ben then rips the sheet away from Mrs. Robinson’s naked body to reveal that he is still the only one in the room with a phallus and therefore should h old the power, as a way to force her to answer his question. Quickly, Mrs. Robinson covers her body to reclaim power within the situation. The scene escalates to Mrs. Robinson putting on her stockings again, playing Ben’s focus to her legs once more. Ben easily succumbs to her wiles giving back the power of an imaginary phallus to the older woman.This scene exemplifies Freud’s theory of castration anxiety, as the power in the room is switched back and forth between the person, male or female, who seems to be in possession of the phallus. Another possible, though more complicated, reading of the film emerges in a Lacanian analysis. Unlike Freud, who would argue that having a phallus is of the utmost importance, Lacan complicates the idea of power by questioning if it’s more important to have the Phallus or to be the Phallus. Mrs. Robinson perfectly highlights how important it is for women to be the Phallus. Mrs.Robinson wants to be desired by Ben, which is why sh e becomes so angry at the fact Ben takes her daughter on a date. Mrs. Robinson sees her own daughter’s youth and beauty as a threat to Ben’s attraction and affection. This younger woman is a roadblock to Mrs. Robinson being â€Å"the desire of the other† as Ben now wants someone young and single who poses an option of marriage that Mrs. Robinson does and can not (Palmer 1). In contrast, Ben does not desire to be the Phallus. Instead, he’s chasing pavements, in a sense, as his true desire, or ultimate Phallus, is being able to predict his own future.Though at one time he desired to be with Mrs. Robinson, his sense of desire changes as he realizes Mrs. Robinson cannot give him what he wants the way that Elaine can. Only Elaine, with her youth and ability to marry can be the only one who truly cannot give him what he wants, insight into his future which includes the possibility of a wife and children. Under this Lacanian analysis, it is almost impossible to distinguish whether it is more important to have the Phallus or to be the Phallus as both characters are left as equally unhappy. Mrs.Robinson is left feeling undesired as Benjamin literally fights tooth and nail to be with Elaine, and Benjamin is left still unknowing what the future holds for him. The film ends with Ben and Elaine running away from Elaine’s wedding to hop on a bus, take one last glance at what they left behind, and sit facing their future, starting blankly. A conventional reading of this film might conclude that the film has a â€Å"happy ending† since Benjamin ultimately ended up with the girl he had been chasing throughout the movie and therefore should be happy with achieving his goal. Freud and Lacan would both vehemently disagree with this reading.Freud would infer that since Ben continued to repress his feelings and act out his Oedipal Complex he has an obvious perversion that could only be solved or aided with deep and prolonged psychotherapy. Likewise, Lacan would conclude that Benjamin’s continuous pursuit of the Phallus is ultimately futile. Since Ben can never fully predict or understand his future, even when a life with Elaine is imminent, he will never be fulfilled or validated, as he will still have desires he can never realize. Only now, he has the added obligation of carrying Elaine along with him on his never-ending hunt for fulfillment.Works Cited The Graduate. Dir. Mike Nichols. Perf. Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. Embassy Pictures, 1967. DVD. Leitch, Vincent B. â€Å"Fetishism. † The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2010. 841-45. Print. Palmer, Donald D. â€Å"The Real, the Imaginary, and the Symbolic. † Structuralism and Poststructuralism for Beginners. New York, NY: Writers and Readers, 1997. N. pag. Print. Tyson, Lois. â€Å"Psychoanalytic Criticism. † Critical Theory Today: A User-friendly Guide. New York: Routledge, 2006. 11-52. Print.