Jung's Theory In Batman Begins

In the film, “Batman Begins” we see the events that led a young Bruce Wayne to become Batman, as well as his first challenges as the Caped Crusader. This essay attempts to apply the theories of Jung and Adler to the hero Bruce, in an attempt to determine which of these two theories applies best to the character.

One of Jung’s unique concepts is that of a complex. He defined it as a “pattern of emotions, memories, perceptions, and wishes in the personal unconscious organized around a common theme”. A complex is a pattern in a person’s life that is centered around some theme, yet the obsession with the particular theme is so strong that it influences behavior (Cite Textbook). For Bruce that complex is centered around the theme of justice. He

Although there are many archetypes, one that is especially useful to understand Bruce is the Persona Archetype, which refers to the mask that a person wears in public to represent themselves differently that who they really are. Bruce is depicted as a person who is good at masking who he really is. Throughout the film, he is constantly pretending to be someone he is not. During his years traveling, he infiltrates groups of criminals and appears to be one, he steals and committs different crimes with them. When he comes back to Gotham, he develops the billionaire, playboy facade, where he dates different models, and drives a luxurious Lamborghini. During his dates out he buys random hotels. He is constantly seen smiling and appears to be a selfish and spoiled person. He goes as far as saying in public, “ a guy who dresses up like a bat clearly has issues” (Movie Citation), even though he is talking about himself. Yet, it is made even more clear in the film that in reality Bruce is the facade and that Batman is the real Bruce, when the character Rachel Dawes, who is a love interest to Bruce, says, “Your real face is the one that criminals now fear.” (Movie Citation). Jung believed, that the persona is necessary to succeed. In Bruce’s case he needs to avoid suspicion of being Batman to protect himself and loved ones from criminals who might want to

This is the archetype that has the “basic, primitive animal instincts...behaviors that society considers evil and immoral…[that] must be restrained...If not, society will likely punish us.”(Cite Textbook). Bruce is a character who is aware of these instincts and behaviors. However, he cannot completely restrain or suppress them, so he channels them to the Batman persona. Using this persona he gives into these instincts. Anger and rage are basic instincts that society does not look kindly upon. It expects them to be suppressed, however Bruce is overwhelmed by these instincts that manifest themselves in behaviors such as violence and destruction. We see these instincts in him, when his mentor asks him if he blames himself for his parents’ death, to which he responds that his “anger outweighs [his] guilt” (Movie Citation). We see the behaviors that society disapproves such as getting into fights, and a car chase scene where he destroys lots of property. Another primitive instinct is fear. During his training he learns to master fear, by first learning to master his own. Later, he is seen able to instill fear into criminals, as shown in a scene where criminals are running scared asking what he