Psychology Essay: Gothic Psychology

Psychology Essay: Gothic Psychology

The purpose of the present essay is to relate Gothic art and Gothicism to psychology. Theoretically, Gothic art, literature and ritualistic appearance may be linked to many psychological elements, such as romance, despair and helplessness. By the way, learned helplessness refers to a mechanism in psychology that describes an individual so hopeless as to give up entirely, since none of that individual’s efforts are likely to influence the outcome in any efficient matter. Researchers first established the effect in a laboratory experiment.

Neuroscience has seldom examined Gothic subjects directly, although the close field of psychology certainly has. Various writers describe the behavioural science emanating from Gothic literary works (novels published in the late 1700s and 1800s) as influenced by societal and political issues, such as social status inequalities. Psychological undercurrents of the Goth subculture tradition have also been discussed at large in the literature. The image below relates to a variant of Gothic and Goth expressive fashion:

Goth Couple Dancing Ballet. Dance schools and academies across the world teach samba, cumbia, rumba, merengue, bachata, reggae, lambada, waltz, foxtrot, quickstep, cha-cha-cha, tango and other ballroom dances and, yet, ballet remains unmatched. Further, ballerinas are also associated to music through decorative doll uses on jewelry cases. Gothic ballet. Image: Image: © Megan Jorgensen (Elena)

Festivals are held worldwide in Germany and Russia, among other places, for Goth music, youth culture and style. Apparel can be found in many specialized stores, as well as medieval and Victorian era shops, and those of an erotic nature.

Psychologists have wondered about the motivation behind associated lifestyles, and certain theories suggest that a dark and somber outlook paradoxically helps to foster a sense of security in some people. Additionally, the customs intertwined with otherworldly forces may serve to create an illusion of power. A similar function may underlie the highly technologically advanced prosthetic eyes, and other high-tech replacements, in the Star Trek series’ and movies’ (science fiction) cybernetic alien race – the Borg (known for assimilating other civilizations they deemed worthy, and incorporating them into the hive mind or the Borg collective). In such drastic environments, the intrinsic human need to belong appears at odds with autonomy. Still, the shared knowledge at times came in handy even for those few who have successfully departed the Borg society, namely Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and subsequently, Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). Hopefully, the present paper made a good contribution to the discussion of the interrelation of Gothic style to psychological theory.