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Representation of Psychopathic Characteristics in Fiction

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Representation of Psychopathic Characteristics in Fiction Representation of Psychopathic Characteristics in Fiction A Transitivity Analysis of the Protagonist’s External and Internal Dialogue in the TV-series You Author: Madeleine Olsson Supervisor: Jukka Tyrkkö Examiner: Charlotte Hommerberg Term: Autumn 20 Subject: Linguistics Level: Bachelor Course code: 2EN10E Abstract The series You (2018) challenges the traditional characteristics of a protagonist and introduces the audience to a psychopathic protagonist with traits which are typically recognised in the traditional villain. This study investigates the portrayal of the fictional character Joe Goldberg’s psychopathic characteristics by analysing the language used in his external and internal dialogues. More specifically, drawing on the tools of transitivity analysis (Halliday 1985), the study focuses on the process types and corresponding semantic roles assigned to the pronouns I and you used by the protagonist over the course of three strategically selected episodes of the series. The results of the qualitative and quantitative transitivity analysis of internal and external dialogues throughout three chosen episodes shows that in the internal dialogues Joe appears analytical and assigns attributes and actions to you which correspond to the mental representation of the object of his desire, Beck. While Joe’s internal dialogues ascribe some appealing attributes to Beck, the transitivity analysis also shows that he identifies traits of vulnerability, such as lack of confidence and being indolent in reaching her goals. In contrast, Joe’s approach in the external dialogues continuously appears to project him as a humble person who puts the needs of others before his own, expressing deep consideration and understanding of the needs and emotions of others. The audience is introduced to his manipulative behaviour by this contrast between his external and internal dialogues, which is highlighted by the transitivity analysis in the present study. Key words Discourse Analysis, Transitivity Analysis, Systemic Functional Linguistics, Fictional Psychopaths, Psychopaths and Language Table of contents 1 Introduction 1 2 Aim & Research Questions 2 3 Previous studies of psychopathy and language 2 3.1 Features in the Language of Psychopaths 2 3.2 The portrayal of Psychopaths in Fiction 3 4 Theoretical underpinnings 5 4.1 The system of transitivity 6 5 Material & Method 8 5.1 Material 8 5.1.1 The TV series YOU 8 5.1.2 Selection of Episodes 9 5.2 Method 9 6 Results and analysis 10 6.1 Quantitative overview of transitivity types and semantic roles 11 6.2 Qualitative analysis of relational, material, mental processes 14 6.2.1 External and Internal Dialogues Episode 1 14 6.2.2 External and Internal Dialogues Episode 5 17 6.2.3 External and Internal Dialogues in Episode 10 20 7 Discussion 22 8 Conclusion 25 References 27 1 Introduction Have you ever found yourself captivated by a character on TV with morals you would normally disagree with? If so, you are not alone. Statistics show an increased interest for movies and series involving psychopaths. The website The Numbers provides a market success for each category in the movie business and shows a clear interest for the Thriller/Suspense genre in film/Tv-series, representing the 5th most watched genre from 1995-2019. The genre is meant to “pull you in, build tension with intriguing suspense and keep you guessing until the very end” (MasterClass 2020). The genre includes several subgenres such as: Crime Thrillers, Action Thrillers, Legal Thrillers and the Psychological Thrillers. The Psychological Thriller subgenre, which is in focus in the present study, is said to “emphasise the unstable or delusional mental and emotional conditions of the characters and focus on the devious depths of the human mind” (Musack 2018). Shows within the genre, such as Dexter and You, challenge the audiences’ moral compass and portray a protagonist with characteristics more commonly found in villains. Psychopathy is a personality disorder known for characteristics such as “impulsiveness”, “lack of empathy”, “shallow emotions'' and “manipulative smooth talkers” for their goal-driven nature (Hancock et.al. 2013). Presumably, a character with those characteristics might not be perceived as a charismatic and likeable protagonist by the audience. However, the writers and producers of these shows somehow manage to ascribe charming characteristics to their protagonists, who capture the attention and hearts of the viewers. Psychopathic protagonists in present day fiction may thus be portrayed as smart, caring and deep. The focus in this paper is the psychological thriller You, originally a written novel from 2014 which was adapted into a Netflix Original Series in 2018, due to its immense popularity. The series portrays the protagonist Joe Goldberg, a seemingly charming, modest and clever book clerk who wants nothing more than to find his one-true-love. However, the audience is quickly introduced to his twisted thoughts, actions and frantic obsession. He falls in love with an aspiring literature student, Beck, and does anything to keep her in his life, including murdering people who intervene with his plans. Tendencies of psychopathy are unraveled as the series progresses. This study focuses on how the protagonist’s character is projected in his external and internal dialogues. 1(34) 2 Aim & Research Questions The aim of this paper is to analyse what linguistic choices may reveal about intended characteristics of the fictional protagonist of the series You (2018), drawing on the analytic tools of transitivity analysis developed within Systemic Functional Linguistics. The study is delimited to the protagonist’s lines and is guided by the following research questions: 1. What are the differences between the internal and external dialogues of the protagonist as regards process types and semantic roles? 3. How do process types and semantic roles vary over the timeline of three chosen episodes of the series? 2. What do the protagonist’s choices of process types and distribution of semantic roles indicate in terms of the psychological characteristics? 3 Previous studies of psychopathy and language The language used by psychopaths and the fictional portrayal of psychopathic characters have been studied before. Section 3.1 presents previous research on traits and language features commonly found in individuals with psychopathy. Section 3.2 subsequently presents the findings of previous studies on the portrayal of psychopathic characters in fiction. 3.1 Features in the Language of Psychopaths Recent research suggests that much could be learned by examining psychopaths’ language as many defining characteristics are directly portrayed in their language use. Insincerity, deception, and manipulation all involve language and are features defined in psychopathy (Hare, Williamsson, Harpur 1988:68). Brites (2016) synthesised a number of features of psychopaths and their language from previous research. The result suggests psychopaths use so-called “hollow language” as a way of manipulation, meaning thy can repeat and use language without understanding the semantic or emotional meaning behind it. As an example, the words “I love you” could have the same emotional depth as asking for a cup of coffee (Hare 1993 as cited by Brites 2016). Language is known to be an excellent vehicle to express emotions not only to others, but to oneself (Damásio 2012 as cited by Brites 2016). The absence of semantical and emotional aspects is related to the central characteristic that psychopaths usually have difficulties learning 2(34) from experience. As a result, the lack of empathy and understanding of emotional words may be due to the discordance between what psychopathic individuals say they feel and what they actually feel (Larson 2017:6). Hence, the reason why psychopaths can use words in their favour to manipulate may be that they are able to recognise the meaning of words, although fail to associate them with emotional implications. Studies about how individuals with psychopathy process emotional words showed evidence that language processes differ in individuals with psychopathic behaviour. The right hemisphere plays a dominant role in healthy individuals when processing emotional stimuli and connotative aspects of language. The left hemisphere is the more analytically oriented and processes the denotative aspects of language (Larson 2017:7). Consequently, the deficits may well contribute to those behaviours, since a reduced linguistic process may contribute to an incorrect process of inner speech (Patrick 2016 as cited by Brites 2016). In presence or absence of psychopathy, different types of knowledge surrounding language allow a speaker to implement semantics, i.e., meaning of words and expressions (Carroll 2008 as cited by Brites 2016). In certain situations, one could expect another to speak in a certain manner in relation to the context. Interacting with an individual who merely uses language as a tool without fully understanding the emotions connected to it might evoke wariness and strikes as odd, or manipulative. Psychopaths are in many cases seductive speakers and are good at selecting and using words, although could use them in an “unusual” manner. The words chosen are sometimes used in a fluid, persuasive and misleading manner to detach themselves from their behaviour (Hare 1998 as cited by Brites 2016). 3.2 The portrayal of Psychopaths in Fiction Leistedt and Linkowski (2013) presented a study which investigated the relationship between psychopathy
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