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How Does Hitchcock Present Schizophrenia In The Movie Psycho

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The Film Psycho, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, effectively presented the ideas of murder and schizophrenia through the use of characters, with the double-sided Norman Bates in particular, and visual techniques as well as sound techniques. The ideas of murder and schizophrenia were presented well in the movie "psycho" through the use of characters. The character of Norman Bates was the central character in the film and had a complex and differing personality. One moment he was shy, kind, lonely Norman Bates, a mother's boy, and the next he was a deadly jealous Mrs. Bates, his deceased mother. This was because he was affected by schizophrenia, and at times his mother's side took over him. We can see this very clearly in the movie in the last …show more content…

She yells and her hand hits a light bulb, sending it swinging back and forth casting short-lived shadows across the mostly decayed skull of Mrs. Bates, making her look almost alive, which of course she is, in Normans mind. Norman has revealed his mother no longer exists, her presence was kept alive in the mind of her son. This is cleverly portrayed in the film, with the voice-overs of Norman in conversation with his mother (himself) making us believe that she really does exist, and adding to the horror of the scene when we see who Mrs. Bates' really is. The idea of schizophrenia is tied up with the idea of murder because while Norman is typically a nice, shy man. When his mother side takes over, "she" murders all the people that he has become attracted to in a jealous fit of rage. In essence, "Normans Mother" murders all the people that he likes, which sounds …show more content…

Love and hate are often described to be diametrically opposed, it is impossible to speak about hating the one we love without engaging in a logical contradiction. However, it is possible to love a person, but hate small features of that said person. When feeling hate and love toward a person not at a random time, but over an extended period of time, the presence of those mixed emotions are unclear, the presence of different emotions that are both profound and all encompassing, such as love and hate, toward the same person, seems to be psychologically incompatible. Norman has a mental hardship in which he holds two contradictory beliefs at the same

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