The Divided Self: a psychological look at the OotS

[Beowulf DW]

When people gather together into a group, they can sometimes be thought of as a single psychological entity, with each member representing a certain personality trait.

How would you classify each member of the Order of the Stick, if they were to be thought of as a single entity?

Roy-The conscience; he tries to do what's morally right, obeying the spirit of the law, if not the letter.

Belkar- The id; instinctual, animal, brutal

Elan- naivety

Durkon- part of the Super Ego; obeys laws as set down by a higher power, doesn't view those laws as mere guidelines like Roy does, but as absolutes

And...that's all I got.

[Closak]

V: The arrogance and belief that he is justified in doing anything he wants while expecting no one to get angry at him for it.

[ScottishDragon]

Haley:Impulses such as greed,lust,etc..,

[Besyanteo]

To be fair, Closak, V seems to have turned from that path. We've only seen a little bit of his behavior since he changed, but he did go off and develop as a character. Certainly he understands why people have been angry with him, and why many of his actions were wrong now.

That said, Belkar handles that role in addition to his default one quite nicely. :smallbiggrin:

[Manga Shoggoth]

All I can say is that Haley is well ahead of you:

381 Improved Feint (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0381.html)
382 Risk vs. Reward (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0382.html)

[Starbuck_II]

V: The arrogance and belief that he is justified in doing anything he wants while expecting no one to get angry at him for it.

Pride and Vanity you mean?

[Draconi Redfir]

Elan: right arm and hand!

Haley: left arm and hand!

Durkon: torso!

V: left foot and leg!

Belkar: right foot and leg!

Roy: and i will become... the head!

we. are. STICKTRON!!!!!

[pendell]

:stabs Gicko and harvests his kidn--: wait, we can't do that anymore here, can we?

*Shakes finger* BAD, Gicko! BAD!


:Goes off to get an aspirin for the pain caused by the bad, BAD joke:

Tongue-in-cheek,

Brian P.

[ChrisFortyTwo]

V: The arrogance and belief that he is justified in doing anything he wants while expecting no one to get angry at him for it.

I would agree - stemming from hir intelligence and egotism (self-importance of image, as opposed to Freud's Ego).

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

Well, this does work pretty well in the earlier strips.

Durkon was (and still kind of is) superego-centric. He's sensitive to a standard of goodness that lies outside of his immediate surroundings - one that he brought with him from home. He also sounds like everyone's mother. Roy displays this quality, too, but to a lesser extent.

Roy, Haley and V were all ego-centric, but for different reasons. Haley identified things in the world that she wanted and took them - the Ego's job, from what I know of Freud. V invested himself in a specialized identity, to the extent that he got carried away with it - also very Egoey. As they've grown as characters, they've distanced themselves from these roles, becoming more well-rounded character studies.

Roy's role was (and still is) that of the Ego used properly - evaluating both of those inputs, plus those of the others, to direct the team as a whole.

Elan and Belkar were Id-centric. They both just DID stuff without really thinking - Elan ignored the Ego because he was used to thinking in tropes and emotions, whereas Belkar did so because he was content to, "sit on the couch and eat Cheetos while everyone else was playing." Both have improved a bit, but Elan still fulfills this role pretty well. SOMEBODY has to.

[veti]

I would call V the Ego. She is the one who can most efficiently translate a stated objective ("defeat the chimera") into a practical course of action. She doesn't (in general) question the objective or contribute to setting it, she's just exceptionally good at figuring out "if this is what we're doing, then here's how to do it."

That would make Roy the Super-Ego - the objective-setting part of the mind.

Durkon is a Jungian element (as befits a cleric). He represents the longing for constancy, something rock-solid to act as a foundation and measure.

Haley, Elan and Belkar - the chaotic characters - represent various right-brain functions. Hugely oversimplified: Belkar is anger, Elan is love, and Haley is worry and uncertainty. When Durkon calls Elan (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0153.html) "tha heart an' soul o' the team", he's foreshadowing the power of love to overcome uncertainty and fear.

[Acero]

Haley: Desires(gold, Elan, etc)

Belkar: The impulses


the rest are pretty much covered

[Beowulf DW]

Well, this does work pretty well in the earlier strips.

Yes, this way of thinking of the Order works best early in the story, up until the party split. After that, they began to change and develop.

It still seems too early to start reassigning what portion of the mind each party member now represents, but I'm pretty sure that Belkar is still the id.

[veti]

I don't think there's any reason to confine the analysis to early strips: I think it still holds good, right through the party split and up to the present.

During DStP, without Roy, both parts of the party are directionless. V in particular, lacking direction, goes visibly insane. Durkon sinks into near-invisibility (without Roy to need him, he doesn't have much of a role), and Haley is unable to overcome her uncertainty and doubt. It takes Roy's stand-in, Celia, to motivate her to get off her pretty little backside and try to do something positive. Belkar is pretty much neutralised (by the Mark of Justice), and ends up learning to channel his energy more constructively. We might call it "sublimating" the Order's anger.

And Elan, of all people, is the one who starts to take on aspects of Roy's role, in much the same way as a damaged brain can eventually learn to cope without the missing parts. Elan starts to set interim goals, takes the lead in negotiations, acts as Hinjo's bodyguard. He illustrates the "healing" power of love, and it's thanks to him that the party as a whole emerges from the split with its Good alignment not just intact, but slightly strengthened. (Belkar is being nicer, Haley has developed a conscience. Vaarsuvius went off the rails, but she had to split from the party to do it, and now she's back with them she's disturbed by the whole episode.)

[waterpenguin43]

Roy: The logic. He cares most about what's the thing most effective they could do for the cause of good.
Haley: Discipline (or lack of). Haley represents one who cannotcontrol her urges but is trying to develop herself.
Durkon: The morals. While Roy wants to do the most effective thing, Durkon wants to what's right, no matter the consequences.
V: Transformation. V has transformed more then any other party member, even Haley. (S)he represents transformation of the mind to match the situation.
Elan: Happiness. Elan simply goes out to be charming and kind. He does his best to cause happiness in his friends and doesn't care for intelligence or enlightenment.
Belkar: Hatred. Belkar embodies all people do out of Xenophobia, Sexism, or raw hatred.