The Picture of Dorian Gray can be considered one of the most controversial novels of the aesthetic movement. Oscar Wilde was one of the leaders of the aesthetic movement of the 1890s. Wilde's novel introduces us to the lifestyle of someone who lives without borders. It delves deeper into the personality of our main character Dorian as well as some of the other characters to prove the inevitability of letting these psychological things take over. Throughout the novel, we can see the mental state of these characters slowly decline and their actions begin to be motivated by how they feel. These characters have different motivations due to their differentiated psychological mindsets. We will specifically look at these mental issues in Dorian Gray, Lord Henry, Basil, and Sybil Vane. Throughout the novel, Wilde shows us how harmful an unbalanced personality and mind can be. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay In The Picture of Dorian Gray, it is easy to see that there are ideas of influence as well as evil in this novel. These play a specific role in understanding the motivations of some of the main characters in this book. There seems to be a lot of things that contribute to the corruption of Dorian Gray, but we see that Lord Henry is probably considered the number one contributor. Henry's evil personality is the constant source of destruction in Dorian. He constantly persuades Dorian to think certain ways or do things he wouldn't usually do. One of the first things Lord Henry says to Dorian is, “to influence a person is to give him your own soul” (Wilde 20). We can clearly see that this foreshadows Henry's future desires to convert Dorian into an evil and manipulative person. Another theme that plays an important role in the novel is beauty. There is a direct relationship between character and beauty when the two come together to show how image changes over time. We can see that the decline of beauty and cruelty is a result of Dorian's behavior. Dorian's actions are depicted facing the portrait, which is why Wilde uses the reference to the portrait being a mirror. In the late 1800s, the idea that a person's psychological problems are the result of repressed impulses or childhood trauma was popularized by a man. named Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalytic theory focuses on unconscious and early childhood experiences. (Spielman 20). Freud was the founding father of psychoanalysis, he believed that we never really give our motivations for doing things. He says it's not because we lie, but because we are the best at self-deception. (McLeod p. 3). Freud's psychoanalytic theory has three specific parts; the id, the ego and the superego. We can distinctly see these parts throughout The Picture of Dorian Gray because of the way the characters act and think. If we pay close attention to these characters in the novel, we see that each shows a specific part of psychoanalytic theory. Lord Henry strongly describes the it part in the theory. His character wants automatic satisfaction from things. His character is primarily focused on pleasure and this pleasure must be achieved regardless of whether the consequences are worth it. This can be seen in the way he is only interested in his instincts, he is interested in death and the beauty of things. He doesn't seem to show any empathy or regret for anything he does.He tries to make Dorian the same type of person he is, which causes Dorian to have an inner struggle between his id and his superego. In the book, it shows that Henry is trying to get Dorian to only care about himself and his desires. “Your own life is what matters. As for the lives of our neighbors, ... we can display our moral opinions about them, but that does not concern us. Furthermore, individualism truly has the highest goal” (Wilde p. 94). When Lord Henry says this, we can see that he is essentially telling Dorian that other people are of no concern to him, that Dorian himself is what should really matter and no one else. Basil demonstrates the superego part of the theory. The superego is the part of the theory that focuses on the values ​​and morals of society. It acts like our consciousness. It seeks perfection and arouses feelings of pride or guilt. (Openstax p. 5). The Superego is believed to control id impulses and direct the ego toward moral rather than real goals. Basil displays these traits by continually trying to convince Dorian not to give in to immorality. He wants Dorian to ignore the horrible things that Lord Henry is trying to instill in him. In one part of the novel, Basil says, “Dorian, that’s horrible! Something has completely changed you. You look exactly like the same wonderful boy who, day after day, came to my studio to pose for his photo... You were the most untouched creature in the entire world. Now I don't know what came over you. You speak as if you had neither heart nor pity” (Wilde 122). He sees that Dorian is acting differently, he is trying to make Dorian see himself changed and that the way he is acting is wrong. Dorian himself also exhibits the superego trait in psychoanalytic theory. To be more precise, it starts as the superego but ends up being the id as well. At the beginning of the novel, Dorian is very polite and untouched as he is described in the book. He had good morals and he did nothing without moral reason. He wanted everything in his life to be perfect and balanced, but we see it take a turn for the worse. After Sybil Vane's death, Dorian begins to struggle between morality and immorality. When Sybil dies, Lord Henry tells Dorian that her death is an artistic achievement of which he should be proud. He begins to lose his emotional and moral superego and gives in to Lord Henry's ideas. Sybil's death marks the beginning of Dorian's downward spiral and mental deterioration. Dorian seems to be a "battleground" for these two parts of the theory. We can see that in different parts of the novel, Dorian seems to constantly have internal conflicts as he goes back and forth between what is right and wrong. This becomes clear after Sybil's death, and then again near the end of the book when he decides to destroy the portrait. The whole novel seems to show Dorian as a character caught between the battles of the id and the superego. The next psychological aspect that we can draw from this novel is the troubles that are depicted throughout the story. Narcissism is one of the most common themes in this novel, so that is one we will discuss. This novel served as the basis for a disorder called "Dorian Gray Syndrome." This syndrome is a “cultural and societal phenomenon characterized by a man's extreme pride in his personal appearance, which is accompanied by difficulties in coping with the demands of psychological maturation and the aging of his body”. This is very closely related to narcissism. They have ideal characteristics and Dorian is a perfect example. He expressed several times throughout the novel that he wanted to remain beautiful forever: "I am jealous of everything whose beauty does not die." I am jealous of the portrait you made of.