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How a psychologist thinks about your favorite

Film & TV characters.

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Welcome to Characters On The Couch, my Film & Television site, where I delve into character psychology. If you’re interested in psychology, film, or a combination of the two, I bring my insights into your favorite contemporary and classic characters. I hope to help you understand their deeper psychological motivations (and, maybe, even your own).

When you think about truly iconic films, do you wonder what gives them such staying power? Is it the time of your life when you watched them? Is it the costumes or images that seemed unforgettable? Did one or more characters align with your struggles or painful experiences? Did you feel along with them?  Or maybe, it’s simply that the film pulled at your heart and caused you to explore emotions in a new and profound way?

I say it’s all of the above. And, in the same way, when these meaningful elements are missing, a story becomes forgettable. I hope this site will encourage you to transform your story, personal or in writing, into magic by finding the human thread that links it and you to a universal experience.

Everything in life ties us back to complex emotions and the rhythm and language of feelings and psychology. I'll offer your that language of feeling in my blog as I write about the human struggles in each film.

WAYWARD PINES
If You’re Lied To & Controlled
Paranoia Is Reasonable

No one in Wayward Pines has any independence at all. And, ironically, it happens to be Independence Day. Yet, what do you do with that? Be paranoid? Maybe. Because when you’re being controlled, it makes sense to be paranoid. Especially in Wayward Pines, where you live in a world made up of lies, secrets, and…

Read More about WAYWARD PINESIf You’re Lied To & ControlledParanoia Is Reasonable

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK
Talking To Soso About Depression
Healy Gets It 100% Wrong

Never stop a depressed person from talking. Healy gets it 100% wrong in Orange Is The New Black. Never say, “It’s all in your head.” It’s not. Or that no one wants to be around you because of your feelings. There are reasons for every depression. Including Soso’s, in Season 3 of Orange Is The…

Read More about ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK Talking To Soso About DepressionHealy Gets It 100% Wrong

WAYWARD PINES
Watch Out For Arrogant People

The people of Wayward Pines can’t watch out now. It’s too late. But it’s important to distinguish between arrogant people and someone who wants to help. Arrogance gives you no Choices. Truly, there couldn’t be a more ironic title for Episode 6 of Wayward Pines. Because no one who ended up in Wayward Pines really…

Read More about WAYWARD PINES Watch Out For Arrogant People