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Characters On The Couch

How a psychologist thinks about your favorite Film & TV characters.

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Janis Little Girl Blue Singing for her Feelings To Be Heard

JANIS LITTLE GIRL BLUE
Singing For Her Feelings
To Be Heard

May 31, 2016 by Dr. Sandra E. Cohen

“I sing because I can experience a lot of feelings…” Otherwise, Janis Joplin had no one to hear. The most chilling part of Amy Berg’s documentary, Janis: Little Girl Blue, is to witness the cold formality of Mother and Father Joplin. No one can miss Janis’s hunger for love. Less obvious are the roots of …

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Singing For Her Feelings
To Be Heard
Donald Trump The Good & The Ugly in his Political Incorrectness

DONALD TRUMP
The Good & The Ugly
In His Political Incorrectness

August 13, 2015 by Dr. Sandra E. Cohen

The Good: We see exactly who he is – since Donald Trump has only contempt for any kind of political correctness. Most of us are politically correct because it reflects what we believe. Yet, political correctness for political correctness’s sake could hide what someone really thinks. The Donald isn’t self-aware enough to hide. He’s also …

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The Good & The Ugly
In His Political Incorrectness
GONE GIRL What Makes Amy Elliot Dunne Tick? 7 Clues

GONE GIRL
What Makes Amy Elliot Dunne Tick?
7 Clues

February 28, 2015 by Dr. Sandra E. Cohen

Amy Elliot Dunne is a seriously troubled young woman. Rosamund Pike’s nuanced and chilling performance, in David Fincher’s Gone Girl, does her troubles justice. Yet, can we merely write her off as an unredeemable sociopath? If we follow some clues to what drove her to do what she did – is it even remotely possible to …

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What Makes Amy Elliot Dunne Tick?
7 Clues
Ida 2 Paths Away From Loss

IDA
Two Paths Away From Loss

February 26, 2015 by Dr. Sandra E. Cohen

The Academy Award-winning film, Ida by Pawel Pawlikowski, is beautifully poignant visually, thematically, and psychologically. A haunting story of loss and the sometimes- unwinnable struggle against the overwhelming feelings involved. Loss is difficult under any circumstance. In Ida, we witness an aunt and niece estranged in the aftermath of the Nazi occupation in Poland. Both …

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Two Paths Away From Loss
Psychology of the Oscars Best Picture Nominees 2015

PSYCHOLOGY OF THE OSCARS
Best Picture Nominees 2015

February 23, 2015 by Dr. Sandra E. Cohen

Each time I watch a film, my psychoanalyst’s mind begins to construct the same kinds of understandings I might give to my patients. Here is a recap of my psychological thoughts on tonight’s Oscar Best Picture Nominees 2015 and a few other notable films. 2015 has been a great year for actors and directors at …

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Best Picture Nominees 2015
Still Alice What's Lost & Found in Alzheimer's

STILL ALICE
What’s Lost &Found In Alzheimer’s

February 22, 2015 by Dr. Sandra E. Cohen

Even in the No Exit tragedy that Alzheimer’s is, bits and pieces of that old self still come through. Julianne Moore’s heartbreakingly real performance couldn’t show this more clearly. And, even, as Still Alice poignantly reveals – sometimes something flowers into bloom that wasn’t free to live fully before. A buried part of Alice is found. …

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What’s Lost &Found In Alzheimer’s
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Inspiration

“We come to Film and TV to find our hidden stories. If we look deeply into a character’s psyche, there is much to see about ourselves.”

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