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Analysis via Cartoons

My Contribution would be...

If I were to make a contribution to psychoanalytic theory, it would be the development of a system for analysis based on perceptions of cartoons.

I actually started some pilot studies on myself by sorting cartoons from New Yorker magazines into two piles -- the ones I liked (thought were funny) and the ones that didn't seem funny to me.

The theory behind the analysis would be basic Freudian theory -- on one level a cartoon is funny for a fairly obvious reason, but there are other, deeper, less funny, reasons that each person prefers a cartoon. The cartoons that a person finds not-funny would also be revealing.

 

Cartoon Analysis


I have the complete cartoons of the New Yorker as a resource. There are
recurring themes such as authority, social class, and visual puns. Would
different personality types be attracted to each theme?


I lost interest in the project, but I am certain it has potential. Cartoon analysis
would be fun, like handwriting analysis or body language analysis. Before
I quit, the final thing I did was look at cartoon stacks months later to see if
there was any personal consistency -- did I prefer the same ones at a later
date? Preferences that are consistent over time might be a better road to
the unconscious.

 

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