Character Analysis of Carrie Bradshaw

Whether it is fiction, film, or song, Sigmund Freud’s seminal psychological theories on human development have had a profound effect on popular culture. We see his ideas, particularly his psychosexual development theory, reverberate throughout many works of art of the past century. For this study, we will select an influential fictitious character from the twentieth century, and analyze the ways in which this character demonstrates Freud’s theory. The fictional character that has been selected for this analysis is Carrie Bradshaw from the immensely popular television series Sex and the City. The series, as well as the Bradshaw’s character, are based on a semi-autobiographical book by Candace Bushnell, which was eventually adapted into two movies in addition to the television show. First, we will discuss the show’s cultural impact and give a brief summary of the show and Carrie Bradshaw’s character. Then we will discuss Freud’s psychosexual theory at length; covering the five stages of development, and his ideas regarding the id, ego, and superego. Finally, we will evaluate Carrie and her character’s representation of the Freudian psychosexual theory.

The HBO broadcasted series was a huge hit for the network and a pop culture phenomenon in general. There had been similar shows depicting female camaraderie before Carrie Bradshaw came on the scene, but Sex and the City were different. One of the reasons the show resonated so well with audiences was its raw, unfiltered depiction of femininity. The show’s four main characters were brash, bold, and successful. Women had occasionally found themselves in this role on popular TV shows or movies, but examples are rare, and they were typically supporting characters. In Sex and the City, the four women that the series circles around are the people with power. In addition to displaying commanding women in commanding roles, the series was also revolutionary in its depiction of roles in sexual relationships. A lot of the relationships that occur in the show feature the women and men mutually sharing power (unlike real-life allegations from the Harvey Weinstein case), and just as many portray the women with the upper hand. The groundbreaking portrayal of empowered women in the city lends itself to a variety of literary and psychoanalytical analyses.

Carrie Bradshaw is a thirty-something, Caucasian, straight female, living in New York City in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She earns her living by writing a column in a local newspaper about relationships, sex, fashion, and of course, the city of New York. She lives in a studio apartment in the Upper East side, and money does not seem to be of much concern. Finances are not a common topic in the series, yet a lavish lifestyle is on constant display, particularly with Carrie’s love for fashion and shoes, and the ladies’ propensity for dining out. Somehow, through the magic of television, Carrie is able to buy and wear expensive name brand clothes and shoes and still support herself with her salary as a columnist. It is mentioned that at some point she has credit card debt and is forced to seek a loan from one of her girlfriend’s when her apartment goes co-op. This is one of the few instances of financial hardship in the show.

Not much is known about her background, she never mentions siblings, and rarely talks about her parents. There is a newer television series based on Carrie’s life when she was younger, but this series will not be included in this analysis. Throughout the series, we follow Bradshaw in and out of romantic relationships. The most significant of these were Aidan Shaw, and her on and off lover throughout the series and eventual husband, Mr. Big. Her girlfriends have lives that mirror her own. They are financially successful, independent, and often have tumultuous love lives. Miranda is a Harvard graduate lawyer, Samantha owns her own successful public relations business, and Charlotte runs an art gallery. These characters feed off each other's struggles and also help each other through tough situations.  

The personality theory that we will be implementing for our character analysis of Carrie Bradshaw is Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual theory. This theory highlights the importance of early childhood, as well as the unconscious mind in personality development. Freud’s theory of personality development states that there are five stages of psychosexual development that people must undertake to achieve a whole and healthy adulthood. These five stages are: oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital. These phases ideally run on a set schedule through a person’s life, yet many individuals get stuck in different phases. This results in sexual energy that is more or less trapped in one of the earlier stages of development. To be clear, the term sexual energy refers to energy towards anything from which an individual derives pleasure. 

The first stage, oral, takes place in infancy, typically from the moment of birth until about one year old. It is marked by sucking (mainly on thumbs and feeding breasts) and mouth noises. The second phase is anal. This is when a toddler realizes that it has control over its bowel movements, and can release or withhold them at will. In the phallic phase, generally 3-5 years of age, children become aware of their genitals, and that male and female have a different genital set. Children can become overly focused on their own genitalia. As a result, this stage of development is commonly known as the self-love, or masturbation stage. The next stage is latency. No sexual development occurs here. Instead, the child’s sexual energy is often sublimated towards developing new skills, school, sports, making friends, and playing with them. The final stage is the genital stage. Despite its name, this stage is not characterized by genital obsession like the phallic stage. This stage begins around the time of puberty and resolves in early adulthood. The first segments of this stage are marked by novice sexual experimentation with numerous people. This develops into sexual expression. By adulthood, generally twenties, the psychosexually successful individual will have settled into a healthy monogamous heterosexual relationship.

It is the fifth and final stage in which we find our fictitious character. This is the genital stage, which begins around the age of twelve and carries on into adulthood. However, portions of a person’s sexual energy can get stuck in the other stages, even if the person as a whole has progressed towards the later stages. Before we discuss Carrie, we will examine how these stages can manifest in adulthood. While the phases seem quite sexual by their names, these names are symbolic. For example, the oral stage is the first and dictates that the mouth is where an infant will focus their attention for a set period of time. If a person’s sexual energy stays in this phase into adulthood, this oral fixation can manifest itself in oral habits such as smoking or chewing gum. The next stage, anal, can be explained in childhood through two simple words: potty training. However, if an individual even partially remains in this stage in adulthood, they can become what is called anal-retentive. They are overly protective of their belongings, can be neat freaks, and guarded when with people. On the other end of the spectrum, they can be messy and prone to oversharing. The phallic psychosexual stage is where children discover that they are equipped with genitalia. In adults, this stage is demonstrated by one’s desire to pleasure themselves. This refers to anything that might bring pleasure (i.e. buying expensive clothes, dining in expensive restaurants). This is followed by the latency stage, where the child will tend to ignore their sexual feelings and instead try to relate to the caregiver that is the same sex as them. The effects of this stage do not generally last into adulthood. It is not until around the age of twelve that individuals enter into the genital stage. This stage, of course, is marked by the beginnings towards physical sexual maturity. Adults can very easily get stuck in the middle of the genital stage process. If a young man or woman continues to sexually experiment with multiple partners and refuses to commit, this is a sign that they have not completed the genital stage process.

According to our text, “Freud wrote that instincts were the basic elements of the personality, the motivating forces that drive behavior and determine its direction” (Schultz & Schultz, 2016, p. 43). The general understanding of the term “instinct” is that is it an unthought action that comes from a base necessity for survival. Freud’s definition is a little different. He believed that instincts are always present and at play within the human mind. He believed that instincts develop out of needs that humans will sometimes act on, and sometimes regress. While instincts serve basic human needs, In Freud’s view they are not acted out from completely unthought processes.

Whether or not we choose to act on our instincts or hold back depends on three other principles of personality. The three principles that make up the human mind, according to Freud, are the ego, the superego, and the id. The ego is the rational mind. As such, the ego makes the decisions of the personality and mediates between the other two, the superego, and the id. The ego, being the center of rationale, is why we do things that we otherwise would not necessarily choose to do. For example, getting out of bed in the morning and going to work. While most people do not want to go sit in an office all day, our ego decides that we will, because the ego knows that if we refuse, we risk potential discipline from our employer, loss of earnings, etc... “The ego develops in order to mediate between the unrealistic id and the external real world” (McLeod, 2007, p. 7). The id and the superego are the works of the subconscious mind, whereas the ego lives in the conscious or “real” mind.

If the desire to sleep in and forgo our jobs is negated by the ego, the part of us that is primal and animalistic, and wants us to sleep until our body feels fully rested is the id. The id is primitive and wants what it wants regardless of mediating factors. It is present at birth and is responsible for things like our sex drive and other biological desires or needs. It is also the basis of primal instincts such as aggression and anger. This is what people generally think of when they hear the word “instincts.” Yet as stated before, in Freudian psychology, the id is actually only one-third of our instinctual thought process. In addition to the ego and the id, our minds hold a third determining factor, the superego.

The id exists in direct opposition of the superego and therefore is constantly in conflict with it. “The superego incorporates the values and morals of society which are learned from one's parents and others” (McLeod, 2017, p. 10). The superego is the idealistic vision of what should a person be. The superego seeks to conform to societal, ethical, and moral concerns which often contradicts the id. Essentially, to compare Freud’s theory of the ego, superego, and id, to the theory of nature versus nurture, the id would be classified as “nature” and the superego would be considered “nurture”. While actions of the id are biological, natural, and human, they are not always considered socially, morally, or ethically acceptable actions in the view of societal norms. On the other end of the spectrum, what we have been conditioned, or “nurtured” to do are not always a legitimate possibility. In the middle of this conflict is the ego, which takes the brunt of being torn between the two sides. The ego must rationalize and determine the appropriate course.  It decides how and when to act on instincts.

This constant tug of war puts the ego under a great amount of stress. The stress that burdens the ego often creates anxiety, which leads to a discussion of Freud’s concept of defense mechanisms. Defense mechanisms are plentiful and can serve to defend the ego from situations that could be described as minor annoyances. However, in some cases, it can serve to shield the mind from traumatic memories that may otherwise shatter an individual’s psyche. Defense mechanisms tend to work on an unconscious level within the mind, but can be brought to consciousness. In short, their purpose is to ward off unpleasant feelings in general. According to Freud, they are not put in place by either the id or the superego, but the ego itself in order for survival. 

As aforementioned, there are a variety of different types of defense mechanisms, some of which are quite common in many people. Examples include repression, denial, projection, and regression. Denial may be one of the more common defense mechanisms and is something everyone has most likely experienced. When we are in denial, we are refusing to experience, or process the experience, as a means to avoid dealing with it directly. We know that the experience or feelings associated with the experience will be painful, and we would rather not feel it, so we simply choose not to. Unfortunately, in most circumstances, the ego cannot use denial forever, and we will eventually be forced to reckon with these painful emotions. However, denial can provide the ego with more time to deal with other decisions and complex situations before allowing itself to cope with whatever it is a person may be in denial about.

We see several of Freud’s development stages in Carrie Bradshaw. As she is a grown woman, who is clearly sexually experienced, she is firmly in the final stage. That stage is, of course, the genital stage. However, there is evidence that at least some of her energy is still stuck in the phallic phase, or rather, the self-pleasure phase. She is not alone in this however, the rest of the cast seems at least somewhat stuck in this phase. While they are not necessarily self-centered people, more often than not they do pursue self-interests. Carrie’s obsession with fashion could perhaps be an example of this fact, as it is largely a self-pleasing expenditure. Also, the fact that she writes about her own relationships and sexual exploits for her income could be viewed as a form of self-pleasure. She is undeniably giving and understanding with her friends, and the men she has relationships with, yet she is very focused on herself, almost to a fault. This demonstrates that she has not completed her psychosexual development. As Emily Nussbaum states in her article in the New Yorker, Carrie Bradshaw is “the unacknowledged first female anti-hero on television” (2013, para. 4). An anti-hero is someone who heroically defies societal and cultural norms. If Carrie was a person who had completed all stages of psychosexual development, she certainly would not be considered an anti-hero. She would simply be a woman, living her life the way that is expected of her.

Despite her tendencies toward the phallic stage of development, Carrie shows signs that she is firmly in the genital phase even if some of her sexual energy is still in earlier phases. This is demonstrated through several of her long lasting relationships in the show, but most specifically with her male counterpart and foil through much of the show, Mr. Big. Carrie longs to be in a healthy, monogamous relationship with Big. This shows that she is almost at the end of her development towards the end of the series. However, Mr. Big is not in the same stage as Carrie. Just as things are getting serious, and it seems that the two characters will commit fully to each other, Mr. Big becomes distant. He is stuck in both the phallic stage and the early phases of the genital phase, in spite of him being a bit older than Carrie. This prevents Carrie from actualizing her development through much of the show, yet finally, in the last season Mr. Big concedes, and the two get married. Both well into their forties, they finally complete their psychosexual development.

There is an interesting juxtapositioning of Carrie’s id, ego, and superego. Her id is clearly strong as she can act impulsively, and perhaps at time instinctually. However, the id is not the dominating characteristic. Neither is the ego, despite it having to constantly contend with a voracious id. The defining characteristic of Carrie Bradshaw’s personality is her superego. In reference to sociology theory as well, this is demonstrated by her conversations with her friends. She often seems to care more about what they think about her life than her own opinions on the subject. Her propensity towards expensive fashion also displays that she cares immensely about the opinions and values of the society to which she belongs. She often wears her flashy fashion sense out at public events and gatherings, further showcasing her superego, and its desire to conform. Perhaps the most obvious example of this is her column in the paper. She airs her life out to the public at large. Carrie longs for approval in the society she values, therefore her superego dominates her personality, often effectively quelching her id. 

Carrie leverages many of her defense mechanisms much as anyone else would. To relieve stress, she goes shopping or just simply hangs out with her friends. As far as we know, she has not had any significantly traumatic experiences in her life, therefore there is no need for serious repression or anything other drastic defense mechanism. Instead, her mode of defense could be more accurately described as a distraction. Her dating life also echoes this fact. She dates many men throughout the show, almost too many to keep count of, but nearly all of them serve as a distraction for Carrie’s emotions. They are merely there to keep her mind off of either Aidan or Mr. Big.

Freudian psychosexual personality theory contains many complexities and intricacies that can be utilized to assess character development. His stages of psychosexual development, the use of the id, ego, and superego, and also defense mechanisms lend themselves to a thorough and complex analysis of any character. Through a Freudian lens, we can examine how and why people make the decisions they do and how they act in situations that they face. Freud also provides us with explanations for the mind’s working on both conscious and subconscious levels which leave room for interpreting what we may not see in a character, but what may be in their thoughts. While his ideas are, at this point, considered fairly outdated for any practical usage in psychology, they were groundbreaking at their time and are still incredibly influential today. One of the more practical present-day usages is literary and character analyses. As we have seen by analyzing Carrie Bradshaw of Sex and the City, we can employ Freud’s psychosexual theories, and subsequently examine the motives of Bradshaw, and other fictitious characters, from a deeper and more complete viewpoint.

References

McLeod, S. (2007, February 5). Psychodynamic approach. Simply Psychology. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/psychodynamic.html

Nussbaum, E., & Nussbaum, E. (2017, August 22). Difficult women. New Yorker. Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/07/29/difficult-women

Schultz, D. P., & Schultz, S. E. (2016). Sigmund Freud: Psychoanalysis. In Theories of Personality (p. 43). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.