By: Alex Khanna
In the version of the fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast”, written by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont and published in 1756, there are many psychological concepts at play. There is so much going on within the story and between all of the characters regarding this topic. I identified the main psychological ideas regarding the individual characters. The first of them was the Oedipus complex syndrome, a syndrome where a child will feel very attached to the parent of the opposite sex (Dolloff). Then I identified Stockholm syndrome, a syndrome where a hostage develops a psychological bond to the person who captured them (White). After that I recognized depression, a constant or prolonged feeling of sadness (“Depression”). Then personal growth or self actualization from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, where a person reaches their fullest potential. This can only happen after all of the other thighs have been met within Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (Mcleod). Also isolation, specifically, social, emotional and cultural. Lastly, fear of rejection, where someone is afraid to open themselves up to others out of fear they will not be accepted by them (“Deconstructing the Fear”). The psychological themes from the individual characters are similar to the ones for the story in general, but not exactly the same. For the general story, the main psychological ideas present are transformation (Meintassis). This theme goes for both physical and mental transformation as they are both present. Sacrifice is also something that is apparent in the story in multiple ways (Horkovska). Lastly, there is the theme of attachment (“Attachment Theory in”). This theme is present in every single character in “Beauty and the Beast”. It is also a theme that presents itself differently in individual characters. In this essay, my aim is to holistically analyze all the prominent psychological themes present in “Beauty and the Beast” in order to show how the presence of them offers a better understanding of the characters and offers an enhanced overall message of the story.
Beaumont’s version and Disney’s adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast” were both based on a fairy tale called “La Belle et la Bete” by a French author named Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. Villeneuve’s “La Belle et la Bete” was published in 1740. Her story was based on someone she knew personally who suffered from a condition known as hypertrichosis causing hair to grow all over one’s body and face(“The True Stories”). While both Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont’s and Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve’s stories are very popular, the most well known and iconic adaptation of this story is Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Disney’s adaptation of Beauty and the Beast is a musical romantic fantasy film. It was released on November 22, 1991 and was produced by Walt Disney ( Contributors to Disney).
The Disney version of this story is a more simplified tale meant for a younger audience. In the majority of the adaptations of Beauty and the Beast, there are certain lessons and values that can be taken from them. The most apparent of these are selflessness, acceptance of others, and inner beauty. All of these are present in the character Beauty. There are many examples of Beauty being selfless throughout the tale. The most important one would be when Beauty refuses to let her father go back to the Beast’s palace and takes her place. “‘Rest assured, Father,’ said Beauty, ‘that you will not go to that palace without me. You can’t keep me from following you. I may be young, but I am not all that attached to life, and I would rather be devoured by that monster than die of the grief which your loss would cause me’”(Beaumont 43). She does this not knowing what will become of her and aware of the possible life threatening danger that could await her. Beauty’s acceptance of Beast shows how she was willing to look past the apparent negatives of Beast. She is truthful in telling the beast that he is ugly and not very smart. Though she still is able to see the inner beauty within Beast. She is then rewarded for doing this by the fairy making her a princess and living in a castle. “‘Beauty,’ said the lady, who was a grand fairy, ‘come and receive the reward for your wise choice. You preferred virtue to looks and intelligence, and so you deserve to see those qualities united in a single person. You will become a noble queen, and I hope that sitting on the throne will not destroy your many virtues’”(Beaumont 49). This teaches the lesson that being a good person and seeing people for what is on the inside rather than the outside will be rewarded.
A significant amount of the psychology in play derives from the main character in “Beauty and the Beast”, Beauty. This character displays stockholm syndrome, Oedipus complex syndrome, and self actualization. Stockholm syndrome is somewhat apparent in Beauty. She develops a strong connection with Beast, her capturer, while she is staying in his palace. Although, this is a disputed claim for a few reasons. For one, Stockholm syndrome requires that the person who is held hostage is actually kept there against their will (White). While Beauty does willingly bring herself to Beast’s palace thinking she may be devoured or kept prisoner, she is in fact treated very well by Beast and free to do what she pleases. This is evident when Beauty requests to see her father for a week. “‘I would rather die myself than cause you pain,’ said Beast. ‘I will send you back to your father. Stay there, and your poor beast will die of grief’” (Beaumont 47). This is enough cause for one to dispute the stockholm syndrome claim as she was not kept against her will. So while there still is an argument for Stockholm syndrome being in play in “Beauty and the Beast”, it is not definitive enough to be sure. On the other hand, there is a much more sound argument for Oedipus complex syndrome created by Sigmund Freud, in “Beauty and the Beast”. Beauty is shown to have a very special and loving relationship with her father. She displays her affection and loyalty to him throughout the tale. The most prominent examples of this are Beauty giving herself to Beast to save her father and her constant worry and care for her father while she is living with Beast. A problem that comes up for the claim that an Oedipus complex is in play in “Beauty and the Beast” is that an Oedipus complex also states that there would be an “…envious and aggressive feelings toward the parent of the same sex”(“The Oedipus Complex”).This is an issue because Beauty’s mother is not mentioned in the Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont “Beauty and the Beast”. Although, it is still a valid claim to make because Beauty’s relationship with her mother was never described. The claim for Beauty reaching Self actualization, I feel, has the strongest evidence. Self actualization is a part of the famous psychological concept, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Self actualization is the final step of this hierarchy. The levels on the hierarchy required to reach this level are physical needs, safety and security, love and belonging, self-esteem. After these needs have been met, one can reach self actualization (Mcleod). It is clear from reading Beaumont’s “Beauty and the Beast” that her physical needs are being met. While Beauty’s family is not nearly as wealthy as they once were, there is no mention of her family struggling to maintain their physical health. The need of safety in Beauty’s story is something that, in general, it met. The only time where her safety and well being are questionable was when she was on her way to Beast’s palace. “‘You see father,’ she said while forcing a laugh, ‘the beast wants to fatten me up before eating me, since he paid so dearly for me’”(Beaumont 44). While Beauty was not sure of her fate at this moment, she ended up not being in danger at all. The need for love and belonging is clearly met for Beauty. This is evident from her relationship to her father and then later on, her relationship with Beast. For self-esteem, it can be assumed that beauty had no issue with this as she was constantly treated well by everyone and being asked to marry them even after her family lost their fortune. “There were a number of gentlemen who would have been happy to marry Beauty, even though she didn’t have a penny”(Beaumont 40). Seeing as the four previous needs from Maslow’s hierarchy are met, Beauty can potentially reach self actualization. The moment where Beauty reaches self actualization was when she realized that she truly did love and care for Beast, regardless of his traits from the outside. “I give you my hand in marriage, and I swear that I belong to only you. Aleas, I thought that I felt only friendship for you, but the grief I am feeling makes me realize that I can’t live without you”(Beaumont 49). Exploring Beauty’s psychology can help readers fully process the story with all of its nuances.
Analyzing Beauty’s psychology in Beaumont’s “Beauty and the Beast” gives us a better insight into the mind of Beauty and a more full understanding of her character. Understanding Stockholm syndrome, and the way that it applies to Beauty in the story helps us understand why she ended up having such a strong attachment to Beast. Again, the claim of Stockholm syndrome being in “beauty and the Beast ” can be disputed, but it gives us one possible explanation for her feelings and actions. Recognizing the Oedipus complex present in Beauty’s character also allows for a better understanding of her motivation behind sacrificing herself to Beast in aid of her father. Having a good grasp of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and its reaction to Beauty as a character allows for a much more complex understanding of the growth her character goes through throughout the story. Beauty displays many of the psychological concepts discussed previously, but the character Beast also has psychological concepts integrated within him.
The character Beast displays psychological ideas such as isolation, depression, fear of rejection, and self actualization. Ever since Beast was cursed, he has lived in isolation from the outside world. This is part of the reason why he experiences depression and loneliness. This isolation and the feelings that came along with it caused Beast to believe that he was not good enough and destined to be alone forever. His cure for this was when Beauty ended up living in his enchanted palace with him. While Beauty’s character possesses the quality that she is able to accept people for who they truly are, contrary, Beast has quite the substantial fear of rejection. The cause of “…fear of rejection may be our fear of experiencing hurt and pain”(“Deconstructing the Fear”). Beast always seemed to be very unconfident in himself when speaking. This is apparent when he first meets Beauty. “‘If I bother you, order me to go, and I will leave at once. Tell me, don’t you find me very ugly?”(Beaumont 45). Because of Beast’s fear of rejection and lack of self confidence stemming from his outward appearance, he seems to think that he is worth very little and bothersome to people. This fear that Beast has is something that can be fixed in a few ways. One being if someone is willing to accept who you are on the inside and the outside. This happens when Beauty has a realization and tells Beast that her fear of losing him made her realize how much she truly cared for and accepted him. This allows Beast to get past his fear of rejection and achieve self actualization. In other words, he was able to grow and move on as a person because he finally felt accepted. Both Beauty and Beast went through their own hardships and were able to achieve personal growth through doing so.
The psychology themes that are present in the general story are very similar to those of the individual characters, although they are shown in different ways as this includes the entire story, rather than an individual character. One of the main themes I identified within the general story was attachment. Attachment is a very important theme within “Beauty and the Beast” as it is the motivation for many characters’ actions. To start, the whole reason why the father of Beauty didn’t just stay at the palace when he first arrived there was because of his attachment to his children. Adding on to this, Beauty’s attachment to her father is also the only reason why she even ends up in Beast’s palace in the first place. And then Beast’s attachment to Beauty is also the reason why he is found in very poor condition. “… The thought of having lost you made me decide to starve myself”(Beaumont 49). Attachment is defined as “a deep and enduring emotional bond between two people”(“Attachment Theory in”). This theme is also present in less important characters such as Beauty’s two sisters being attached to their previous wealth and way of life. It is clear that the theme of attachment plays a pivotal role for the plot of “Beauty and the Beast”. Another essential theme for the general story is transformation. This is evident from both Beauty and Beast. Beauty goes through a mental transformation realizing her true feelings for Beast. And Beast goes through both mental and physical transformation by feeling truly accepted and cared for by Beauty. Both these characters play an essential role in each other’s transformations and growth throughout the tale. And lastly, sacrifice. This is a theme which stems from the previous two themes, transformation and attachment. Because of the attachment certain characters have to one another, they are willing to make sacrifices. This is due to the fact that they realize how much they care for each other and are willing to put their own needs second rather than first. Beast and Beauty both make sacrifices in the story. Beauty does this for the sake of her father and for Beast. While Beast makes a sacrifice for the sake of Beauty. “‘I will send you back to you father. Stay there, and your poor beast will die of grief’”(Beaumont 47). Beast has the realization that he cares more for the needs and well being of Beauty than himself. This causes him to make the decision to let Beauty see her father even though he may die. From this action by Beast, it is evident that he has already started to go through a transformation mentally as he puts the needs of those he cares for before his own. Having an educated interpretation of Beast’s psychology gives readers a more complete understanding of him as a character and his character’s development. Recognizing Beast’s isolation gives the readers an explanation for some of his other issues. Such as his depression and fear of rejection. His depression and fear of rejection also offer readers clarification regarding his motivation and his actions through the tale.
Throughout this assignment, I have analyzed the key psychological themes present within “Beauty and the Beast” and found how crucial they are for the characters’ individual development and growth as well as the message of the story. Having done this I have found that personal growth, attachment, acceptance and sacrifice to be the most important psychological themes present in the story. This is due to the fact that without these themes present, the story would have been able to take place the way that it did and for the characters to develop as they did. These themes have a crucial role on the overall lesson or message of the story. Without them, we would not have been able to understand the development of the story and individual characters the intended way. Having and understanding of these themes has allowed for a better understanding of the overall message from “Beauty and the Beast”. This message being the importance of inner beauty and acceptance of others.
Works Cited
Moore, Hannah. “The True Stories behind Beauty and the Beast and Other Disney Stories.” BBC News, BBC, 18 Mar. 2017, www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-39302636#:~:text=Disney’s%20version%20is%20based%20on,bride%2Dto%2Dbe%20Catherine.
Classic Fairy Tales: Texts, Criticism; Ed. by Maria Tatar. W W NORTON, 2017.
White, Snow. “Beauty and the Beast: True Love or Stockholm Syndrome? – SWW.” SWW – Fairy Tales & Writing Inspiration, 14 Oct. 2021, snowwhitewrites.com/beauty-and-the-beast-stockholm/.
Dolloff, Lauren. “The Oedipus Complex.” The Oedipus Complex, 16 Nov. 2006, www.uvm.edu/~jbailly/courses/tragedy/student%20second%20documents/Oedipus%20Complex.html#:~:text=Oedipus%20Complex&text=The%20attachment%20of%20the%20child,parent%20of%20the%20same%20sex.
John Amodeo, PhD. “Deconstructing the Fear of Rejection: What Are We Really Afraid Of?” Psych Central, Psych Central, 17 Mar. 2014, psychcentral.com/blog/deconstructing-the-fear-of-rejection-what-are-we-really-afraid-of#1
By, et al. “Attachment Theory in Psychology Explained.” Simply Psychology, 17 Jan. 2024, www.simplypsychology.org/attachment.html.
“Depression.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, www.who.int/health-topics/depression#tab=tab_1. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
By, Saul Mcleod, Updated on, January 24, et al. “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.” Simply Psychology, 24 Jan. 2024, www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html.
Meintassis, Harry. “The Psychology of Transformations.” LinkedIn, 20 Mar. 2023, www.linkedin.com/pulse/psychology-transformations-harry-meintassis.
Horkovska, Iryna. “What Is Chronic Self-Sacrifice? Is Self-Sacrifice Schema a Bad Thing?” Calmerry, 16 Mar. 2023, calmerry.com/blog/self-esteem/what-is-chronic-self-sacrifice-is-self-sacrifice-schema-a-bad-thing/#:~:text=Psychology%20defines%20self%2Dsacrifice%20as,others%20much%20more%20than%20yourself.
Wiki, Contributors to Disney. “Beauty and the Beast (1991 Film).” Disney Wiki, Fandom, Inc., disney.fandom.com/wiki/Beauty_and_the_Beast_(1991_film). Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
