The Persona Effect and Jung For Days (Part 3) Individuation
- Tristan Biggs
- Apr 19, 2017
- 3 min read
In this series I will cover, in as succinct a way as I possibly can, the ways that Persona draws from the theories of Jung, how they are represented in Persona 5, and fleshed out further with some examples from 3 and 4 where needed. After all, I am still in the middle of the game. The main thing I want to cover is how this connects with what I affectionately call the Persona Effect, and how the use of these theories draws the audience in further. Warning- this article may be spoilerific! Individuation What it is: The process in which the individual self develops out of an undifferentiated unconscious. The innate elements of personality, components of the immature psyche, and the experiences of the person’s life become integrated over time into a well-functioning whole. (credit to Wikipedia for this explanation). In the games: One could argue that this concept is displayed in an obvious Bildungsroman, or coming of age story, if you purely base it on the fact that the Persona games involve High school students who overcome adversity in the game. There’s more to it though. Not only do the students go through their regular student lives and come out as more or less adults, they also do a lot of introspection along the way. They battle their inner demons, or shadows in the series, to come to a realization of who they truly are. Their true selves come together from their experiences throughout the game with their classmates, and in the metaverse/tv world/etc. Their initial selves are not fully formed, and they feel confusion, angst, anxiety due to what they are trying to repress about themselves. As they slowly build the confidence needed through working together to help others, and those in their own party, they confront those aspects of their psyche that they previously fought to repress. They then begin the process of self-realization and become healthier well-functioning people all around. It could be argued that the opposite can be said in regard to the enemies (for the most part) in Persona 5, and one in particular in Persona 4 Golden. They are not able to healthily deal with the conflicts in their roles in society versus their innately dark personality traits. They are unable to integrate all the facets of themselves into a well-functioning whole, and transform into monstrous people inside and out. When they are vanquished, or reformed, by the protagonist and crew, they come to a realization about who they are, but are unable to come to grips with it. They are so far gone, usually as adults, and stuck in their ways. Some repent for their actions, but as far as the story and the protagonists’ presented experiences in the games limits are concerned, they are left as shells of their former selves, possibly unable to atone and heal. Please note, this is said after only the first two bosses of Persona 5, but I think it can be said that only the primary characters and their confidants/social links truly progress and self-realize in a healthy manner. So, how does this relate to the Persona Effect? There are only a handful of games, most in the modern era, that properly and adeptly handle mental health. Some are full of hope, others are fairly dim and depressing. The Persona series presents a fantastical, but completely relatable and true to life representation of the pressures and stressors of real life. As adults or tens playing these games, it is incredibly easy to make the connections to our own lives. The high school setting works so well as we all were trying to find ourselves in our adolescence. These connections are so strong and intelligently written that it is hard not to fall completely into it. Other series like Danganronpa have done similar things with depression and mental health, but persona really shines in how accurately it portrays high school life in all its complexities. Stay tuned for more thoughts on Persona 5, and what I have labelled as the Persona Effect over the coming days. * It should be assumed that all details are taken from the games themselves, my experiences in my University career studying psychology (poorly J), and the wonder that is Wikipedia. I will not be posting sources for that reason.
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