Criminals often have two sides to them, a good and bad but can it be possible to keep one side hidden? In the case of Chris Watts, it is. Personality has many sides and this paper will analyze the personality of Chris Watts through the theories of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud
The character we display in our occupation is not the same as at home. When alone we have no one to impress, but in public we wear a mask, a persona, so that we might impose a desirable image of ourselves onto others. In one of many you tubes videos surfacing about Chris watts, in the video Chris can be viewed in a video talking about being bored with the everyday routine of a relationship. He used a workplace affair as an example of something that can cause a romance to “fall apart, crumble or fail. Fast forward a few years later and that same you tuber has had two daughters, moved to Frederick Colorado , and filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy in the Colorado federal court all after having a successful visual and audio career and receiving multiple awards after working for high profile celebrities . So, what went wrong? How could this socialite go from a successful and highly paid career to being accused of strangling his wife and killing the kids after revealing to her that he was having an affair with a coworker and wanted a divorce? Criminals often have two sides to them, a good and bad but can it be possible to keep one side hidden? In the case of Chris Watts, it is. Personality has many sides and this paper will analyze the personality of Chris Watts through the theories of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud
The Persona and the Shadow: Jungian Analysis of Chris Watts
Persona is the public image of someone, and the topic of persona comes up in Carl Jung’s personality theory. The original word persona means mask, so we wear the mask in public to impose a certain image about us: father, mother, chief, artist, official, president of republic, etc. Persona is therefore a result of social adaptation that plays an important role in dealing with peers. The difficulty with the persona arises only when one becomes so closely identified with his role that he loses all sense of self. At this point the damage is surely done he will be entirely unaware of any distinction between himself and the world in which he lives. The shadow is simply the dark side of someone's personality, the dark side/shadow feature may be also equaled with the Freudian personal unconsciousness . It comprises everything one repressed because is rejected by the superego. Freud linked these repressed contents mainly with the sexual drives. Therefore, the shadow has almost always a sexual component. In addition to Christopher watts displaying signs of Carl Jung’s theory, he also displayed signs of Sigmund Freuds theory referencing ID, Ego and Super go. The id is the most basic part of the personality. It also represents our most animalistic urges, like the desire for food and sex. The id seeks instant gratification for our wants and needs. If these needs or wants are not met, a person can become tense, anxious, or angry. The ego deals with reality, trying to meet the desires of the id in a way that is socially acceptable in the world. This may mean delaying gratification and helping to get rid of the tension the id feels if a desire is not met right away. The superego develops last, and is based on morals and judgement about right and wrong. Even though the superego and the ego may reach the same decision about something, the superego's reason for that decision is based more on moral values, while the ego's decision is based more on what others will think or what the consequences of an action could be on the individual. (your dictionary.com) cite it
Crime scenes can reveal a lot about personality , and personality can be defined in many ways due to the individual and unique aspects of personality. With this knowledge it is still occurring that there is yet to be a definitive answer for what personality is and how it comes into being. Generally, personality can be defined as the relatively constant, individual and unique characteristics and traits which present themselves to others in different circumstances. Theories have been proposed as to what triggers someone to become a murderer, in the case of Christopher watts, both carl Jung theory’s and Sigmund friend theory can be applied from the results of his past and current actions . Personas are fictional characters or a role one may play , Christopher watts was a man with many roles some of the roles he took on were loyal husband, perfect father, and innocent victim.
The persona theory is on for display in Christopher watts you tube video posted for the world to see, even his wife commented on it unaware of what her future held she commented “great job Christopher, great info”. In the video Christopher is saying how “Even at the job, you might meet a new person, and it could strengthen into something else and weaken the bond you have with the partner you have”, unaware of future events , this man was secretly speaking his truth of his double life.
A key feature of the Persona series is the ability of its characters to summon the power of their “persona” to help them fight in battle. One battle Chris watts faced was trying to convince his wife regularly he was in love with her was not having an affair , for a long time he was able to convince her till after their family trip things started to unravel. His persona assisted him with great success for many years to hid all of his lives about his double life with his mistress.
If there is any one thing you can know in this universe, surely it is who you are. With that being said Carl Jung theory of the shadow theory and how it relates to Christopher Watts is presented. Not everyone wants to be exposed but it is important to take the time to understand and listen when ones shadow is discovered. Due to the terrible consequences that can emerge at both the level of the individual and of society when we fail to recognize the shadow importance one must strive to recognize our shadow qualities and to integrate them into our conscious awareness. The shadow theory is discovered after much research on this case. Christopher watch has posted many you tube shows, in one particular he says how “a child can help repair” a relationship. He also spoke about the importance of resolving conflicts by communicating. “Don’t keep things bottled up because it will later come back to bite you,” he warned.” Exactly as watts says in his video he is living. The shadow is expressed through his affairs becoming known and the side effects from that exposure , and his lies coming unraveled after the cops apply the “pause effect” which asking him questions in the interrogation room about the wife and children whereabouts.
The Role of Social Media: A Facade of Perfection
In relation to the shadow theory just because people look ok on the outside doesn't mean in reality they truly are. On social media shannan displayed her family as the perfect couple and to many it seemed like they had a perfect marriage. During their marriage shanann would spend most of the summer in North Carolina with relatives, and as time passed Christopher spent more and more time with his new girlfriend, and his wife noticed him growing distant. Those who could view shannan’s Facebook would see post saying thing such as “ You do so much every day for us and take such great care of us. You are the reason I was brave enough to agree to number 3!' , desperately trying to salvage their relationship shannan would continue to post more on Facebook publicly and send engaging and inviting text to Christopher as her concerns grew. Even with all of her work to salvage their relationship, Christopher was no longer interested in staying in the marriage, Christopher had moved on. Christopher had been having an affair with his coworker, Nichol Kessinger, what drew him to Kessinger was the feeling that she was pursuing him, instead of the other way around.
When Nichol Kessinger started dating Christopher Watts, he appeared to be a soft-spoken man and a thoughtful father who was at the end of divorce proceedings. She noticed that Watts did not wear a wedding ring, and Kessinger, who was single, thought he was attractive. Fast forward a few months later to November , Nichol is interviewed about the murders and stats how she does not think there is a logical explanation for what he did, It’s a senseless act, and it’s horrific.
Id, Ego, and Superego: Freudian Insights into Watts' Behavior
One way Christopher was successful with displaying his persona was living a double life and applying Sigmund Freuds concepts of id, ego and the super ego. Sigmund Freud originated the concepts of the id, the ego, and the superego, three separate but interacting parts of the human personality that work together to contribute to an individual's behavior. The id operates on the pleasure principle, which is that every wishful impulse should be satisfied immediately, regardless of the consequences. When the id achieves its demands, we experience pleasure when it is denied we experience ‘unpleasure’ or tension.
Christopher had no desire to stay in his marriage with his wife, however he had sexual needs that needed to be met and he wanted them met with both Shannan and Nikol . Christopher met the needs of Sigmund Freuds id theory by meeting his basic needs and / or urges for sex with his mistress Nikol when he no longer had interest with his wife Shannan . Nikol and Christopher relationship was passionate and even while in prison , chris Watts says he is still in love with his mistress and wanted to be with her so much that he resorted to murdering his entire family. Nikol showed chris respect that he didn't feel like he'd ever been shown before. The id engages in primary process thinking, which is primitive, illogical, irrational, and fantasy oriented. This form of process thinking has no comprehension of objective reality, and is selfish and wishful in nature. The ego operates according to the reality principle, working out realistic ways of satisfying the id’s demands, often compromising or postponing satisfaction to avoid negative consequences of society. Christopher’ s ego was displayed as his relationship with Nikol progressed while he was with his pregnant wife, Christopher loved Nikol like he has never loved anyone else before. At the same time, he loves Shanann although he knows she was not his soulmate or the person he was supposed to be with. The ego deals with reality, trying to meet the desires of the id in a way that is socially acceptable in the world. This may mean delaying gratification and helping to get rid of the tension the id feels if a desire is not met right away. The ego recognizes that other people have needs and wants too, and being selfish isn't good in the long run. Christopher’s ego not allowing Christopher to be selfish and was the reason he stayed with shannan to keep her happy and the family together . Sigmund Freuds third theory , the Super ego was on display on August 16 , three days after the triple murder. The superego is a complete counterpart to the id. The superego works as the moral conscious of the mind. It tells us what is right and wrong. As the bodies of Christopher’s wife and two kids were uncovered at Anadarko. Watts was arrested, but not before elaborately pretending he had no idea where his family was, and calling multiple TV news channels to beg to the killer for their safe return home. Christopher watts was doing what he believed was morally correct which was to get help publicly to find his wife and kids, however getting the husband and father to show even a little emotion over the murder of his family was a challenge. That is, until Watts finally confessed. Then the tears poured like rain. He was caught. Christopher’s super ego has continued to take place behind bars as he continue his court proceedings, Christopher want to fight the charges because he didn’t want to extend the process or make his and Shanann’s families wade through the court process.
Conclusion: The Complexity of Human Personality
Criminals often have two sides to them, a good and bad but can it be possible to keep one side hidden? In the case of Chris Watts, it is. Personality has many sides and this paper will analyze the personality of Chris Watts through the theories of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud. Movies and books are divided into two categories, Fiction and non, to many they couldn’t think the stories about Christopher watts, the perfect husband father and successful businessman could be a cold blooded murder. On Facebook, Chris and Shanann Watts were a couple in love. On her husband’s birthday, Shanann Watts told her Facebook followers, Today I celebrate you! Chris, you are the BEST thing that has ever happened to me, little did she know he would be the thing that kills her. Even after Chris Watts pleaded guilty to all of the charges against him his mother, she still wonders whether he truly committed everything he was accused of. Chris feels like he had a break in reality like he snapped, like he was demon-possessed, he writes in his letter to his mother . Although he is showing his dark side his “shadow” he is still loved by many for the persona he displayed for song as if this murder never occurred. Chris still has the world confused asking themselves how did we miss this? Chris no longer has to put up a persona or hid his ego’s , it is said that now that he is in prison, he has attracted other female admirers who visit him.
Sources
http://journalpsyche.org/jungian-model-psyche/
https://academyofideas.com/2016/02/introduction-to-carl-jung-individuation-the-shadow-the-persona-and-the-self/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/03/06/chris-watts-reported-confession-detailed-dr-phil-what-we-know/3078641002/