I'm looking forward to watching Totoro in this developmental framework, because I think the film is deeply psychological. Perhaps the Totoro is in fact a representation of their mother. The girls are learning about symbolic play and experiential play. I could even define Piaget's theories in terms of miyazaki's characters.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Integration of Developmental Psychology
I'm taking this really wonderful developmental psychology class and thinking about children all the time has informed my watching of Miyazaki films. It makes me wonder why he uses young women as his hero's; why not use post-pubescent girls? What is the allure of these characters and how does developmental psychology influence Miyazaki's work?
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Alana,
ReplyDeleteHave you read the Interview I posted last week with Miyazaki? I think you'll find it illuminating with respect to your course in Developmental Psychology. Speaking of which have you read Freud's Civilization and its Discontents, you'll really enjoy it. --Alex
I think one of the possible reason he uses pre-pubescent girls is because it’s an age when many children begin to truly become aware of the world, and they still have the ability to perceive it without a filter of anger and pain which typically comes after puberty. I'm not a psychology major, but this seemed to be the case for many of the kids I grew up with.
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