Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe is an iconic sex symbol who will never be forgotten. “She dominated the age of movie stars to become, without question, the most famous woman of the 20th Century” (“Marilyn Monroe,” 2006). She is known for her movies and for her promiscuous love life, but little is known about her emotional turmoil. She was born Norma Jeane Mortenson (later baptized as Norma Jeane Baker) on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles, California (“Marilyn Monroe Biography,” 2010). She was born to a mother who had severe psychiatric problems and had an unknown father. Her mother was institutionalized for her psychiatric problems and Marilyn was put in foster care (“Marilyn Monroe Biography,” 2010). She bounced around in foster homes until age 16 when she married her first husband Jimmy Doughtery (“Marilyn Monroe,” 2006). She was looking for a stable relationship, one which she never had growing up (“Marilyn Monroe: The Case Reviewed,” 2009). The rest of her life she seemed to bounce around, from many quick marriages, to always looking for something different with her career. She did not seem to have balance or stability in her life, which lead to her early death of overdose when she was 36 years old (“Marilyn Monroe Biography,” 2010).

Marilyn Monroe’s life can be analyzed very well from a psychodynamic perspective based on her childhood and how she acted as an adult. “Psychodynamic theorists believe that a person’s behavior, whether normal or abnormal, is determined largely by underlying psychological forces of which he or she is not consciously aware” (Comer p. 37). These forces then conflict with each other internally and cause problems in the individual. Psychodynamic theorists argue that “psychological conflicts are tied to ear...

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...ents and feelings” (Comer p. 206). This would be good for Marilyn, she could talk about her stresses of work, her failed marriages and relationships, and most importantly she could talk about her childhood and her feelings of loss and abandonment. If she could have discussed the loss of her mother, she may have been happier and able to move on. She would have also been able to get rid of the feeling that people are always going to leave. She may have been able to have healthy relationships with people. It is a long term approach, and many have a hard time staying with the treatment, but if she were able to stick with it she would have received relief from the depression and anxiety. If Marilyn would have undergone therapy, it may have saved her life. There are always what ifs, but if she would have been able to seek help she may still be living today.