Norman Bates Relationship

Norman Bates and his mother moved to White Pine, Oregon when he was 17 years old after the death of his father. His mother was apt on starting over in a new town, and giving her son the chance to grow up someplace new. His mother bought a hotel for both of them to run, and would simultaneously bring in extra income after Norman’s father’s insurance money ran dry. Throughout the series, Norman and his mother’s relationship is portrayed as that of a two best friends rather than a typical son-mother relationship. They both go describe their hearts being connected and they are “one.” At first glance, this sort of relationship can be envied, however, their relationship proved to be toxic for the both of them once viewers understood Norman’s frequent

Although Norman grew up in an abusive household, his mother was that place of comfort for him and nurtured him like no other, as she should. Despite this, Norman grew into his emerging adulthood with blackouts which prompted him to kill his teacher, friend, and even his friend’s mother. However, the show prompts its viewers to believe that the cause of Norman’s dark side is actually his mother. Whenever he has blackouts, she is there as a hallucination to guide him into his episodes, while also helping him dispose of the bodies, and tell him that “everything is going to be okay.” Rather, in Norman’s blackouts, it is actually his mother who is doing the killing. Therefore, Bronfenbrenner’s description of how a microsystem should function, which includes that supportive interactions and relationships will foster the child’s improved development, can prove to be a flaw in his theory. Norma’s love and support did not allow Norman to develop normally at all, rather, her love and support was smothering and grew into an unhealthy relationship which skewed his understanding of

Erikson’s fifth stage, more specifically, is identity vs. role confusion which occurs during adolescence (12-18 years of age). During this stage, adolescents search for a sense of self and personal identity through an intense exploration of personal values, beliefs, and goals. During this time, children are transitioning from childhood to adulthood, and are becoming more independent, searching for their belonging in society. Norman often attempts to explore his identity and is halted in the process by his mother and their intense attachment to each other. Driving, for example, was a major part of becoming an adult for Norman that he placed at the top of his list of things to accomplish. His mother promised that she would take him to get his license. However, when Norma found out that Norman was hanging out with a girl that she did not approve of, she prevented him from getting his license. Norman was constantly obstructed from discovering his own sense of self by his mother not wanting him to ever leave her. This was the case when he wanted to move out with Dylan, when he wanted to go out and hang out with his friend Bradley, and even when he wanted to take up