The Tripartite Principle of The Psyche of Main Character The Power of the Dog Film (2021)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30872/jbssb.v9i3.21759Abstract
This research aimed to analyze the personality dynamics of Phil Burbank, the main character in the film The Power of the Dog, through the lens of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis theory on the concept of the tripartite principle of the psyche: id, ego, and superego. The 2021 film The Power of the Dog, written and directed by Jane Campion, and its script were used as the primary data source. This research employed a qualitative method and a psychoanalysis approach to examine how these three components of personality interacted within Phil Burbank. Phil Burbank was portrayed as a dominant masculine figure who harbored deep and complex inner conflicts, based on the categorization of the situation, identified in Phil’s aggressive behaviour and his need to dominate those around him, reflecting unsublimated unconscious drives. The ego was observed in his attempts to conform to social norms and preserve his masculine image despite internal conflict with his desires. The superego was manifested through moral judgments and efforts to uphold internalized morality, shaping his attitudes and worldview. The results indicated that the id was the most dominant structure with eight data, followed by ego with four data, and superego with two data. Concluded from this research was the idea that Phil’s inability to reconcile his desires (id), his social façade (ego), and his moral conscience (superego) led to his self-destruction. This psychological imbalance was reflected in emotional instability, toxic relationships, and ultimately, his death.References
Allen, R. (2018). A companion to film theory. Wiley-Blackwell.
Campion, J. (Director). (2021). The power of the dog [Film]. Netflix.
Collins. (2009). Collins English Dictionary (10th ed.). HarperCollins Publishers.
Djamal, S. (2023). Psikologi sastra: Pendekatan dan penerapan dalam kajian sastra. Pustaka Pelajar.
Frazera, R., Grizzard, M., & Moyer Gusé, E. (2025). Conceptualizing and measuring character depth. Media Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2025.2460171
Freud, S. (1961). The ego and the id (J. Strachey, Trans.). W. W. Norton.
Gill, P., Stewart, K., Treasure, E., & Chadwick, B. (2008). Methods of data collection in qualitative research: Interviews and focus groups. British Dental Journal, 204(6), 291–295. https://doi.org/10.1038/bdj.2008.192
Jamal, B. N., & JaF Rahman, S. R. (2024). Id, ego and superego in McCarthy’s The Road. ELS Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.34050/elsjish.v6i1.26145
Klarer, M. (2004). An introduction to literary studies. Routledge.
Lestari, I. D., & Dewi, U. (2022). Peer observation in facilitating teacher professional development: A study of EFL novice and experienced teachers' perceptions. AL ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 14(3), 3565–3572. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v14i3.2197
Loway, S. N., & Nurochman. (2023). An analysis of id, ego, and superego by Sigmund Freud through Kat Stratford’s character in 10 Things I Hate About You movie. Jurnal Sosial Humaniora dan Pendidikan, 2(1), 7–10. https://doi.org/10.56127/jushpen.v2i1.517
Meiranti, D. S., Maca, S., & Asyrafunnisa, A. (2023). Anxiety through id, ego, superego defense mechanisms: The Last House on the Left movie script by Mark Haslett. Humaniora: Journal of Linguistics, Literature, and Education, 3(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.56326/jlle.v3i1.2837
Moleong, L. J. (2002). Qualitative research methodology. PT. Remaja Rosdakarya.
Nasir, M. A. A., & Prafitri, W. (2023). Listening anxiety of English as a foreign language. Ilmu Budaya: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Budaya, 6(4), Article 11541.
Nugroho, A., & Wijaya, W. (2024). Unraveling the man: Toxic masculinity and cowboy culture in The Power of the Dog. JADEs Journal of Academia in English Education, 5(1), 145–164. https://doi.org/10.32505/jades.v5i1.8645
Nurfitriah, A., Hidayat, S., Sulaeman, K. A., Hariyana, A., & Beresaby, R. A. (2024). Toxic masculinity in the Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog. BRIGHT: A Journal of English Language Teaching, Linguistics and Literature, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.29100/bright.v8i1.7178
Orilia, F. (2025). Fictional characters as story free denoting concepts. Humanities, 14(6), 112. https://doi.org/10.3390/h14060112
Phelan J. (2022). Character as rhetorical resource: Mimetic, thematic, and synthetic in fiction and non-fiction. Narrative, 30(2), 256–262. https://doi.org/10.1353/nar.2022.0023
Stone, M. (2023). The poisoned father: Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog and the unexpected relevance of Lacan to psychiatric practice. Australasian Psychiatry, 31(6), 758–760. https://doi.org/10.1177/10398562231186114
Downloads
Additional Files
Published
Issue
Section
License
Every work in Ilmu Budaya: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Budaya is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Under the following terms:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors can enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
