ABSTRACT

Psychology for Actors is a study of modern psychology, specifically designed for the working actor and actor-in-training, that covers discrete areas of psychological theory that actors can apply to their creative process to form and connect with characters. The book investigates many post-Stanislavsky ideas about human psychology from some of the twentieth century’s most brilliant minds – from Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung to Abraham Maslow and Ken Wilber – and offers step-by-step exercises to help actors understand their characters and effectively bring them to life on stage or in front of the camera. Psychology for Actors also offers advice on how to cope with the stresses and strains of a highly competitive field, and provides tools for deeper self-awareness and character exploration.

chapter |14 pages

Introduction

The Psychology of an Actor

chapter 2|23 pages

Two Freuds

Free Association and the Defense Mechanisms

chapter 3|28 pages

Carl G. Jung

Types, Archetypes, and Dreams

chapter 4|15 pages

Alfred Adler

Inferiority and the Individual

chapter 5|14 pages

Karen Horney

Psychoanalytic Social Theory

chapter 6|17 pages

Erik Erikson

Life Span Development

chapter 7|16 pages

Abraham Maslow

Motivation and Humanistic Psychology

chapter 8|16 pages

Ken Wilber

Integral Psychology

chapter 9|20 pages

Personality Testing and Pathology