The contemporary turn of psychoanalytic film analysis has opened a new mode of understanding cinematic language. However, rejecting classical psychoanalysis would be premature. This thesis will place the two in conjunction, specifically through Sigmund Freud’s conceptualization of moral masochism and Wilfred Bion’s theory of thinking. Through four films: Una, The Tale, The Tribe, and Son of Saul I explore the affective nature of films that depict trauma and why one would gravitate towards such upsetting material. The spectator who seeks to be frustrated is not looking to harm oneself but to process this frustration in order to expand their emotional experience.
","abstract_html":"<p>The contemporary turn of psychoanalytic film analysis has opened a new mode of understanding cinematic language. However, rejecting classical psychoanalysis would be premature. This thesis will place the two in conjunction, specifically through Sigmund Freud’s conceptualization of moral masochism and Wilfred Bion’s theory of thinking. Through four films: <em>Una, The Tale, The Tribe</em>, and <em>Son of Saul</em> I explore the affective nature of films that depict trauma and why one would gravitate towards such upsetting material. The spectator who seeks to be frustrated is not looking to harm oneself but to process this frustration in order to expand their emotional experience.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Smith, Kira"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Film Studies","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Kelli Fuery","Ian Barnard","Patrick Fuery"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2019,"date_issued":"2019-05-19T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2019-05-19T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:38:00Z","subjects":["Film","Psychoanalysis","trauma","Freud","Moral Masochism","Film and Media Studies"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/film_studies_theses/6","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Kelli Fuery","Ian Barnard","Patrick Fuery"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Smith, Kira"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Film Studies"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Film","Psychoanalysis","trauma","Freud","Moral Masochism","Film and Media Studies"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/film_studies_theses/6"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The contemporary turn of psychoanalytic film analysis has opened a new mode of understanding cinematic language. However, rejecting classical psychoanalysis would be premature. This thesis will place the two in conjunction, specifically through Sigmund Freud’s conceptualization of moral masochism and Wilfred Bion’s theory of thinking. Through four films: Una, The Tale, The Tribe, and Son of Saul I explore the affective nature of films that depict trauma and why one would gravitate towards such upsetting material. The spectator who seeks to be frustrated is not looking to harm oneself but to process this frustration in order to expand their emotional experience.
"]},{"key":"dc:source","label":"Dc Source","values":["Smith, Kira. \"Inflicted Viewing: Examining Moral Masochism, Empathy, and the Frustration of Trauma Cinema.\" Master's thesis, Chapman University, 2019. https://doi.org/10.36837/chapman.000074"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Inflicted Viewing: Examining Moral Masochism, Empathy, and the Frustration of Trauma Cinema"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Kelli Fuery","Ian Barnard","Patrick Fuery"],"dc:creator":["Smith, Kira"],"dc:description.abstract":["The contemporary turn of psychoanalytic film analysis has opened a new mode of understanding cinematic language. However, rejecting classical psychoanalysis would be premature. This thesis will place the two in conjunction, specifically through Sigmund Freud’s conceptualization of moral masochism and Wilfred Bion’s theory of thinking. Through four films: Una, The Tale, The Tribe, and Son of Saul I explore the affective nature of films that depict trauma and why one would gravitate towards such upsetting material. The spectator who seeks to be frustrated is not looking to harm oneself but to process this frustration in order to expand their emotional experience.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/film_studies_theses/6"],"dc:source":["Smith, Kira. \"Inflicted Viewing: Examining Moral Masochism, Empathy, and the Frustration of Trauma Cinema.\" Master's thesis, Chapman University, 2019. https://doi.org/10.36837/chapman.000074"],"dc:subject":["Film","Psychoanalysis","trauma","Freud","Moral Masochism","Film and Media Studies"],"dc:title":["Inflicted Viewing: Examining Moral Masochism, Empathy, and the Frustration of Trauma Cinema"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Film Studies"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:38:00Z"}