case study of the Joker
Case Report on the Joker
The Joker is a fictional character originally appearing in the DC comics’ Batman Series created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. The Joker was and is Batman’s arch-nemesis. Most recently he appeared the major motion picture, The Dark Knight (Nolan et al., 2008). This most recent appearance shows the Joker in a way that allows a study of his persona. The Joker is a Male, his age is unknown and he is a criminal occupationally. He always wears heavy makeup giving him the appearance of a clown. The Joker does not appear to have any consistent relationships outside of his criminal life, or any emotionally healthy relationships with other people.
The Joker mentions his past on very few occasions and often offers contradictory stories to different people; however, despite his own contradictions we will share what he mentions of his past. He tells a story of his father being a drunk and severely abusive, in the story his father takes a knife to his mother and then looks at him and asks, “why so Serious son?” and then took the knife to his face cutting scars into his face in a smile. In The Dark Knight, the Joker tells an older man who is chiding him for his criminal behavior, “You remind me of my father. I hated my father” (Nolan et al., 2008). It is obvious from this statement alone, that the Joker has unresolved issues with his paternal role model. In another version of his past he mentions a wife who left him after a run in with loan sharks she became disfigured and so he disfigured his face to make her feel better. This drove her to leave ultimately. There is not much else known about the Jokers history, although it may be safe to assume that such dark stories have to come from somewhere.
The primary concerns and presenting problems for the Joker are many In The Dark Knight, the Joker fails to conform to social norms. He is continuously breaking every law he can. He lies and is deceitful in many ways some worse than others. He cheats and uses
The Joker is a fictional character originally appearing in the DC comics’ Batman Series created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. The Joker was and is Batman’s arch-nemesis. Most recently he appeared the major motion picture, The Dark Knight (Nolan et al., 2008). This most recent appearance shows the Joker in a way that allows a study of his persona. The Joker is a Male, his age is unknown and he is a criminal occupationally. He always wears heavy makeup giving him the appearance of a clown. The Joker does not appear to have any consistent relationships outside of his criminal life, or any emotionally healthy relationships with other people.
The Joker mentions his past on very few occasions and often offers contradictory stories to different people; however, despite his own contradictions we will share what he mentions of his past. He tells a story of his father being a drunk and severely abusive, in the story his father takes a knife to his mother and then looks at him and asks, “why so Serious son?” and then took the knife to his face cutting scars into his face in a smile. In The Dark Knight, the Joker tells an older man who is chiding him for his criminal behavior, “You remind me of my father. I hated my father” (Nolan et al., 2008). It is obvious from this statement alone, that the Joker has unresolved issues with his paternal role model. In another version of his past he mentions a wife who left him after a run in with loan sharks she became disfigured and so he disfigured his face to make her feel better. This drove her to leave ultimately. There is not much else known about the Jokers history, although it may be safe to assume that such dark stories have to come from somewhere.
The primary concerns and presenting problems for the Joker are many In The Dark Knight, the Joker fails to conform to social norms. He is continuously breaking every law he can. He lies and is deceitful in many ways some worse than others. He cheats and uses
References: Friedman, H. S., & Schustack, M. W. (2006). Personality: Classic theories and modern research (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon Lilienfeld, S. O., & Arkowitz, H. (2008). What “psychopath” means. Scientific America, 18(6), p. 80 – 81. Nolan, C. (Producer/Director/Screenwriter), Roven, C. (Producer), & Thomas, E. (Producer/Screenwriter). (2008). The dark knight [Motion picture]. United States: Warner Bros. Pictures.