Journal Article Review
Larissa J. Taylor-Smither. Elizabeth I: A Psychological Profile. The Sixteenth Century Journal, Vol. 15, No.1 (Spring, 1984), pp, 47-72
Larissa J. Taylor-Smither’s article, Elizabeth I: A Psychological Profile, researches into which factors determined Elizabeth’s position as an effective leader and how she achieved success in her reign, despite the odds stacked against her. The text seeks to understand why male attitudes towards ruling women still remained negative despite this successful reign of Elizabeth I. Moreover, it looks into her childhood and analyses how events shaped her development to make her into a confident woman ruling a man’s world. The key argument, maintained throughout the text, is that Sigmund Freud’s theory of the Oedipus complex was not fully completed by Elizabeth and so Larissa J. Taylor-Smither suggests that this led to unresolved issues therefore the subconscious psychological issues are what made her rule with masculine traits. Overall, I found it a simplistic article that doesn’t consider other psychological factors or theories that may well provide more substantial evidence to the findings as well as allow the reader a more balanced analysis of Elizabeth’s psychological profile.
Taylor-Smither begins her argument by evaluating Elizabeth’s childhood between the Oral (0-2 years) and Anal (2-3 years) developmental years. It combines the events of Anne Boleyn’s death and the consequential lack of love from her father as the key reasons why Elizabeth could not complete her Oedipus complex development. In Freud’s interpretation of the theory he links it the development of the superego “which uses guilt to prevent continuation of incestuously oriented relationships.” Taylor-Smither then relates this to Elizabeth in that her being unable to complete the process she constantly uses the said guilt as a way of remaining out of conjugal relationships. It also looks into other aspects that played into the Oedipus complex being unresolved such
Larissa J. Taylor-Smither’s article, Elizabeth I: A Psychological Profile, researches into which factors determined Elizabeth’s position as an effective leader and how she achieved success in her reign, despite the odds stacked against her. The text seeks to understand why male attitudes towards ruling women still remained negative despite this successful reign of Elizabeth I. Moreover, it looks into her childhood and analyses how events shaped her development to make her into a confident woman ruling a man’s world. The key argument, maintained throughout the text, is that Sigmund Freud’s theory of the Oedipus complex was not fully completed by Elizabeth and so Larissa J. Taylor-Smither suggests that this led to unresolved issues therefore the subconscious psychological issues are what made her rule with masculine traits. Overall, I found it a simplistic article that doesn’t consider other psychological factors or theories that may well provide more substantial evidence to the findings as well as allow the reader a more balanced analysis of Elizabeth’s psychological profile.
Taylor-Smither begins her argument by evaluating Elizabeth’s childhood between the Oral (0-2 years) and Anal (2-3 years) developmental years. It combines the events of Anne Boleyn’s death and the consequential lack of love from her father as the key reasons why Elizabeth could not complete her Oedipus complex development. In Freud’s interpretation of the theory he links it the development of the superego “which uses guilt to prevent continuation of incestuously oriented relationships.” Taylor-Smither then relates this to Elizabeth in that her being unable to complete the process she constantly uses the said guilt as a way of remaining out of conjugal relationships. It also looks into other aspects that played into the Oedipus complex being unresolved such
Bibliography: Queen Elizabeth I, Susan Doran, The British Library, 2003, London pp. 18-20 Larissa J Elizabeth, David Starkey, Vintage, 2001, London http://changingminds.org/disciplines/psychoanalysis/concepts/oedipus_complex.htm [ 3 ]. Larissa J. Taylor-Smither. Elizabeth I: A Psychological Profile. The Sixteenth Century Journal, Vol. 15, No.1 (Spring, 1984), pp, 49 [ 4 ] [ 7 ]. Larissa J. Taylor-Smither. Elizabeth I: A Psychological Profile. The Sixteenth Century Journal, Vol. 15, No.1 (Spring, 1984), pp, 51 [ 8 ] [ 9 ]. Elizabeth, David Starkey, Vintage, 2001, London [ 10 ] [ 11 ]. Larissa J. Taylor-Smither. Elizabeth I: A Psychological Profile. The Sixteenth Century Journal, Vol. 15, No.1 (Spring, 1984), pp, 69