Michael Scott Character Description

The person I've decided to do a psychological evaluation on is Michael Scott from the American version of the television show The Office. Michael Scott is the manager of Dundler-Mifflin, a paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. In the first few seasons of the series, Michael comes across as a buffoon, often putting his foot in his mouth with poorly-worded jokes or unintentionally offensive comments. As the series progresses, we see more of Michael and that while he may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, he has moments of compassion and empathy that ultimately makes his character redeemable in the series. Michael is dedicated to the company he works for, even going as far as to choose his job over his girlfriend during a lawsuit—this is
As far as the psyche goes, Michael seems most driven by the id, which is known for "containing instinctive drives" and being "hedonistic and aiming to satisfy its urges" (Cloninger, S., 2000, pg. 28). He especially seems driven by his libido, often cracking "that's what she said" jokes and making comments to the women in the office without seeming to realize they're offensive or, at some points, sexually harassing. He seems more driven by Eros than Thanatos, but there are instances when he worries about nearing death, like when he says: "...I want to play ball with my kids before I get too old," although immediately after he adds: "And before that happens I need to get laid. And before that happens I need to be in love" (Novak, B.J., 2008, Sn. 3, Ep. 10, "Chair Model"). One who appreciates Freud's theory may argue that the motivation there is sex and not having children, and I would be inclined to agree, given the rest of Michael's personality when it comes to dating and intimacy with women (for example, the reason he resumes a relationship with Jan Levinson is due to her breast augmentation, despite the fact their relationship is extremely toxic on an emotional level). This perspective only seems to shift when he meets Holly Flax, where he connects on an emotional level as well as
Michael is within the "intimacy versus isolation" boundaries of Erikson's model, though one could argue he's bordering between it and the "generativity vs stagnation" stage of life throughout the series. Although Michael seems strongly driven by the id, Erikson's ideas focus more on the ego aspect of psychology (McLeod, S., 2018). Erikson's theories are highly interesting to use when looking at Michael because one can see the crisis he constantly faces throughout the series, whether it's his horrible relationship with Jan (struggling between his happiness and not wanting to be alone even if it means being with someone who treats him horribly), and his constantly bringing up that he wants children throughout the series (this could be seen as a product of feeling stagnation, because while he tries to inspire the younger people of the office, he may be feeling that because he doesn't have children, he's not passing on his knowledge or making a meaningful contribution to the world). Michael constantly shows that he is on the isolation side of the model throughout his relationships in the series—he often engages in relationships with women that aren't healthy or good for him, simply for the fact that he doesn't want to be alone. This is prominent not only with Jan, but with Pam's mother Helene who he dates despite Pam's clearly negative view on the matter, and a woman named