Kurt Cobain: a Psychoanalytic Perspective of Personality
Kurt Cobain was the lead singer of the Seattle based grunge rock band Nirvana. As Nirvana's lead songwriter, guitarist, and singer, Cobain took the music industry by surprise and is considered the godfather of the grunge rock movement. Cobain and his band had a prevalent influence on young teenagers of the 1990s and were considered idols by numerous individuals. Nirvana took the popular music industry by storm when they were able to revamp the genre of grunge rock and cause a dramatic shift in music, away from the dominant genres of the 1980s. The success of Kurt Cobain was overshadowed by numerous of his psychological problems including drug addiction, his unstable marriage to music celebrity Courtney Love, and constant pressure from the American media. Cobain committed suicide on April 8th 1994, where he was found dead in his home from a self inflicted shotgun wound to his head. What were the psychological problems that existed in Cobain's life and how did they affect his behavior and overall outcome that led to his demise as a celebrity? How can certain theories and aspects of personality be linked to Curt Cobain's intrapersonal and interpersonal conflicts that existed in his unique relationships with his family as a child and later his wife and family?
Kurt Cobain was the center of attention within his family until the age of three, when his sister was born. Before his sister was born, he received more attention, but at age seven his parent's marriage went sour, divorcing, which had adverse effects on Cobain's psychological development as an adolescent. According to Cloninger (2004), "These events left a narcissistic wound and a craving for parental love that was never met" (p.97). Although at first Cobain came from a relatively stable nuclear family the birth of his sister and divorce caused him to become mobile between living with his mother and father, and then eventually with assorted members of his family. He even claims in one of his songs from the
Kurt Cobain was the center of attention within his family until the age of three, when his sister was born. Before his sister was born, he received more attention, but at age seven his parent's marriage went sour, divorcing, which had adverse effects on Cobain's psychological development as an adolescent. According to Cloninger (2004), "These events left a narcissistic wound and a craving for parental love that was never met" (p.97). Although at first Cobain came from a relatively stable nuclear family the birth of his sister and divorce caused him to become mobile between living with his mother and father, and then eventually with assorted members of his family. He even claims in one of his songs from the