Psychological Analysis of Dr. Gregory House
Analysis of Gregory House
By Becca Kinkoph
6th per. Psychology
4-15-09
In the show, House M.D., there is an especially difficult doctor whom people cannot help but love despite his unpleasant demeanor. This is Doctor Gregory House. He specializes in diagnosing rare medical anomalies with the help of his team of diagnosticians: Foreman, Chase, and Cameron. House is somewhat a mystery to his team members and everyone else. He is a cynical and bitter medical genius who can sometimes come across as an arrogant jerk. Some of this is due to his drug use (he has acquired an addiction to painkillers) and his leg injury which came about from an incorrect diagnosis. House also possesses an almost O.C.D. like symptom of having to solve his cases. He loves anomalies and puzzles; they make diagnosing almost like a game to him. But when it comes to being right, Dr. House almost never fails. One explanation for this compulsive response is Freud’s second psychosexual stage. This is the anal stage and if Dr. House’s needs were not met in this stage of his development as a child, it could have resulted in his obsession with solving cases. The Id (source for mental energy) of Dr. House is quite apparent and dominant most of the time. The pleasure principle states that it is going to satisfy the drives of pain with out concern for others. This is exactly what House does, and it is literally his pain which causes him to do so. In one episode, he causes his best and only true friend Dr. Wilson to temporarily lose his ability to write prescriptions and therefore his ability to do his job. House had forged Wilson’s signature to write himself prescriptions for Vicodin. A cop had been snooping around looking for dirt on House whom Wilson even lied for. The cop found probable cause to penalize Wilson, who was just trying to cover for House. Dr. House shows no remorse at all that his only friend Wilson had to quit his job for him. This just shows that Dr. House’s
By Becca Kinkoph
6th per. Psychology
4-15-09
In the show, House M.D., there is an especially difficult doctor whom people cannot help but love despite his unpleasant demeanor. This is Doctor Gregory House. He specializes in diagnosing rare medical anomalies with the help of his team of diagnosticians: Foreman, Chase, and Cameron. House is somewhat a mystery to his team members and everyone else. He is a cynical and bitter medical genius who can sometimes come across as an arrogant jerk. Some of this is due to his drug use (he has acquired an addiction to painkillers) and his leg injury which came about from an incorrect diagnosis. House also possesses an almost O.C.D. like symptom of having to solve his cases. He loves anomalies and puzzles; they make diagnosing almost like a game to him. But when it comes to being right, Dr. House almost never fails. One explanation for this compulsive response is Freud’s second psychosexual stage. This is the anal stage and if Dr. House’s needs were not met in this stage of his development as a child, it could have resulted in his obsession with solving cases. The Id (source for mental energy) of Dr. House is quite apparent and dominant most of the time. The pleasure principle states that it is going to satisfy the drives of pain with out concern for others. This is exactly what House does, and it is literally his pain which causes him to do so. In one episode, he causes his best and only true friend Dr. Wilson to temporarily lose his ability to write prescriptions and therefore his ability to do his job. House had forged Wilson’s signature to write himself prescriptions for Vicodin. A cop had been snooping around looking for dirt on House whom Wilson even lied for. The cop found probable cause to penalize Wilson, who was just trying to cover for House. Dr. House shows no remorse at all that his only friend Wilson had to quit his job for him. This just shows that Dr. House’s