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2.09pm
1 April 2011
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Hi guys, nice to see some like minded people here! I'm studying psychology at uni, and I have to do a psychobiographical essay, and of course I chose my favourite Beatle, John. He had such a strange upbringing and different stages of his life…. but I'm struggling to do it all clearly..
Anybody here want to venture anything about how his childhood affected his life?
Cheers
Anna
2.59pm
19 September 2010
Offline I don’t have the time right now to go deep into it, but really, I think he got his inspiration for all he did.
As if it matters how a man falls down.'
'When the fall's all that's left, it matters a great deal.
6.08pm
1 May 2010
Offline I watched a documentary called Imagine : John Lennon where they talked about his mother being killed by the drunk off duty cop and how that affected his already tainted view of authority.
You should definitely check out that documentary, and I think Nowhere Boy would help you as well, don't let anyone tell you any differently. 
But Yoko has said how John would always talk about his mother throughout their marriage, it seems he was pretty obsessed with her and I would venture to say that her attention was John's first major driving force for playing rock n' roll, although that's just me speculating.
As for Mimi, well I think part of the reason John had some intellectual drive was because of her strict upbringing and also his middle class lifestyle.
As for Freddy, I don't know, his not being there I'm sure increased John's dependence on needed a parental figure in his life, whether it was Brian, George Martin, Paul or finally Yoko. Clearly he struggled with keeping in line when he didn't have someone telling him what to do.
Anyway, I could go on and on because this answer is like an abyss of information.
I sat on a rug, biding my time, drinking her wine
6.15pm
4 December 2010
Offline use the Odepial complex with John. Not in the same exact way as Odepius Rex, but there is something similar between the lives. Though his relationship with his mom was never sexual, there was an unique bonding between them that was different between most mother and son relationships. And with his father, though he never killed Freddie, it was a very hostile relationship. Some comparisons there. Watch Nowhere Boy to see all of this. It's pretty evident there.
Well we all shine on like the moon, the stars, and the sun.
6.27pm
Reviewers
14 April 2010
Offline Whe I first saw the title of this thread, my immediate thought was, “there is not enough time in a lifetime to psychoanalyze John.”
There are several fine articles on this site that will help you. I agree with Gnik, that checking out some documentaries would also help. The one he mentioned, “Imagine : John Lennon ” is a good one.
Good luck with your project and welcome to the Forum!
To the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.
9.45pm
9 June 2010
Offline
GniknuS said:
Clearly he struggled with keeping in line when he didn't have someone telling him what to do.
That goes for me as well… 😀
Zig said:
Whe I first saw the title of this thread, my immediate thought was, “there is not enough time in a lifetime to psychoanalyze John.”
That was basically my reaction too.
If I seem to act unkind, it's only me, it's not my mind that is confusing things.
3.49am
1 April 2011
Offline Thanks guys, I was thinking of checking out Nowhere Boy, but I definitely will now. Penny Lane and Gniksus (?) thanks a lot, I am definitely going along those lines, his oedipal resolution is nowhere to be seen, I think losing his only father figure in his Uncle George at a young age also caused him to obey Epstein, and the Maharishi for just two examples…. And I think that Yoko, arriving as she did at the perfect time, when he was stuck at home and directionless, was the ultimate for him, combining Julia 's supportiveness of his music, and Mimi's control and directiveness.
There's just so much to it, I can't fit it all in!! He sure was an iconoclast.
Oh also orally fixated due to early life neglect, lifelong inability to quit smoking, chewing gum etc…..
Anything else to add, please feel free!!!
3.58am
25 November 2010
Offline anna said:
Hi guys, nice to see some like minded people here! I'm studying psychology at uni, and I have to do a psychobiographical essay, and of course I chose my favourite Beatle, John. He had such a strange upbringing and different stages of his life…. but I'm struggling to do it all clearly..
Anybody here want to venture anything about how his childhood affected his life?
Cheers
Anna
I don't want to write your paper for you 🙂 but in college, I also had to analyze someone's development and chose John Lennon and used the Loevinger scale. The way I looked at him was that I read some books, yes, but I also paid more attention to the songs that John sang, especially in the early years. (It was a given that whoever wrote most of the song was the one who sang it.) I had a lot of fun with that paper.
7.29pm
5 July 2010
Offline I would also make sure to include something of his LSD use.
7.32pm
16 February 2011
Offline Orally fixated? That was news to me
11.16pm
1 May 2010
Offline anna said:
Thanks guys, I was thinking of checking out Nowhere Boy, but I definitely will now. Penny Lane and Gniksus (?) thanks a lot,
I'm a G with a suspended nik.
But I think John is a perfect subject for you because there is just so much information out there, but it's still abstract enough that you can really form your own opinion because no one has really been able to pinpoint what made that guy so damn interesting.
I think the death of his Uncle George, as well as his early abandonment, then later deaths of Julia and Stuart really fuled John's drive. It's almost like he knew that his life would not be that long, so he took every available moment to express himself creatively through his poems and drawings or obviously with his guitar. I'm paraphrasing, but he has a quote that's something like, 'while everyone else was messing around, I wasn't and that's why I became a star' and Mimi talked about how he had some insatiable need to be creative at all times.
So I think his energy was a huge thing as to why the Beatles blew up into the biggest band ever, and ultimately why John sort of self-destructed. He built up this mask, and like Paul said, what a beautiful mask it was, but at the end of the day he still had to deal with what was going on in his head. But I think that line from Mother “I couldn't walk and I tried to run” is pretty close to a perfect starting point when analyzing John.
I sat on a rug, biding my time, drinking her wine
5.13am
9 June 2010
Offline GniknuS said:
anna said:
Thanks guys, I was thinking of checking out Nowhere Boy, but I definitely will now. Penny Lane and Gniksus (?) thanks a lot,
I'm a G with a suspended nik.
I am now trying to imagine what that chord would sound like.
If I seem to act unkind, it's only me, it's not my mind that is confusing things.
2.19pm
4 December 2010
Offline What stage of John's life are you going to analyse him at? Double Fantasy John was a very different person to Please Please Me John.
I told her I didn’t
4.17pm
13 November 2009
Offline It also depends on who you believe. I'm still trying to work out the whole May/Yoko thing.
Ad hoc, ad loc, and quid pro quo! So little time! So much to know!
4.23pm
19 September 2010
Offline The way I read that skye, is that Yoko knew John would cheat. So she set him up with someone who would, shall we say, “report back to the boss”.
As if it matters how a man falls down.'
'When the fall's all that's left, it matters a great deal.
5.51pm
1 May 2010
Offline Well John did cheat on Yoko, in front of Yoko after Nixon won the ’72 election so Yoko threw him out. But she still loved him, so she sent May to LA with him because John would have killed himself had he be sent out there alone, either intentionally or unintentionally.
May didn’t report to Yoko, and quite frankly she didn’t need to because of how often John and Yoko still spoke. I think John loved May, but Yoko was still the one so we she said ‘time to come back’ he didn’t hesitate.
I sat on a rug, biding my time, drinking her wine
9.03pm
7 August 2010
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I believe that in the future, John and Yoko would divorce and John would go back to May.
Dear Prudence
Giving you quality -Facepalms- , since August 7, 2010.
9.04pm
19 September 2010
Offline But would she take him back? I doubt it.
As if it matters how a man falls down.'
'When the fall's all that's left, it matters a great deal.
9.06pm
7 August 2010
Offline true, but John could Win her over
Dear Prudence
Giving you quality -Facepalms- , since August 7, 2010.
9.08pm
19 September 2010
Offline Women are stubborn. How could she know he wouldn't walk out on her again? She couldn't.
As if it matters how a man falls down.'
'When the fall's all that's left, it matters a great deal.
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