Salvador Dali : a psychological case study with an emphasis on Freud's psychoanalytic theory : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

Abstract

The following paper examines the life and artwork of the great Surrealist Artist, Salvador Dali. Many who view his artwork believe that it could only be created by a man who was severely disturbed. Through analysis of his life and the things that influenced him, a psychological examination is conducted which suggests that Dali may have in fact had a number of the problems defined by Freud's psychoanalytic theory, for example, an Oedipal Complex. However, through clinical diagnosis using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, it is suggested that the major criteria for the disorder of Narcissistic Personality Disorder are also easily applied to his life, which may go much further in explaining his eccentric behavior and odd sense of self.