The Psychology of The Villain

The villain is the most captivating and intriguing of all archetypes. The hero would not exist without his darker counterpart, which reflects aspects of ourselves that we do not dare to acknowledge or confront, but which are present within all of us.

The villain is often a mirror of the dark aspects of humanity, embodying qualities that are evil, harmful, greedy, selfish, and destructive. In recent times, villains can even become sympathetic, and possess redeeming qualities, making some of them oddly likeable despite their malicious intent and immoral actions, thus challenging our traditional notions of good and evil. This type of villain has never existed to the degree it exists in the 21st century, symbolising a major change in the collective unconscious—which speaks to a psychological experience that is common to us all.

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🎶 Music used

1. Ambiment – The Ambient – Kevin MacLeod
2. Smoother Move – Kevin MacLeod
3. Virtutes Instrumenti – Kevin MacLeod
4. What We Don't Say – Scott Buckley
5. Sinister Dark Ambient - Dark Rage – CO.AG Music
6. Heartbreaking – Kevin MacLeod
7. Phase Shift – Scott Buckley
8. Dreams Become Real – Kevin MacLeod
9. Magnetic – CO.AG Music
10. As The World Fell – CO.AG Music

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📝 Sources

- Kushkaki, M. (2013). Unmasking the villain: A reconstruction of the villain archetype in popular culture. Master of Arts, San Diego State University.
- Paulhus, D. L., & Williams, K. M. (2002). The dark triad of personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Journal of research in personality, 36(6), 556-563.
- Faria, P. S. (2008). The journey of the villain in the Harry Potter series: an archetypal study of fantasy villains.
- Martin Del Campo, M. (2017). Sympathy for the Devils: An Analysis of the Villain Archetype Since the Nineteenth Century.
- The Psychology of Villains in Literature: Understanding the Motivations and Complexity of Antagonists by Chrissie)
- Fallen Heroes: Sixteen Master Villain Archetypes - Tami D. Cowden
-   / the-psychology-of-villains-in-literature-u...  
-    • The Villains Journey: The Moment That...  
-    • Villain Therapy  
-    • Machiavelli  

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⌛ Timestamps

0:00 Introduction
1:46 The Meaning of Villain
2:40 The Oldest Form of The Villain
3:18 The Villain Archetype in Literature
11:00 The Superhero
12:26 Sympathy for the Villain
13:17 The Antihero
14:56 The Modern Villain
16:03 The Joker and Hyper-Sanity
19:55 Villains and The Dark Side
21:40 The Villain’s Journey
23:00 The Villain and The Hero
28:22 Villain: Mirror of The Dark Aspects of Humanity
32:56 The Villain Redemption Arc
33:18 The Dark Triad
36:20 The Tyrant
38:26 The Resentful One
40:19 The Traitor
41:30 The Sadist
41:58 The Criminal Mastermind
43:25 The Mad Scientist
43:54 The Jester or Trickster
44:20 The Terrible or Devouring Mother
44:50 The Femme Fatale
45:50 Conclusion

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