Thematising the criminal mind: A psychoanalytic approach to Psycho by Robert Bloch

The aim of this study is to examine the psychology of Norman Bates, the character in Robert Bloch's Psycho (1962), one of the most important works of horror and thriller literature, and to make a detailed reading of the character. In order to evaluate the Norman Bates character in a multi-layered way, this thesis uses psychoanalytic literary theory, which is the literary branch of the psychoanalytic approach, on which Sigmund Freud formed the basis. Norman Bates, who is raised by his mother with an oppressive and tyrannical power in a matriarchal environment, kills his mother as a result of the Oedipus complex, he experiences during his childhood. Unable to bear the pain of being a mother murderer, the character suffers from identity splits and becomes mentally ill. The character, who has a criminal mind and a lost soul due to the problems he has experienced, inevitably starts to commit crimes and turns into a serial killer. The reading of the criminal mind of the character is detailed by examining the serial killer concept and serial killer typologies. The evil concept is portrayed in the narration of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) movie of the same name. In this study, it has been shown how important the psychoanalytic approach is in the studying of literary works, in interpreting the inner world of the character, and in examining the psychology of the character by analyzing. Keywords: Mental Illness, Norman Bates, Oedipus Complex, Psychoanalysis, Psychoanalysis, Psycho, Sigmund Freud, Serial Killer