Che1

Kevin Che
Professor Watanabe
English 102 Section 20
30 May 2015
TheBatemanEffect
Ouridentityarecomponentsthatgeneratefactsofwhoweareandwhatwestandfor.We
eachhaveanindividualidentitythatdefinesus.Losingonesidentityisdevastatingandcanlead
tochaos.InthenovelAmericanPsycho,BretEastonElliswritesaboutayoungrichyuppiethat
alsohappentobeaserialkiller.EveryoneidentifyPatrickBatemanidentityasanice,timidguy.
WhathispeersdonotknowaboutBatemanotheridentityisaconcealedkillerwholater
confessestohiscrimesrepeatedly.Batemandoesnothavehisownopinionoridentitybecause
hebelievesthathehastoconformintosocietyinordertofeelnormalandtoapartofasocial
group.Eventhoughheisjustlikehisfriends,noonepaysattentiontohimwhenhestartshis
murderousrampage.Theidentityhemanifestforhimselfhascreatedanegativeeffectonhis
psychologicalbehavior.Accumulativematerialpossession,behavioralinstincts,andoverall
satisfactionoflifearecomponentsthatdetermineanidentitythatdefinesanindividual.
Materialpossessioncanbeapowerfulsourcethatcancreateonesselfidentity.
Identitiesarebuiltlargelyoutofmaterialpossessionsincematerialpossessionshavemeanings.
Peopledefinetheirlivesbytakingownershipofmaterialpossession.Individualsareconvinced
thatmaterialpossessionwillleadthemtopersonalhappinessandsocialstatus.Thesignvalue
ofthecommoditysignalsaparticularsocialmeaningofthecommodityandtheconsumergetsa

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shareofthismeaningthroughherconsumption.Inshort,commoditiesshapethewaywethink
andfeelaboutourselves(BjergandThygesen).Individualsconsumenotonlyonaproducts
utilityvalue,butalsofromthepersonalsymbolicmeaningstheyinvestinobjects.Theyhavea
senseofbelongingtosociety.Advertising,packaging,andmarketingcreateanillusionthata
materialpossessionisanecessityinordertoexpressindividuality.Advertising,packaging,and
marketingcreateanimageforsocialstandardtobefollowed.Peopleareportrayednotbytheir
physicalattributesorpersonality,butbywhattheyown.Ownershipofcertainitemsdefinesa
personsidentity.
...thereisanideaofaPatrickBateman,somekindofabstraction,butthereisnorealme,
onlyanentity,somethingillusory,andthoughIcanhidemycoldgazeandyoucanshake
myhandandfeelfleshgrippingyoursandmaybeyoucanevensenseourlifestylesare
probablycomparable:Isimplyamnotthere(Ellis352)
Heisdefinedasanotherfacelessmemberofsociety.Batemandoesnotconsiderhimself
toberealbecauseofhisincompletionofhisownpersonality.Hehasengulfedhislifearound
popularculturebecausethatiswhatheisexposedto.Inaddition,Batemanhaslosthisown
identityandhistruepassion.Throughoutthenovellieswiththecommoditiesheconsumes.
Batemanisunabletoexpresshisownopinionandinsteadresortstomagazines,articles,movies,
andtelevisionforquotationsinhiseverydaylanguage.Hisspeechmimicspopularculturein
ordertoappearnormal.Batemangenuineidentityhasbeenreplacedbyitemsthatheconsumes
andsocialmedia.Batemanfindstheobtainmentofthesefalseneedsresultinginfalsepersonality
tobeunsatisfying,butheisconstantlydriventoseekoutmore,toconsumemore.

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Differentsocialgroupsdeterminesbehavioralinstincts.Insociety,everyoneisamember
partofasocialgroup.Membersofanidentifiablegroupareexpectedtobehaveappropriately
towardsthatgroupsexpectation.Ifindividualsdontconformandbehaveappropriately,theyare
likelytoberejectedbythegroup.Batemanfeelsthatifhedoesnotlooklikehispeers,hewillbe
consideredanoutcast.[Evelyn]:Ifyou'resouptightaboutwork,whydontyoujustquit?You
don'thavetowork.[Bateman]Because,"Isay,staringdirectlyather,"Iwanttofit...
in"(Ellis222).Batemanfeelsthatheshouldlive,dress,andbehaveacertainwaybasedonhis
socialgroupsexpectation.Hebelievesthatpeopleshouldfitintheirroleinsocietyandbe
treatedaccordingly.Batemandepictseveryonesplaceinsocietyandhebelievesthattheyshould
conformtoit.Fittingingivesthemasenseofbelongingandalliance.Beingpartofthegroup
andfeelingacceptedcanprovetobeaprotectivefactoragainstlonelinessanddepression
throughoutadolescence.However,conformitycanleadtoinauthenticity,whichhasanumberof
potentialnegativeconsequences(Brinkman,Rabenstein,Rosn,&Zimmerman).Society
expectationhasasocialimpactoneachindividual.Individualshaveastrongdesiretobeliked
andacceptedbyothers,sotheywilloftenconformtothemajoritysbeliefsandbehaviors.
Individualswillhavetogiveuppartoftheiridentityinordertofitintoacertaingroup.Ifthe
majorityofthegroupdisagreeonanidea,theindividualwillhavetoconformtotheirideaor
consequentlyberejectedfromthatsocialgroup.InBatemancase,hegaveupallofhisidentity
andabsorballpopularculturetofitin.Healteredhisidentitytobepartofwhathebelieveisto
behissocialgroup.
Overall,societytendtobedissatisfiedwithwhattheyalreadyhave.Theitemsindividuals
consumewillneverbeenough.Therewillalwaysbeabetter,neweritemthatwillhelp

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individualsfeelbetteraboutthemselvesandtheiroverallsatisfactionoflife.Forexample,a
viciouscyclewhereindividualsconsumeitemstomakethemselvesfeelsatisfied.Individuals
willcontinuetogotoworkinordertopayfortheirpossessions.Tiredfromwork,theythen
watchtelevisionwithheavyadvertisementsthatinfluencethemtobuymorematerialpossession
becausewhattheyhaveisntgoodenough.Thecyclethenrepeatstowheretheindividualgoes
backtobuyingmorethingstomakethemselvesfeelbetter.Accordingtocultivationtheory,
heavytelevisionviewerswillbemorelikelytoperceivetherealworldinwaysthatreflecsthe
moststableandrecurrentpatternsofportrayalsinthetelevisionworld(Buijzen,Opree,
Reijmersdal,&Valkenburg).Individualswhoconstantlyviewtelevisionmayhavetheperception
ofwhattheyviewispartofthenorm.Thetelevisionexperienceallowsindividualstoblockout
therealworldandenterintoapleasurableandpassivementalstate.Individualswillbecomeover
indulgewithwhattheyseeontelevisionandwillaffecttheirreallife,alteringtheiridentity.
Societyhasbecomeapreyofviolencethatinfluenceindividualsidentity.Crimes,
nudity,violence,sexualactivitiesandrecklessbehaviormayseemasasocialnormandbecomes
acceptableforindividualstoactoutinreallife.InAmericanPsycho,Batementakeshis
televisionviewingtotheextreme.Asasociopath,Batemancannotrelatetoorunderstand
peopleatall,andso,inordertofitin,hemimicsthetelevisionculturethatheseesaroundhim.
IrerentBodyDoublebecauseIwanttowatchitagaintonighteventhoughIknowIwon't
haveenoughtimetomasturbateoverthescenewherethewomanisgettingdrilledtodeathbya
powerdrill(Ellis66).Forinstance,BatemanhaswatchedBodyDoubleaboutthirtyseven
times.Hethenphysicallykillsawomanwhowasgivinghimsexualpleasure.Hehasallowed
televisionshowstoinducetheactionofviolenceasanormativeaction.Thus,hissenseofwhat

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issociallyandmorallyacceptableontelevisionandreallifeisindifference.Additionally,helost
thesenseofhumanity,justiceandmorality.Batemanhasnosympathyorguiltwhenhekills
becausetelevisionhasmadeitacceptable.Televisionultimatelyhasthepowertochangethe
perspectiveofsocietymoralstandard.
ThereisadisturbanceinaBatemansthought,emotions,andbehavior.Thisisbecause
hefearssocialstigma.Herejectsthethoughtofbeingnotabletofitin.Thisledhimtoconsume
moreandmore.ManypatientswithCB[compulsivebuying]sufferfromcomorbidpsychiatric
disorders,inparticularanxiety,depression,bingeeatingdisorder,substanceusedisorders,
obsessivecompulsivedisorderandcompulsivehoarding (Mller et al.). Batemans process of
thinking seems strange compared to a normal individual. His compulsive buying may be a sign
that he wants something better than his previous lifestyle. On the path for a more exciting
personality, he created a persona that represent the body of modern society. Bateman new
persona is everything wrong about popular culture. Batemans consuming is no different from
the rest of society.
Bateman persona represents modern day society. We are no different from what Bateman
is consuming. We follow trends that creates false happiness. Individuals follow the trend where
consuming luxury and non-practical possession is requires in order to be normal. We spend a
majority of our time trying to get 1000 followers and 5000 likes. We stare countless hours on the
television set so big corporation can brand us into their package. We conform to popular culture
regime where we are mindlessly consuming for happiness. Bateman lost identity is the
representative of our materialist society.

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Work Cited
Brinkman, Britney G, et al. "ChildrenS Gender Identity Development: The Dynamic
Negotiation Process Between Conformity And Authenticity." Youth & Society 46.6
(2014): 835-852. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 May 2015.
Ellis, Bret Easton. American Psycho: A Novel. New York: Vintage, 1991. Uploady. Web. 28
Mar. 2015.
Mller, Astrid, et al. "Is Compulsive Buying Related To Materialism, Depression Or
Temperament? Findings From A Sample Of Treatment-Seeking Patients With CB."
Psychiatry Research 216.1 (2014): 103-107. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 May
2015.
Opree, Suzanna J., et al. "ChildrenS Advertising Exposure, Advertised Product Desire, And
Materialism: A Longitudinal Study." Communication Research 41.5 (2014): 717-735.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 May 2015.
Presskorn-Thygesen, Thomas, and Ole Bjerg. "The Falling Rate Of Enjoyment: Consumer
Capitalism And Compulsive Buying Disorder." Ephemera: Theory & Politics In
Organization 14.2 (2014): 197-220. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 May 2015.