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Jonathan Johnson

Professor Granillo

English 103

11 November 2019

Essay #2

Psychoanalysis is a recently developed tool to help deal with mental health issues that are

common within. The issues that are dealt with are often the same as those experienced by people

decades or even centuries ago. In the popular show Peaky Blinders, themes about mental health

in decades past are common in the main cast and the side characters. Steven Knight’s ​Peaky

Blinders​ may portray itself as a crime tv drama about historical criminals, however, the show

also portrays mental issues clearly in its main cast. The show demonstrates the effects and issues

of mental illnesses, like PTSD, through characters that can be analyzed through psychoanalytic

concepts like regression and avoidance; missing out on the ​Peaky Blinders​ show means missing

depictions of mental health, how society promotes bad coping methods, and society’s bad

responses to mental illness.

In order to know why the characters act the way they do and how they developed their

mental disorders, an understanding of the first episode in season 1 of the Peaky Blinders series is

important. After the first world war, the Shelby family men return to their lives in Birmingham.

Thomas Shelby, the main character of the series, quickly took control of the less than legal

family business. Within the episode, Thomas is really just making the rounds, checking on

different facets of his business. The main issue of the episode is Thomas has acquired a crate of
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firearms illegally and now has to deal with the prospect of a law crackdown on the business.

During this one of his friends, Danny, is portrayed as having violent outbursts due to PTSD like

symptoms. Thomas is also shown having PTSD like issues during his sleep, along with this he is

shown to avoid the issue with drugs. It should be noted that both Thomas and Danny are both

veterans of a recent war, lending more proof toward them having PTSD. Finally, at the end of the

episode, Thomas fakes killing Danny to avoid a gang war.

Before starting an analysis there is an argument that should be addressed. There is an

argument that the ​Peaky Blinders ​show is simply a dramatized retelling of events, that there is no

meaning to be gained through psychoanalysis. In “Contemporary Psychoanalysis and Critical

Theory: A New Synthesis” by Jon Mills a discussion about the connection between

psychoanalysis and critical theory takes place. Mills states that analysis based on critical theory

could “benefit from engaging post-classical and current trends in psychoanalytic thought that

have direct bearing on... how individuals operate within social collectives” (241). So the fact that

Peaky Blinders​ is a crime tv drama does not exclude it from an analysis using psychoanalysis as

a critical framework. This is further exemplified by the fact the in ​Critical Theory Today​ by Lois

Tyson psychoanalysis is stated as a critical framework (11). Therefore, an analysis of ​Peaky

Blinders​ is of value, particularly to how society thinks of mental illness due to themes presented

when the show is analyzed by way of psychoanalysis.

When analyzing any artistic medium, semiotics is an important aspect to said analysis.

The analysis of the ​Peaky Blinders​ show requires specific scenes and actions that may be

considered symbolic. When analyzing the symbols present in the show through a psychoanalytic

framework, concepts in psychoanalysis can be found. In ​The World Is a Text: Writing about
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Visual and Popular Culture​ by Jonathan Silverman and Dean Rader semiotics is defined as “the

study of signs” while also stating that semiotics is based on the idea “that everything is a

‘sign’”(13). Semiotics suggests that anything can have or already has a symbolic meaning behind

it. Any and every scene within the ​Peaky Blinders​ show has some amount of symbolism

ingrained into it. When looking through a psychoanalytic framework the actions and experiences

of the characters are the important symbols to be analyzed. When those scenes are looked at

carefully psychoanalytic concepts of regression and avoidance can be seen in the scenes

portraying the characters’ mental health.

It is not enough to just say that the characters in the ​Peaky Blinders​ show have mental

illnesses. Due to lack of ability, a copy of the exact symptoms of Post Traumatic stress disorder

found in the ​Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ​could not be acquired.

However, briefly in “Deployment characteristics and long-term PTSD symptoms” by Sandra B.

Morissette and others, the base symptoms of PTSD are stated to be “acute stress, other anxiety

symptoms, or depression” and along with these symptoms the authors state that “higher levels of

combat exposure” are common among those suffering these symptoms(638). Thomas and Danny

are both veterans and many scenes involving the characters use common tropes or symbols to

represent PTSD in the characters. Proof of Danny’s symptoms are displayed early on in the

episode. Danny enters into one of Thomas’s bars and starts wrecking the room yelling “They’re

going to get me”(00:12:50). These actions are the culmination of Danny’s fear and anxiety

leftover from his time at war. They symbolize common symptoms of PTSD suffers and he

repeatedly demonstrates this in the episode. Thomas, on the other hand, does not initially display

any symptoms until a flashback scene later in the episode. The scene shows Thomas taking some
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sort of smokable drug and then experiencing a dream about his time digging caves at war, which

he then wakes from hyperventilating (00:40:23). Similarly to Danny, Thomas demonstrates

leftover stress and anxiety, the difference is that Thomas’s illness is symbolized through a

fear-inducing flashback rather than his present actions. Both of these scenes are enough to justify

some amount of PTSD after their time at war and are the key symbolic scenes that demonstrate

psychoanalytic concepts.

In psychoanalysis, there are commonly accepted defenses that the brain uses to avoid the

change of bad behaviors. One relatively uncommon defense depicted is regression. Regression,

according to Sigmund Freud in ​A General Introduction To Psychoanalysis​, regression starts with

“a fixation of the instinct” and the ”turn backward to… earlier stages”(286)​.​ So when someone

goes through regression, they return to a focused point and experience the event at that point. It

is the least common form of defense yet it is also the most easily noticeable. Those who,

willingly or not, opt for this mental defense can revert to all manner of previous mental states. In

the first Peaky Blinders episode, Danny has a break down outside some sort of restaurant and

when he is confronted by a worker in the restaurant he attacks yelling “Fix bayonets”(Knight

00:42:33). In this event, Danny is clearly depicted reverting, regressing, to a fight or flight state

and is reliving the events of a battle he took part in. The scene demonstrates a form of regression

where the mentally disordered person needs real psychiatric help, yet is not actively seeking it.

The only way Danny recovers is when he is shocked into reality by the faking of his death at the

end of the episode. The episode speaks volumes to how society treats its mentally ill, as Danny is

shown to deal with people outcasting and avoiding him throughout the episode.
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One of the few people that demonstrates any form of care for Danny, even if it is

manipulative, is Thomas Shelby. Thomas is also portrayed to have PTSD like issues, but the

extremity of his symptoms and his method of coping are different. Rather than regression,

Thomas uses an avoidance strategy in escaping his issues. The “avoidance of unpleasantness”

through whatever means is the avoidance strategy (Freud 315). Rather than facing the issue, the

mind promotes behavior or mental changes that allow the ignorance of an issue. The mind can do

this through multiple avenues whether it be changes in memory or actions that affect the mind’s

ability to think. In the ​Peaky Blinders​ show Thomas is depicted smoking some sort of drug and

then experiencing a vision of a violent event tunneling (Knight 00:40:20). Thomas is using some

sort of drug to avoid the pain or fear that the presented memory causes. The mechanism

presented is extremely common in modern society. Simply put, drugs are a great way to not feel

problems and it leads to excessive usage of drugs. The issue presented almost crosses over into a

healthcare based issue. The show demonstrates how mental illness has effects outside of just the

mental symptoms, the individual may start performing acts that can harm them via drugs or even

more violent solutions.

Thomas’s PTSD scene holds more weight than in just the fact that there is a

psychoanalytic concept there. The issues in mental health care are important. In “The

relationship between mental disorders and different types of crime” by David J. Vinkers and

others it is stated that “Mental disorders are related to all types of crimes but especially to arson,

battery and homicidal attempts or threats”(308). Thomas is a criminal, the same can be said

about Danny, and both of them have a mental disorder in the form of PTSD. It is a very clear

secondary message when seen from a psychoanalytic framework. They are both criminals,
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whether it is a cause of their criminal nature is not explicitly discussed within the episode. In

“Mental disorder and crime” by Pamela J. Taylor it is stated that people with mental disorders

are “more vulnerable to arrest, to injustice or to other harm within the criminal justice

system”(32). The two articles put together suggest two things. One people are more likely to

commit criminal acts when they have a mental disorder. Secondly, people with mental disorders

have less freedom when it comes to the law. ​Peaky Blinders​ is set in 1918, yet it portrays issues

that disenfranchised people experience in the modern-day. Criminals become criminals because

they do not get the help they need and are then taken advantage of and persecuted for those same

mental issues.

The Peaky Blinders show demonstrates society’s issue with dealing with the issue of

mental health and a particular roadblock to that advancement. People outcast and avoid people

with mental health problems rather than assisting. People like Danny in particular need help with

getting back to a sound state of mind. Danny could have avoided many issues he encountered if

he had been shown proper methods of dealing with his mental health. Similarly, Thomas’s use of

drugs is reflective of how many in modern society use drugs as an escape. Both of these issues

still persist today with many people who may be mentally ill avoiding help or being avoided and

not shown where the help is. Peaky Blinders demonstrates a social stigma around mental

disorder that harms many and must be resolved.

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Works Cited

Freud, Sigmund. ​A General Introduction To Psychoanalysis.​ Global Grey, 2018.

Mills, Jon. “Contemporary Psychoanalysis and Critical Theory: A New Synthesis.”

Critical Horizons​, vol. 20, no. 3, Aug. 2019, pp. 233–245. ​EBSCOhost,​

doi:10.1080/14409917.2019.1616484.

Morissette, Sandra B., et al. “Deployment Characteristics and Long-term PTSD

Symptoms.” ​Journal of Clinical Psychology​, vol. 74, no. 4, Apr. 2018, pp. 637–648.
EBSCOhost​, doi:10.1002/jclp.22535.

Silverman, Jonathan, and Dean Rader. ​The World Is a Text: Writing about Visual and Popular

Culture​. Broadview Press, 2018.

Taylor, Pamela J. “Mental Disorder and Crime.” ​Criminal Behaviour & Mental Health​,

vol. 14, June 2004, pp. S31–S36. ​EBSCOhost​, doi:10.1002/cbm.606.

Tyson, Lois. ​Critical Theory Today: a User-Friendly Guide​. Third ed., Routledge, 2015.

Vinkers, David J., et al. “The Relationship between Mental Disorders and Different

Types of Crime.” ​Criminal Behaviour & Mental Health​, vol. 21, no. 5, Dec. 2011, pp. 307–320.

EBSCOhost​, doi:10.1002/cbm.819.