PROTECTION IN THE CROSSHAIRS: A JUNGIAN ANALYSIS OF MOTHERHOOD IN THE SERIES OS OUTROS (2023)

Abstract

This work analyzes the representation of motherhood in the first episode of the Brazilian series Os Outros (2023), produced by Globoplay in partnership with Estúdios Globo, from the perspective of the Analytical Psychology of Carl Gustav Jung. To this end, the following research problem is proposed: in what way does the representation of motherhood in the first season of the series Os Outros (2023) exemplify the symbolic elements associated with the devouring maternal archetype? The general objective is to analyze the motherhood presented in the series in light of the maternal archetype in its negative pole, understanding how care, when crossed by fear and the need for control, can turn into a dynamic of psychic retention. Methodologically, this is a basic, descriptive, qualitative, bibliographic, and documentary study, based on a narrative review supported by a Jungian-hermeneutic analysis of the selected episode. The theoretical framework is mainly based on Jung (2014a; 2014b), Erich Neumann (1999), Michael Fordham (2006), Calvin S. Hall (2021), and Donald Kalsched (2013), with emphasis on the concepts of archetype and maternal archetype. The analysis indicates that Cibele is not represented as a negligent mother, but as a figure deeply involved in caring for her son, whose attempt at protection intensifies until it assumes forms of control, infantilization, and threat to adolescent autonomy, symbolically updating the devouring pole of the maternal archetype.