Identity integration in Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Abstract

This article aims at analyzing the types of identity integration in Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can movie (2002). It reveals the psychological disorder that caused the main character to have several identities in the movie. Identity is a complex matter nowadays, and it has become one of the most discussed issues. The main character discussed in this article is Frank William Abagnale Jr., a promising young man with complex issues in his family. As a result, Frank's psychological disorder was caused by several problems during his adolescence. By using the psychological theory developed by Erik Erikson (1902), and the cinematographic language developed by Warren Buckland (1966) and Timothy Heiderich, the study is a psychoanalytic analysis. The analysis shows some results, that Frank William Abagnale Jr. is having a psychological disorder. His symptoms of being disintegration in his identity is mainly because he was having a family issue during his adolescence, which results in his future. He has to overcome his being disintegration by impersonating others’ identities. Thus, as a main character in the movie, Frank William Abagnale Jr. is an insane character since he earns millions of dollars before he reaches nineteen.