Alvy Singer

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This paper attempts to explain the character Alvy Singer, played by Woody Allen in the film that he himself directed, Annie Hall, in terms of Erik Erikson's theory of developmental psychology. Erikson's theory would seem particularly appropriate to Singer because this character has been undergoing analysis for over a decade, is highly neurotic, and highly immature.

Erikson's Theory of Development and Singer

The following is information to include in any research paper that uses Erikson's theory:

• Erikson is classified as a neo-Freudian.
• His work retains the Freudian nomenclature of ego, superego, and id, and it postulates a theory of development that progresses through definite stages.
• Unlike Freud's, Erikson's developmental stages cover the entire adult life of a human being; they do not stop at the attainment of biological adulthood, but extend into old age.
• There are also more stages postulated-eight in all-by Erikson, than are postulated by Freud This point is interesting with respect to Singer because he is in his forties and, clearly, has not achieved any kind of psychological stasis such as we might expect in a fully developed and mature man of that age.

Annie Hall

Alvy is a neurotic. He has a set of phobias and other assorted anxieties including hypersensitivity to any form-including imagined forms-of antisemitism. He is highly manipulative of Annie; he patronizes her intellectually. But it is Annie who grows up in the film and, escaping Alvy's tutelage, begins to fly on her own-much to Alvy's chagrin.

I believe we may say that Alvy is a case of arrested development. He is, in my opinion, trapped in stage 6 of Erikson's developmental schema. He is in the "young adult" phase when he should be farther along. The nature of his relationship to Annie is the key to this.