Spock vs. the Anti-Spock
May 16, 2012 6:16 PM Subscribe
Anyone have good ideas of characters who personify over-emotional thinking, over-rational thinking and a healthy balance of both?
The missus leads a group at a recovery center, and she's trying to find examples to show the patients to help them understand between emotional and rational thinking. The best we've come up with is Spock/McCoy/Kirk; is there a good clip that shows this interplay between the characters?
Or, please, if you have better characters and scenes she could use, we'd appreciate it.
Best answer: At the hospital in the "Wise Mind" class everyone really thought Spock/Kirk/McCoy worked out the best. My DBT therapist has agreed it's particularly apt, even though she heard it for the first time from me. Harry/Hermione/Ron works OK, but Harry doesn't do a good enough job blending the two perspectives (he usually switches back and forth.) Similarly, Luke Skywalker doesn't really learn much from his super-rational C3PO, and everyone else is much too emotional. There are a LOT of fictional trios listed here.
There are some fun Kirk/Spock/McCoy scenes here. No idea where you can find them without the subtitles (not sure which documentary it's from.)
posted by Fee Phi Faux Phumb I Smell t'Socks o' a Puppetman! at 6:30 PM on May 16, 2012
There are some fun Kirk/Spock/McCoy scenes here. No idea where you can find them without the subtitles (not sure which documentary it's from.)
posted by Fee Phi Faux Phumb I Smell t'Socks o' a Puppetman! at 6:30 PM on May 16, 2012
Larry Curly and Moe?
While stupid, Moe is rational, Curly is emotional, and Larry is a balance. Probably not as useful as Star Trek.
posted by cmoj at 6:41 PM on May 16, 2012
While stupid, Moe is rational, Curly is emotional, and Larry is a balance. Probably not as useful as Star Trek.
posted by cmoj at 6:41 PM on May 16, 2012
Best answer: Not all of the examples are so extreme, but what you're looking for is a Freudian Trio.
posted by gracedissolved at 6:44 PM on May 16, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by gracedissolved at 6:44 PM on May 16, 2012 [2 favorites]
Ahab, Ishmael, and Queequeg.
posted by Cookiebastard at 6:51 PM on May 16, 2012
posted by Cookiebastard at 6:51 PM on May 16, 2012
Sherlock/Watson -- Spock has a lot of Sherlock in him.
posted by steinsaltz at 6:53 PM on May 16, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by steinsaltz at 6:53 PM on May 16, 2012 [2 favorites]
Scully and Mulder, especially the first couple of seasons, although that's just a pair.
posted by mibo at 6:56 PM on May 16, 2012
posted by mibo at 6:56 PM on May 16, 2012
Perhaps Marianne and Elinor from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (emotional versus rational, respectively)?
posted by UniversityNomad at 7:03 PM on May 16, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by UniversityNomad at 7:03 PM on May 16, 2012 [2 favorites]
What about Brennan and Booth, on Bones? Or do you need the third? You could probably add Angela. Or Sweets.
posted by violetish at 7:05 PM on May 16, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by violetish at 7:05 PM on May 16, 2012 [2 favorites]
Not character, but it might be an interesting side-light for her to think about Plato's division of the soul into three parts:
-appetitive/desiring (which wants food, sex, etc),
-spirited ("having guts"; like a soldier, ready to fight at the hint of an insult), and
-rational.
In the well-ordered soul, all three parts have an important role to play but the rational part is clearly in charge of the other two. In a disordered soul, one of the lower parts overrules the rational part and you get gluttony, lustfulness, recklessness, etc.
posted by LobsterMitten at 7:09 PM on May 16, 2012
-appetitive/desiring (which wants food, sex, etc),
-spirited ("having guts"; like a soldier, ready to fight at the hint of an insult), and
-rational.
In the well-ordered soul, all three parts have an important role to play but the rational part is clearly in charge of the other two. In a disordered soul, one of the lower parts overrules the rational part and you get gluttony, lustfulness, recklessness, etc.
posted by LobsterMitten at 7:09 PM on May 16, 2012
Penny and Sheldon in the big bang theory, particularly the episode where penny dislocates her shoulder and Sheldon drives her to the emergency room.
Frye and Bender from futurama.
posted by cakebatter at 7:34 PM on May 16, 2012
Frye and Bender from futurama.
posted by cakebatter at 7:34 PM on May 16, 2012
The classic example of this is Hamlet/Laertes/Horatio.
posted by beryllium at 7:35 PM on May 16, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by beryllium at 7:35 PM on May 16, 2012 [4 favorites]
beryllium: "The classic example of this is Hamlet/Laertes/Horatio."
I was about to say, Hamlet is the epitome of overthinking in general.
posted by Deathalicious at 8:16 PM on May 16, 2012
I was about to say, Hamlet is the epitome of overthinking in general.
posted by Deathalicious at 8:16 PM on May 16, 2012
The best we've come up with is Spock/McCoy/Kirk; is there a good clip that shows this interplay between the characters?
In one of his books about playing the character, Shatner pointed to an early scene in Star Trek IV as the best example of the id/ego/superego interplay between Kirk, Spock and McCoy. It's the scene early in the film where Kirk has to decide to go back in time. Kirk gathers data from Spock, consults Scotty on whether it'll work and then gets an earful from Bones, who makes emotional appeals to common sense.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:51 PM on May 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
In one of his books about playing the character, Shatner pointed to an early scene in Star Trek IV as the best example of the id/ego/superego interplay between Kirk, Spock and McCoy. It's the scene early in the film where Kirk has to decide to go back in time. Kirk gathers data from Spock, consults Scotty on whether it'll work and then gets an earful from Bones, who makes emotional appeals to common sense.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:51 PM on May 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
THe scene at the coffeeshop where Eliot and JD get together, and JD is like I LOVE YOU and Elliot is all I'm afraid of being hurt, and Dr. Kelso is all, WORK IT OUT, omg.
Honestly, any scene in Scrubs involving JD and his fantasies would work.
posted by spunweb at 1:35 AM on May 17, 2012
Honestly, any scene in Scrubs involving JD and his fantasies would work.
posted by spunweb at 1:35 AM on May 17, 2012
Mulder and Scully?
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 2:31 AM on May 17, 2012
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 2:31 AM on May 17, 2012
From Batman the Brave and the Bold:
Aquaman, The Red Tornado and Batman
From Teen Titans:
Beast-Boy, Robin and Cyborg
From GoT:
King Robert, Ned Stark and Tyrion
(Yes, Ned's problem was his inability to read the room and think emotionally, following the "rules" of honor systematically instead. Lots of examples of this in the TV series.)
posted by Slap*Happy at 10:26 AM on May 17, 2012
Aquaman, The Red Tornado and Batman
From Teen Titans:
Beast-Boy, Robin and Cyborg
From GoT:
King Robert, Ned Stark and Tyrion
(Yes, Ned's problem was his inability to read the room and think emotionally, following the "rules" of honor systematically instead. Lots of examples of this in the TV series.)
posted by Slap*Happy at 10:26 AM on May 17, 2012
Response by poster: Thanks all! I'll have to go through some of the characters I'm not personally familiar with, but we appreciate all the help!
posted by jsmith77 at 8:27 PM on May 23, 2012
posted by jsmith77 at 8:27 PM on May 23, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by bleep at 6:25 PM on May 16, 2012