Psycho: Nature Versus Nurture SPOILER ALERT!!!

In the final moments of Psycho, after the death of the protagonist Marion Crane at Bates Motel, the story turned out to be much more complex than it first seemed. It was Norman Bates who was the culprit after becoming his mother’s persona. Everything is revealed by the psychologist in the final moments of the film, essentially tying up all loose ends.

According to the psychologist, Norman is no longer Norman; he has taken on the persona of his mother and that personality was just too strong. It took over Norman’s personality. He is no more. Norman poisoned his mother and her lover some ten years earlier. After growing up for years just the two of them he was jealous of the new person in her life. After killing her he couldn’t handle it so he dug up her body, spoke for her, brought her back to life but it wasn’t enough… so he became her. He lived for her. Norman as his mother, Norma, assumed that she would be jealous of him liking other women as he was jealous of her and her boyfriend so he, as her persona killed them.

I believe I was right in my first initial thoughts that Norman Bates, is in fact a psychopath. He’s gone and went completely mad. I think the reason this happened is because he only had his mother to depend on. For years it was only them. When Norman’s mother had brought another person into her life Norman was blindsided and had a mental break. He was jealous that he had to share the only person in his life with another human being and lost it, killing them both. Then to make up for killing his mother he lived for her, he gave her his life, took over her persona.

I think that Norman is just a very reclusive, withdrawn person. He didn’t know how to interact with other people, he didn’t know how to socialize, he was unsociable. That is in part his mother’s fault for keeping him isolated. Part of me feels very bad for Norman because had he been surrounded by other people growing up and not so isolated with only his mother to rely on, things might have turned out differently. In psychology it always comes back to the question nature over nurture, are we born this way or are we made this way? Sadly for Norman, I think it’s the latter.