Peyton+Sawyer


 * Biography **

Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer is a character from the popular television show, One Tree Hill. At the beginning of the show Peyton is sixteen years old and she remains current on the show until she moves away from Tree Hill with her husband at the age of twenty-three. Peyton Sawyer lives with her father in Tree Hill, North Carolina. Her father, Larry Sawyer, works on dredging boats and is gone most of the year. Peyton’s adoptive mother died in a car accident when Peyton was nine. Peyton’s closest friends are Brooke Davis, Haley James (Scott), Nathan Scott, and Lucas Scott. Peyton is very artistic, she is the author of an anonymous comic strip in a local paper, often drawing images expressing her feelings. Peyton is also very musically inclined. She goes on to open a record company called “Red Bedroom Records” in Tree Hill. In high school Peyton is a cheerleader with her best friend Brooke. Although Peyton does not fit the stereotype of a cheerleader she continues to cheer because her mother did. When Peyton is a senior she meets her biological mother Ellie (Elizabeth) who is dying from cancer. Peyton gets to know Ellie and puts together a cancer benefit concert in her honor. Peyton also is shot in a school shooting and is stalked and attacked by a man pretending to be her long-lost brother. Peyton struggles with many commitment and relationship issues. She dates Nathan Scott, Lucas Scott, and Jake Jagielski during her high school career and goes on to marry Lucas and have a daughter with him. Peyton is the victim of sexual assault during her junior year when she was slipped the Date Rape drug at a party. Peyton is very guarded with her emotions especially when it comes to relationships. She runs away from commitment in both relationships and the rest of her life. Peyton does not go to college after graduation, she moves to Los Angeles to try to break in the music industry. After being asked to compromise her integrity to get ahead, Peyton moves back to Tree Hill to start over. ** Psychoanalytic Perspective  ** Sigmund Freud developed his personality theory based on the workings of the unconscious mind. Freud believed there was unconscious material that we are unaware of and motivated to forget or repress. Freud used methods such as free association and dream analysis to delve into the unconscious and get to the root of psychological disorders. Freud also believed that a person’s experiences as an infant and child had a significant impact on personality in later life. The psychoanalytic approach would look at Peyton’s childhood experiences to key into why she is the way she is. Peyton lost her mother at the age of nine in a car accident. Her mother was on her way to pick Peyton up and ran a red light. Peyton blames herself for her mother’s death and struggles with dealing with life without her mother. Peyton’s father is also very distant. He is away with work often and this allows Peyton to be alone most of the time. Peyton is very guarded with her emotions probably due to her experience with loss. When Peyton is seventeen she meets her birth mother and becomes close to her. Peyton is grateful for a strong female role in Ellie. Ellie dies of cancer a few months after starting her relationship with Peyton. Peyton uses her art as a way of expressing these emotions. Freud would say this is a defense mechanism; an ego process that distorts reality to protect the individual from anxiety. This mechanism would be sublimation. Peyton uses her negative emotions and feelings of self doubt and turns them into art. She is able to turn her negative behavior and feelings into a positive, productive form. Peyton also exhibits some signs of another defense mechanism labeled repression. Peyton deals with a lot of very emotionally racking situations by the time she is eighteen. Peyton was shot in a school shooting and left to bleed out in the library. Lucas finds her and carries her out of the school. Peyton represses these emotions and memories and does not seek therapy for them. Later in the year she is approached by a man claiming to be her biological brother, Derek. After letting him into her life she finds out he is actually not her brother and is stalking her. He attacks both Peyton and her best friend Brooke on prom night leaving both the girls bloodied and emotional. Peyton again does not seek help and tries to repress the memory of “Psycho Derek”. These defense mechanisms are ways to categorize Peyton’s personality and begin to unravel some of the elements of who she is. Psychoanalytic theory includes a term called the “Freudian Slip”. The “Freudian Slip” is when something from the id slips out and gets past the ego, essentially revealing something from the unconscious. Peyton experiences one of these slips when she talks in her sleep and whispers “I love you Lucas”. This slip reveals to her boyfriend Jake that she still has feelings, at least unconsciously, for Lucas. Peyton’s personality can be interpreted and understood through the application of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory. ** Person by Situation Interaction Perspective  ** The person by situation interaction theory of personality suggests that behavior is a function of the person and the environment. Theorist Harry Stack Sullivan suggests that personality is tied to situations and not as stable as previously believed. When assessing Peyton’s personality one can view certain situations as having changed her “normal” behavior. Peyton is generally an even – tempered and kind hearted person. When she is first introduced to her biological mother, Ellie, she is very rude and short with her. Peyton is upset that Ellie gave her up because she was a drug addict and could not take care of a baby. Peyton is also upset to find out that her artistic and musical talent may have come from Ellie who is also artistic. Peyton behaves differently and exhibits new, unfamiliar traits due to the situation she is placed in. Another example of this is when Peyton finds out that Brooke slept with her ex-boyfriend Nathan. Peyton, out of frustration and anger, punches Brooke in the face. Brooke and Peyton are best friends and usually very happy in each other’s company. Peyton’s behavior is based entirely of off environmental circumstances. The situation took more precedence than her personality traits in these examples. Another aspect of this theory is that some situations are so powerful they may override personality. People may act differently than usual when put in an overly stressful or dangerous situation. When Peyton is shot in the leg during the school shooting she is in a stressful and frightening situation. During this time, Lucas comes to save her. Peyton kisses Lucas during this moment despite the fact that Lucas is dating Brooke. Peyton may not have kissed Lucas during a regular school day however the circumstances were so extraordinary that her behavior was changed. Theorist Henry Murray viewed personality as a study of lives across time and believed that the situations encountered throughout one’s life shape who they are. Murray also borrowed from Freud’s theories by stating that personality is a combination of the environment and the unconscious. With this approach Murray would look at the situations Peyton has encountered as what shapes her personality. Peyton has faced a lot of death very close to her and also has a father who is distant. These situations contribute to Peyton’s instability in relationships and inability to trust people. Peyton was slipped the date-rape drug at a party as well as having survived a very serious car crash. Situations such as these may contribute to her tough exterior and survival techniques. Through the situations she has faced Peyton has learned to be untrusting and careful with her heart. Person by situation interaction allows for these various situations to play a role in the development of personality. This approach also states that people tend to seek out situations that reinforce their beliefs. It could be hypothesized that Peyton seeks out people and places that may be untrustworthy or unstable. Her understanding is that people will always leave her and that the world is a dangerous and untrusting place. Perhaps she unconsciously seeks out the situations and behaviors that reinforce these beliefs. The person by situation approach allows for the situation to play a large role in personality, it takes individual traits into consideration but also asks that the environment be considered a strong component of personality. ** Discussion  ** Both personality theories agree on a few aspects of Peyton’s personality formation. Situations and occurrences in Peyton’s youth have shaped what her personality developed into. The death of her mother and the absence of her father created a guarded, independent woman who has trouble with relationships, trust, and commitment. The psychoanalytic approach believes that personality is based on internal and unconscious conflict. Freud would claim that the unconscious desires and certain childhood experiences shaped who Peyton is. The psychoanalytic approach does not allow for situational factors outside of childhood occurrences. Freud seems to ignore large parts of childhood, adolescence, and adulthood in his theory of personality. The person by situation approach states that the way a person behaves on a given day is entirely based on what situation the person is in. It rejects the theory that personality is stable across situations and embraces that situations greatly affect behavior. This approach believes that there is a limited amount of free will involved in life. This perspective also may put too much emphasis on the situation and not enough on biological influences. Despite the differences in the two theories, both would agree that Peyton Sawyer is the person she is because of the experiences and situations she has encountered throughout her life. ** References  ** Friedman, H.S. & Schustack, M.W. (2009). // Personality // (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson Higher Education. (Original work published 1999) Schwann, M. & Perry, M.B. (2003 – 2010). // One Tree Hill //. Burbank, CA: Warner Brothers Television.