Mark+Wahlberg



Biography
Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg was born on June 5, 1971 to Donald and Alma Wahlberg. He grew up the youngest of nine brothers and sisters in Dorchester, Massachusetts, a poor, working class district of Boston. Wahlberg’s parents divorced when he was 11, leaving him and all of his siblings in a crammed apartment with his mother, who had emotional difficulty dealing with both the divorce and raising nine children. Wahlberg dropped out of high school by the age of 14, and from this point in his life, turned to the streets. He was heavily involved with drugs, theft and various other crimes, landing him in and out of jail. Several of his more violent offenses were allegedly aimed towards minorities. In 1988 he was arrested and imprisoned for 45 days after being convicted of assault and attempted murder of a Vietnamese man. It was after this 45-day stint in jail that Wahlberg “came to his senses” and decided to abandon his life of crime. His brother, Donnie Wahlberg helped launch his music/rapping career as “Marky Mark” where he was mostly famous for dropping his pants and taking his clothes off. As a result, he was then lucky enough to land a modeling spread for Calvin Klein. From here, his movie career took off. Since his first film //The Substitute// released in 1993, Wahlberg has been in 27 films. He has also recently worked as a producer for several of his own films. In more recent years he has married to Rhea Durham and has four children to date. Mark accredits his faith and religion for being the main impetus for turning his life around. He is now actively giving back to his community through his self-established //Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation//, which is grounded in providing enrichment to the youth.

Neo-Analytic/Ego Perspective
When taking a neo-analytical/ego perspective in examining the personality of Mark Wahlberg, it is important to focus on the identity that Wahlberg has established for himself. The sociocultural influences Wahlberg was in contact with throughout his lifetime are also important, as they are believed in this perspective to have a particular effect on the development of his personality.  Several theorists utilized the neo-analytic/ego approach when assessing personality. One such theorist, Carl Jung, is well known for several of his contributions to this theory, many of which are applicable to Mark Wahlberg. Jung’s shadow archetype is particularly applicable to Wahlberg’s early life of crime. Crime is obviously looked upon negatively within our society, and therefore his negative impulses lead his socially inappropriate behavior, for example; stealing, drug dealing, etc. Wahlberg even refers to that period of his life as darker times, which is completely compatible with the shadow archetype. Additionally, under Jung’s contribution of the Four Functions of the Mind, it is possible to characterize young Wahlberg as behaving irrationally, or simply applying sensing and intuition when on the streets, instead of involving judgment and reasoning in knowing that such inappropriate behaviors would ultimately lead him to trouble. Jung may also characterize Wahlberg as an extrovert, as he was channeling his energy towards the outside world as a child, working on the streets and causing trouble, rather than directing his energy inward towards himself.  Alfred Adler also provided several important contributions to the neo-analytic/ego approach that are certainly applicable to Wahlberg’s life. Adler would probably deduce that as a child, Wahlberg may have developed an inferiority complex, perhaps because he felt helpless as the youngest child of nine, and because of his parents divorce, a decision in which he had no power or control over. In order to overcome this inferiority complex, according to Adler, Wahlberg developed a superiority complex which was evident in his exaggerated street behavior, his run in with the law, and his socially deviant behavior. These behaviors can also be categorized under Adler’s aggression drive, as Wahlberg’s self-perceived helplessness in his family situation caused him to lash out in socially unacceptable ways. Adler’s contribution of the influence of birth order is also relevant to Wahlberg, as he was the last of nine siblings to be born and Adler hypothesized that last born children feel pressured with high demands, and are likely to give up. A prime example of this can be seen in Wahlberg’s decision to drop out of high school and turn to the streets. Looking at the later life of Wahlberg, however, Adler’s social issue of occupational tasks is extremely applicable to Wahlberg when he ended his life of crime and pursued a career as a rapper, and then actor. All of these efforts were to make him feel worthwhile, and to become something more than what he had started his life as.  Although Karen Horney’s neo-analytic/ego perspective was much more rooted in feminism, there are still some aspects of her theory that are applicable to Wahlberg. For example, Horney believed that a child’s basic anxiety is driven by his fear of being alone, helpless or insecure, which is usually determined by the relationship with the child’s parents. Having little interaction with his father, and his mother who had great emotional difficulty with the divorce, Wahlberg chose to cope with his basic anxiety by becoming aggressive, and fighting.  Finally, Erik Erikson provided an important contribution to the neo-analytic/ego theory, as he believed that identity formation was a lifelong process. He believed that individuals changed depending on their encounters and experiences throughout the lifetime. Wahlberg is a perfect example of how identity truly is a lifelong process. He started his life as somewhat of a street thug, not really having any direction in his life. But his most serious offense, which landed him in jail, was an experience that changed him, as he realized that was not the identity he wanted to carry with him for the rest of his life.  Perhaps when analyzing Wahlberg’s current lifestyle can further exemplify his identity formation, and how it shifted as he aged. The best example of this can be seen in his charity work, most notably the // Mark Wahlberg Foundation // that seeks to better at-risk children and supportive programs. Here, it seems as though the Hero archetype of Jung has become the adult archetype of Wahlberg. He is seeking to be a strong force for good, to remove kids from the street and to combat temptations of turning to the street that he himself fell victim to in his earlier years.  And so, by pushing himself into different, worthwhile careers, starting a family, and creating programs to help support children from unfortunate circumstances much like his own childhood, Wahlberg demonstrates how able he is to change his identity right down to his very core.

Trait Perspective
When taking the trait perspective in analyzing the personality of Mark Wahlberg it is important to focus on the basic dimensions of personality that make a person unique in terms of their dispositions and motives behind behavior.  R.B. Cattell was extremely influential in statistically approaching ways to form and categorize personality. His 16 personality factors provide specific ways to pinpoint personality in terms of well-known, paired attributes that represent opposite ends of the spectrum. When analyzing a few of these factors, such as outgoing versus reserved, based on his risk-taking behaviors as an adolescent, Wahlberg would be more likely than not categorized as outgoing. As an adult, however, when analyzing the traits of assertiveness versus humility, it is likely that the mellower Wahlberg could be considered humble as he graciously accepts his awards as an actor, and uses his resources to benefit greater society.  Gordon Allport’s Trait Psychology provides several links and parallels to Wahlberg’s early and later life. Under Allport’s theory of common traits, was the idea of an individual being functionally autonomous, or independent of their origins in childhood. It seems as though this theory perfectly fits with Wahlberg’s life, as Wahlberg abandoned his origins in childhood which led him to life on the street and crime, and ultimately became a successful actor, and person, who no longer felt bound to the person he began his life as. Although Wahlberg recognizes his roots, he used them as a learning experience, a point that he never planned on returning to, thus further distancing himself from his life of crime, becoming independent of his troublesome childhood. When assessing Wahlberg in terms of Allport’s personal dispositions, both the cardinal disposition and central disposition surface. It seems as though in his younger age Wahlberg was driven by his cardinal disposition, of feeling angry or forgotten about as a child of divorced parents and large family, and likewise lashed out in violent/criminal ways in order to get the attention he felt he was missing. In his current life, however, it seems as though Wahlberg’s central dispositions of giving back to the community, being extremely career and family oriented govern the way he lives his life and projects his personality to the people around him. Finally, when taking Allport’s Big Five into consideration, Wahlberg again seems to differentiate in where he lies in terms of his life as an adolescent, and his life currently as an adult. As a child, he may be seen as borderline neurotic, as he was high-strung, and emotionally unstable, seeking life on the streets to provide stability in his life that he could not get from his home situation. As he matured, however, it seemed as though Wahlberg became much more conscientious, no longer acting upon impulses to get money or harass people, but rather he seemed to become more cautious and certainly persevered in his career and became a successful actor and family man.  When examining Eysenck’s Big Three, it seems as though young Wahlberg, again, falls under the neurotic personality trait type, as his life was unstable and he was apprehended for several wrongdoings. As he grew up, it seems as though he matured into the more extroverted trait type, still being outgoing and asserting himself to the public, but in a much more appropriate, acceptable manner.  In terms of assessing Wahlberg’s later life, it seems as though both Murray and Maslow provide theories that are applicable to the person he has developed into. Under Murray’s needs, it seems as though Wahlberg’s Need for Acheivement has become central to how Wahlberg has chosen to live. His activity in charities and overall work ethic towards being a successful actor and father, prove he is seeking success on tasks that are appreciated by the whole of society. Additionally, it can be seen that Wahlberg is working towards being a self-actualized individual. He is gaining fulfillment through his family and charity organizations, he has become comfortable with himself as he escaped his life of crime by becoming a creative and productive member of society. Though actualization is a process, it seems as though Maslow would agree that he is working in the right direction towards becoming a self-actualized individual.

Discussion
After analyzing Mark Wahlberg from both the neo-analytic/ ego perspective and the trait perspective, there are several overarching themes, which provide insight to aspects of his personality. Both perspectives speak to the influence of Wahlberg’s family life on his deviant behavior as a youth. Being the youngest of such a large family, which ultimately became divided after his parents divorce, both perspectives identify the toll his birth order and family life situation took on his perception of himself and the world around him. His early decisions to quit high school and become involved in stereotypical street activity can be analyzed by both perspectives as being a result of his upbringing.  What seems to be most interesting, however, is how greatly Mark Wahlberg’s situation changed after he landed in jail and was given a “wake-up call” so-to-speak. Both perspectives provide insight into how his character may have developed from this point onward in his life, and that who you are as child may not necessarily be who you become as an adult. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> I am personally inclined to agree that people are capable of change, which Mark Wahlberg seems to be the best example of. Sometimes when people are raised in less-than-fortunate homes and have difficulty finding their way as adolescents, it is only when he or she hits rock bottom that they can then turn their life around and dig their way out. While the trait theory is somewhat grounded in an individual’s innate traits that are rooted inside us, perhaps it is true that we cannot change our traits, but perhaps we can change how we view and react to the world, in other words, how we harness and utilize these traits. Mark Wahlberg, to me, exemplifies that people are always capable of change, and who you are to become is never predetermined. Our identities are ever changing in response to our environments, the people we come in contact with, and our own personal experiences. I believe Mark Wahlberg has more than proven himself as a man of character; and though his past may not be something he is most proud of, he found his way to being a successful, compassionate man who cares about his family, his career, and the society that gave him a second chance. I feel as though these are the truest aspects of his personality.