Personality Theory as Applied to Madonna

After studying personality theory extensively, it becomes possible to apply the various theories to real people. It is especially interesting to apply these theories to famous people because it is impossible to truly know the reasoning behind their actions or why their personality is what it is. Furthermore, the events of their lives are often very publicized and more dramatic than those of ordinary people. For instance, Madonna is a woman unlike any other. She is one of the most successful entertainers in history, shocking and amazing millions of fans around the world for over twenty years. However, her life was certainly not always easy, as she had a somewhat difficult childhood. After reading her biography, it is interesting to speculate on the origin of her personality, her major life decisions and her present state in life.

Madonna Louise Ciccone was born on August 16, 1958 to Silvio and Madonna Ciccone. She was the first girl born to the couple, but she did have two older brothers. Later on, Madonna became a big sister to three younger siblings. One might assume that the middle child in such a large family would become lost in the crowd, but this was certainly not the case for Madonna. Obviously an intelligent child, Madonna always found ways to get attention from her parents and others. She even went so far as to hurt herself to assure she was not overlooked. As she became older, she used performances to get attention, often singing and dancing for friends and family. Madonna quickly realized that by adding a touch of flashiness and a bit of exhibitionism (lifting up her skirt) to her performances, she received even more attention than usual. Her siblings describe her as being an aggressive, spoiled and successful in getting whatever she wanted. Their view of her was not entirely negative though, as they point out that she was also fun loving and full of heart.

Madonna's early experiences as a child in a large family definitely help to explain her adulthood. This goes along with Freud's belief that adult interactions and relationships are greatly influenced by early childhood experiences. Freud also said that later relationships are sometimes recapitulations of the dynamics, tensions and gratifications that occurred within the original family. Since Madonna was a middle child in a large family, she had to fight to get the attention for which she yearned. Even though Madonna received this attention and was even considered the favorite child, it seems that she has never stopped searching for even more attention. She is constantly involved in controversy and she stops at nothing to shock and entertain her audiences. She has continued to be an exhibitionist, wearing very skimpy clothing during performances and videos. Most recently, she kissed Britney Spears during an awards show, demonstrating that she still craves the spotlight. Madonna learned early on how to get attention and has been successful ever since in getting people to focus on everything she does.

While learning how to get attention from those around her, Madonna also dealt with the loss of her mother. When Madonna was only five years old, her mother died of breast cancer. Her mother's death left the young girl with an emptiness that needed to be filled. Freud might say that Madonna's quest for stardom was an attempt to fill the gap left by her mother's death. She kept herself constantly busy, first taking care of her siblings and then following her dream to be a star. Instead of dealing with her grief directly, Madonna used what Freud would call defense mechanisms. She repressed her feelings at first, pushing her anxiety into her unconscious and focusing on her other siblings instead. Then, she became very angry with her father, displacing her anger about her mother's death towards him instead of recognizing it and coming to terms with it.

Freud's theory can also be applied to other aspects of Madonna's relationship with her father. Madonna did not want her father to have a relationship with any other women after the death of her mother. She wanted her father all to herself, and claimed that she was in love with him as every little girl is in love with her father. Freud would say that Madonna was interested in her father sexually and got into bed with him at night as a result of her desire to be with him, not because she was scared or lonely.

Despite the loss of her mother, Madonna was an excellent student in school. Her father, with the use of a reward system, reinforced this behavior. Mr. Ciccone gave each of his children fifty cents for every "A" grade they received on their report card. Madonna always made the most money when report card time came around and she reportedly said that she really liked the feeling of winning. This is a perfect example of what Skinner called operant conditioning. Madonna was immediately reinforced for getting good grades, therefore increasing the likelihood that she would continue the same studious behavior. Madonna was later rewarded with approval from audiences and music industry professionals. As soon as she did something they liked, she was rewarded with contracts, money, enthusiasm and acceptance. Since these were all things she wanted and enjoyed, Madonna kept working hard to entertain others, thus responding well to the behavioral reinforcements.

While many people were amazed and intrigued by Madonna, there were others who saw her in a different light. On her road to success Madonna used and hurt many people around her, all for her own cause. For example, Madonna once slept with a band member because it was against the rules for him to do so. Madonna lured him into bed with her only because she wanted him to be kicked out of the band. It was not that she did not like him or thought he was not talented, but instead Madonna wanted an old friend to take his place in the band. The band member who Madonna slept with ended up leaving the band on his own, furious that he had been used and taken advantage of. Madonna had no regard for his feelings, only being concerned with what she wanted.

Madonna had a similar relationship with a talent agent named Camille Barbone. Camille was fascinated with Madonna from the instant the two met. She even developed a bit of a crush on the singer/dancer she was representing. Madonna immediately picked up on this and used it to her advantage. She played the role of a lost girl depending upon Barbone as a mother figure to guide her along the road of life. Barbone ended up loaning Madonna money, finding her a place to live, feeding her and giving her a sense of security. Barbone had no problem helping Madonna out, until one day she realized that she was getting nothing in return. Barbone tried to talk to Madonna about a personal problem she was coping with, but Madonna was far too self-absorbed to listen to her agent. Barbone complained that Madonna was selfish, and Madonna erupted into a fit of rage and used tears to escape from the accusation placed against her.

She often told Barbone how much she loved her and appreciated her, only to get her to think she had a chance with her romantically. After Madonna was sure that Barbone was feeling seduced, she would quickly change the subject to her own career. Camille continued to devote all of her time and energy to Madonna, spending her own money and working much more than a forty-hour week. However, once Madonna saw the first signs of real stardom she left her agent high and dry. All along, Madonna only cared about herself-she strung Barbone on, allowing her to think that the two might have a long-term professional and/or personal relationship. When Madonna left Barbone for bigger names in the business, she never looked back and only called Barbone a drama queen.

Alfred Adler's theory of superiority definitely applies to the aforementioned behavior of Madonna. According to Adler, all people strive towards superiority in some way. Most strive towards superiority in a healthy fashion where the goal includes social concerns and an interest in society. However, there are certain people who instead seek personal superiority by dominating others rather than by becoming more useful to others. It seems as if Madonna may be one of the people who strives for personal superiority. She totally disregarded others in her desire to be famous. She was lucky enough to be surrounded by people who wanted to help her achieve her dreams. However, instead of working with these people and appreciating the sacrifices they made for her, she simply used these people until she no longer needed them. Madonna clearly had no social interest whatsoever, as she seemed to be living in a world of only one person-herself.

Eventually, once established of course, Madonna did allow others to become part of her world. Romantically, Madonna has been linked to numerous men over the years. It appears that these relationships were not simply to further her career, but because she had actual feelings for the men. However, most of these relationships were short-lived or ended on rocky terms. Her marriage to actor Sean Penn ended with him being arrested for assault. She was also involved with Prince, JFK Junior, Warren Beatty and various other public figures.

Each time, though, the relationships ended and Madonna's quest for love started over again. If Freud's theory were applied here, it might be said that Madonna did not allow anyone to get too close to her for fear they would leave her like her mother did when she died. As mentioned earlier, Freud was a firm believer that the events of one's childhood, especially traumatic events, have a lasting effect on his or her relationships later on in life. Because Madonna resorted to the defense mechanisms of displacement and repression, the anxiety of losing her mother still plagued her and affected her adult relationships. Fortunately for her, though, it seems that maybe she has finally come to terms with her mother's death and allowed herself to be in a healthy two-way relationship with a man. She has been happily married to Guy Ritchie for almost four years now, a long relationship both by Hollywood standards and those of Madonna. Perhaps Madonna has finally dealt with her repressed feelings and learned that relationships require a give and take in order to be successful.

Madonna has certainly come a long way from the selfish, sexual being she once was. Her marriage has been successful so far and she is also the mother of two children. According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Madonna seems to have reached the self-actualization stage. Her physiological needs are certainly met, as she is a multi-millionaire with multiple homes and all of the other biological necessities. Since she is protected from the elements by her home and security guards, Madonna has no reason not to feel safe, one of the basic psychological needs. She also feels loved by people like her husband, children and father, showing that yet another psychological need has been met. Moving on to the esteem level, as a legendary performer/artist, Madonna must certainly feel a sense of fame and recognition. This leaves only self-actualization to experience, something that Madonna is probably on the verge of doing. She already has some characteristics of a self-actualized person, as she is hard working, she has utilized her talents to their full use or close to it (both musically and in parenting), she enjoys both play and work, she takes pleasure in life despite past pain, she is less emotional than she was previously and she is dedicated to her children and husband. Despite these steps towards self-actualization, Madonna is not quite there yet. She still is involved in stunts that demonstrate her need for the public to accept her, including the infamous Britney kiss. When she is involved in outrageous publicity stunts like that, it leads me to believe that she is still in the esteem phase. However, Madonna definitely sees life more clearly now than she ever did before. She now can demonstrate her talents as a wife, mother, and musician/performer. As Madonna becomes even surer of herself and her amazing abilities and talents in all of these roles, she will finally come to experience true self-actualization.

Works Used

Fadiman, James & Frager, Robert. (2002). Personality & Personal Growth. New Jersey:

Prentice Hall.

Taraborrelli, Randy J. (2001). Madonna, An Intimate Biography. New York: Simon & Schuster.