To fully appreciate the novel, we need to examine it via a lens of critical psychological theory. For each of the theories below (note that the points are in fact links to get you started), summarize the general theory and provide a discussion as to their relevance to Frankenstein.
The First 1000 Days is a concept that in this first 1000 days of a child’s life, all major brain development takes place, and a child’s life experiences (neglect or love) shape them into how they will be, as ‘it is a unique period of opportunity when the foundations of optimum health, growth, and neurodevelopment across the lifespan are established.’
This means that if a baby is not given sufficient nutrition and healthy food, their potential for development is shortened, and their neurodevelopment across their lifespan will be significantly less than if they were fed properly during this time. The same goes for abuse or illnesses.
This translates to Frankenstein, when we look at the Creature’s first days. As soon as he is ‘born’ into the world, he is immediately outcast by his creator. He is then yelled at, abused and feared by people, which makes him very lonely and isolated. These moments are key in the Creature’s development, and cause him to have low self esteem and anger at humans for mistreating him. If the Creature was treated well and accepted in his ‘developing’ days, he would never have turned into the monster that he did, as he would’ve been accepted by at least some, and would not have believed that the whole world hated him.
The argument of Nature vs Nurture is about whether we are the way we are because of our genes (nature) or from the way we’ve been raised and our life experiences (nurture). This argument is important in Frankenstein because the Creature has been shaped entirely by ‘nurture’. He was born a blank slate and his personality was formed as he was exposed to the world. Interestingly, he was born with good intentions. He was not born a monster. The lack of nurturing the Creature experienced is what made him so angry and violent, causing him to become a monster. If he had been treated well it is likely that he wouldn’t have turned out this way.
Shelley supports the argument that nurture shapes our behaviour and our personalities with the example of the Creature.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a theory by psychologist Abraham Maslow. He created a tier of human needs that represents different levels of motivation a person has.
Frankenstein was written before Maslow’s theory, but the hierarchy of needs can be applied to the characters throughout the novel, as they go through different stages on the pyramid.
We see Victor Frankenstein at the beginning of the novel at the top of his motivational pyramid, where he has high esteem and self-actualisation, which leads him to create the Creature. The Creature’s creation causes Victor to fall down this pyramid, as he starts to fear for his safety and others around him. He loses relationships with people and his mental health deteriorates. Victor goes from self-actualisation to safety needs, and before he dies, physiological needs.
The creature starts from the bottom of the pyramid. At first he is only concerned with getting food (physiological needs), and then builds his way up to love and belonging, which is empty. He feels unfulfilled and alone because this can’t be filled, and spends his life (focuses his motivation) on trying to get Victor to show some love or give him a companion to make him less lonely.
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