Some events are striking, which as a result, is reflected in the news, discussion, or even music. The song “Jeremy” by Pearl Jam was based on the story of a teenager, Jeremy Wade Delle, who killed himself in front of classmates in 1991 (Smith, 2018). The song’s author and front man of the group, Eddie Vedder, saw a newspaper article about the event and decided to write a song about it. In the lyrics, Jeremy is presented as seemingly harmless but capable of hitting another person (Pearl Jam, 1991). The text also claims that the boy did not receive his parents’ attention, and cruelty was present in his paintings (Pearl Jam, 1991). Real Jeremy’s parents and classmates claim the song is untrue (Smith, 2018). Its author did not contact them at the time of writing and was guided by his own conclusions (Smith, 2018). Therefore, applying the theory to explain what happened reflects the text of the song but not reality.
Psychology strives to understand and explain people’s behavior, which results in various theories. Applying this approach to the lyrics of “Jeremy,” one may assume that the boy’s behavior can be explained by psychodynamic theory. It claims that the elements that make up a personality – id, ego, and superego guide behavior. Superego is responsible for morality, and the ego is responsible for the perception of reality and mediates between id’s impulses to instant fulfillment of desires and moral superego (Clark, 2009). The theory suggests that people who received traumatic experiences in childhood, such as a lack of parental attention, have underdeveloped ego and superego (Clark, 2009). Consequently, as presented in the song’s lyrics, they lack self-control and are prone to violence and self-destruction.
References
Clark, J. (2009). Psychological theories of crime. In J. M. Miller (Ed.), 21st Century criminology: A reference handbook (pp. 271-278). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Pearl Jam. (1991). Jeremy [Song]. On Ten [Album]. Epic.
Smith, J. (2018). Mother of teen whose classroom suicide inspired the Pearl Jam song ‘Jeremy’ speaks out 27 years later as the friends who witnessed it say they were angry at the band for its ‘inaccurate’ portrayal of his death. Daily Mail.