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angeliicheartt · 4 months

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elle’s final project for ap psych ! psychoanalyzing the cruel prince !

before you read ! i literally did this so i could pass my class and likely some of my observations are not completely accurate. one of the requirements for this assignment was to assign a character a mental disorder. i assigned cardan antisocial personality disorder but i do not believe he has it ! it is literally just for the grade. also i was explaining this to my gen x (maybe boomer actually) teacher so the summary and my descriptions are not very detailed (but are also kind of overdetailed?) so, here’s ur warning.

thank you, enjoy!

Summary & Importance

“The Cruel Prince” by Holly Black follows Jude Duarte, a mortal, human girl who, along with her twin sister, Taryn, and her older sister Vivi, is taken to the land of Faerie at the age of 7 after witnessing the murder of her parents by a faerie general named Madoc, who is also Vivi’s father. Raised among the faeries, Jude struggles to find her place in a world where she is considered inferior for being mortal.

At the school that Jude goes to, her and her sister are targeted by the youngest prince of Faerie, Cardan Greenbriar, and his group of friends consistently, for being mortal. Tension builds between Jude and Cardan throughout the book, as they are pushed together by circumstances.

After being denied by Madoc to become a knight, Jude gets an offer from her enemy’s second eldest brother, the crown prince, Dain Greenbriar, to become a spy in his court of shadows. The story follows Jude as she finds out all kinds of secrets about the royal family of Faerie.

Jude tries to balance her normal life during the night, as faeries are primarily nocturnal, and her life as a spy in the early hours of the morning. She’s tasked with investigating Balekin, the eldest prince of Faerie, whose growing tension with Dain only intensifies as Dain’s coronation grows closer.

As Jude investigates, she finds out secrets about Cardan, who, after getting kicked out of the Palace of Elfhame, now stays with the only brother who would take him in.

Dain’s coronation comes around and Balekin, after attempting to force the High King to name him the next High King, kills all of his siblings and father, besides Cardan, because the crown, named the blood crown, was enchanted so that only members of the royal bloodline may pass the crown down to another member of the royal bloodline. As everyone breaks into chaos, Jude and Cardan find each other and escape. Jude leads him to the court of shadows, as a “hostage,” and works with him to make a plan to defeat Balekin.

Balekin sends out parties to find Cardan, as he is the only known person who can crown him High King. He throws a ball to lift the spirits of the gentry, who had doubted his ruling due to his display at Dain’s coronation. Jude arrives with Cardan to the ball, and together, with the help of the court of shadows, defeat Balekin and crown Cardan High King.

When I first read this series, I was completely engrossed in the alternate world of Faerie and the drama and romance that occurs. Along with that drama comes a lot of killing and death. The different plot twists and heart-wrenching scenes came to mind when I first heard about the final project and thought it would be perfect to analyze.

Perspectives

Madoc is the Grand General, as well as Jude’s adoptive father. From an evolutionary perspective, Madoc can be analyzed through the lens of survival of the fittest. As a high-ranking member of the faerie court, Madoc exudes dominance through his need for power and control. His actions, such as fostering Jude can be seen as kin selection, as he ensures the survival and success of his own bloodline. Additionally, Madoc’s ruthless and aggressive nature aligns with the evolutionary perspective, specifically with mating strategies, as he may seek to eliminate his rivals to maximize his reproductive success and secure resources for his offspring. Finally, his willingness to manipulate and exploit others reflects adaptive behaviors for social dominance in the Faerie world.

Cardan Greenbriar is the main rival in “The Cruel Prince,” turned ally in the last parts of the book. Through the sociocultural lens of psychology, we can see how Cardan’s cruel and manipulative nature can be understood because of his distressing upbringing in the cruel faerie court, where power dynamics and deception are normalized. His behavior may also reflect the impact of societal norms and expectations within the faerie realm, where strength, dominance, and beauty are valued above all else. Furthermore, Cardan’s complex relationship with his family and peers shapes his self-image and behaviors, as he navigates loyalty, betrayal, and social hierarchy. Moreover, his interactions with Jude and other characters highlight the role of socialization and personal relationships in shaping individual personality traits and behaviors within the context of the Faerie world.

Jude Duarte is the main character in “The Cruel Prince,” and the adopted daughter of the Grand General. Jude can be analyzed through the behavioral lens by looking at her actions, motivations, and responses to different situations. Her resilience and determination to survive and thrive in the deceptive Faerie court demonstrate adaptive behaviors shaped by her environment. She tries her best to act and live like the Fae. Jude’s strategic decision-making, cunning, and willingness to manipulate others reflect her ability to learn and adapt to complex social dynamics around her. In addition, her defiance against societal norms and expectations within the faerie world showcases her independence, despite being a human in a world dominated by faeries. On top of that, her internal conflicts and moral dilemmas provide insight into the psychological toll of navigating power struggles and ethical uncertainties in a hostile environment. Overall, Jude’s behavior reflects a blend of innate traits and learned responses, shaped by her experiences and interactions within the Faerie realm.

Biological Bases of Behavior

The amygdala is located near the hippocampus and controls emotion and survival responses, specifically aggression, fear, and fear memories. Jude’s amygdala is likely very active as she must always be on alert and almost always in “fight or flight” mode, due to being mortal in the Faerie world.

The cerebellum is at the base of the skull and controls balance and muscle coordination. Jude’s cerebellum is also very active, for swordplay, you must have amazing balance and muscle coordination.

The motor cortex is at the back of the frontal lobe and controls voluntary muscle movements. Jude’s motor cortex would be the part of the brain that’s active while she’s fighting, as to swing her sword or dodge.

The somatosensory cortex is at the front of the parietal lobe and processes sensory information. This part of the brain is active while Jude fights and when she gets hit to notify the rest of the brain that the body has been harmed.

The prefrontal cortex is at the front of the frontal lobe and manages planning, decision making, and distinguishing right and wrong. Jude’s prefrontal cortex is very active near the end of the book as she plans and leads the charge to make sure Balekin does not get crowned High King, as she must plan the attack, make quick decisions when something goes awry and distinguish if crowning Cardan is really the right thing to do.

Jude was raised in the mortal world until she was 7 years old, however she spent most of her life in Elfhame, raised among the Fae and the Gentry. She is trained personally by Madoc, the grand general, in the art of the sword and warfare. Before Jude became a spy, she stuck by what she knew and stayed with her family, as humans are predestined to do. However, afterwards, her nurtured side took over, and she seemed all the daughter that Madoc raised, weaned on swordplay and battles.

Sensation and Perception

The difference threshold is the smallest difference between two stimuli that can be detected 50% of the time. Cardan, apart from Jude and Taryn’s family, is the only character in “The Cruel Prince” that can tell Jude and Taryn apart, by the smallest difference.

Feature detectors are specialized neurons that respond to specific stimuli li and process faces, smiles, and parts of the body. Jude’s feature detectors work constantly throughout the book as she analyzes and reads her opponents and foes.

Learning

Classical conditioning is learning to make an involuntary response to a stimulus other than the original, natural stimulus that normally produces the response. In “The Cruel Prince,” Cardan stiffens under Balekin’s touch, who has previously abused Cardan. So, the very act of Balekin touching Cardan causes him to stiffen in preparation for impact, which is the involuntary response in this situation.

Negative reinforcement is the removal of an unpleasant stimulus to increase a behavior. As Taryn conforms to the norms of the Fae, and stays to herself, Cardan and his group of friends stop bothering her, and focus on Jude, who does all she can to stand out. So, in this situation, the unpleasant stimulus is Cardan and his group of friends tormenting Taryn, and once she stops trying to be equal with the Fae, that stimulus is removed.

Positive punishment is when an unpleasant or aversive stimulus is added to reduce a behavior. In “The Cruel Prince,” from pages 117 to 119, Balekin, Cardan’s eldest brother, has a human servant whip his back, for being weak and not properly sword fighting, and then again for not killing the human servant.

Observational learning is the learning of new behavior through watching a model. When Jude is first enlisted as a spy, she’s loud and exposed. But, by watching the other members of the Court of Shadows, she learns how to conceal herself and properly be a spy.

Cognitive Psychology

Flashbulb memories are unexpected events that have strong emotional associations. In “The Cruel Prince,” Valerian, who was one of Cardan’s friends who tormented Jude, tries to kill Jude, however he fails, and Jude ends up killing him instead. Valerian uses his last words to curse Jude, he says “I curse you... I curse you. Three times, I curse you. As you’ve murdered me, may your hands always be stained with blood. May death be your only companion. May you—”and then he dies, (211). Then, continuously throughout the book, and going into the other books, Valerian’s words constantly replay in Jude’s head.

Implicit memories are memories for skills, habits, and learned/conditioned responses. Since Jude was 7 and first came to the Faerie world, she had been trained with the sword and learned the ways of war by her “adoptive” father, Madoc, otherwise known as the Grand General. Throughout the book, Jude shows off these skills of swordplay, scheming, and how to see through your opponents.

Developmental Psychology

Oak is the youngest and only brother of Jude’s; he is 7 years old in the first book of the series. In Piaget’s terms, he is in the concrete operational stage. Oak is in the age range for concrete operational stage, but also, he has trouble understanding the complexities of what is going on around him at the end of the book with the issue of who will be king. In Erikson’s terms, Oak is in the industry vs. Inferiority stage. Again, Oak is in the age range for Industry vs. Inferiority, but also throughout each of the books he tries to apply himself to be like Jude and protect his family, specifically his adoptive mother, Oriana. And finally, in Kohlberg’s terms, Oak is in the preconventional morality stage. Again, he is in the correct age range, but also, Jude mentions that once, Oak repeatedly made Jude hit herself with glamour, which is faerie magic that can make humans do whatever they tell them to, and he only stopped and felt bad once he got in trouble and scolded for it.

Madoc is the grand general and Jude’s adoptive father, his age is never mentioned but it's implied that he’s in his 40s-50s. In Erikson’s terms, Madoc is in the Generativity vs. Stagnation stage. He not only fits in the age range, but he strives to make an impact and enforce his ideals. In Kohlberg’s terms, Madoc is in the postconventional morality stage. Madoc runs by his own ideals and doesn’t adhere to the laws of the Faerie world; he does as he pleases and avoids the consequences as best he can.

Motivation, Emotion, Stress, and Personality

Openness refers to how open-minded, creative, imaginative, and insightful someone can be. Heather, who is Vivi’s human girlfriend, is very high on openness. She constantly sees through Jude’s barriers and checks in on her when she can.

Conscientiousness refers to how competent, self-disciplined, and goal-driven someone can be. Jude was first determined to become a knight, and when that was officially shut down, she became a spy, and throughout the book she dedicates herself to being the best spy she can be, leading her to practice mithridatism, otherwise known as ingesting poisons to gain an immunity. And even when she was working together with Cardan and the court of shadows, she dedicated herself to keeping Oak, her youngest brother, who was secretly the son of Dain, safe, and to getting Cardan on the throne.

Extraversion refers to how sociable someone is and how well they can express emotions. Locke, who is one of Cardan’s friends, who ends up marrying Taryn, Jude’s twin, has a talent for persuasion and charm. He uses this to his advantage to stir up drama in Elfhame.

Agreeableness refers to how cooperative someone is, as well as a person’s ability to put others’ needs before their own. Vivi, Jude’s older sister, has low agreeableness. She usually only thinks about herself, and never witnesses or realizes how her mortal sisters suffer in the Faerie world, since she is accepted as half-fae.

Neuroticism refers to a person’s tendency to having unstable emotions. Cardan has low neuroticism, he is always seen relatively calm and relaxed, as if nothing could hurt him. However, it is seen as somewhat of an act to Jude and he really isn’t as calm as he portrays.

The incentive theory is the theory that we are pulled by incentives, or external stimuli that motivate us, to behave in a certain manner. Jude is constantly motivated by external stimuli, whether it is the possibility of danger for her family, her pact as a spy to Dain, or wanting to be accepted by the Fae.

Clinical Psychology

Cardan shows behaviors that could be used as diagnostic criteria for antisocial personality disorder. These behaviors include “failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors,” and a “lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to... having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another,” (American Psychiatric Association). Cardan is constantly mentioned to be harassing different, lower-class fae, one of them being a faerie boy of whom cardan and his friends ripped the wings off with no remorse. Cardan also “frequently [lacks] empathy and [tends] to be.... contemptuous of the feelings, rights, and sufferings of others.” He also has “an inflated and arrogant self-appraisal,” which is seen multiple times throughout the book by him demanding respect and praise from the rest of the Fae. Talk therapy is most commonly used for treating antisocial personality disorder as there is no specific medication to treat antisocial personality disorder. However, some health care providers prescribe medications to help with other conditions that may occur with antisocial personality disorder, such as anxiety, depression, or symptoms of aggression (Mayo Clinic).

Social Psychology

Jude and Cardan’s relationship builds tension throughout the book until they are forced to work together to make sure Balekin doesn’t become High King. The rules of attraction are proximity, familiarity, and physical attractiveness. The rule of proximity is that the closer together people are physically, the more likely they are to form a relationship, the rule of familiarity is that we tend to like things as they become familiar, as they produce more positive feelings and seem safer, and the rule of physical attractiveness is that people tend to like those whom they find physically attractive. Once Cardan and Jude are thrown together after Dain’s failed coronation, they spend tons of time together, forcing their proximity to each other as well familiarity. The more Jude spends time with Cardan she realizes that his cruel demeanor is mostly just an act, and she begins to enjoy his company for the first time. For the rule of physical attractiveness, each of them mentions how attractive the other is, but in ways that hide their true feelings, such as Cardan saying, “Have I told you how hideous you look tonight?” and when Jude says, “No.. Tell me.” he responds with, “I cannot,” because fairies cannot lie (357).

Obedience is changing one’s behavior at the direct command of an authority figure or person with social power. Up until Dain’s coronation where he is killed, Jude follows Dain’s orders for her as a spy to the best of her ability. Occasionally, she questions his judgement, but overall, she usually listens to him.

Conformity is when a person adjusts their attitude, beliefs, and behaviors to adhere to group norms. Taryn, Jude’s sister, begs Jude to conform and not stand out among the Fae, but even without her twin, Taryn conforms the best she can as a mortal. She tries her best to act and live like the Fae.

Group Polarization is when group members’ decisions and opinions become more extreme together rather than alone. You can see this in “The Cruel Prince,” in Cardan’s friend group. In the beginning, at a ball, Cardan and his friends are seen tormenting lower class fae, even going as far as ripping off one faerie boy’s wings. However, separately, besides from Valerian, they are slightly less cruel apart than together.

Fundamental attribution error is our tendency to underestimate the impact of situational factors and overestimate the impact of dispositional factors when assessing why other people act the way they do. Jude makes the fundamental attribution error, when she learns that Nicasia cheated on Cardan with Locke and assumes she did it because she’s a mean person. However, Nicasia, was under the influence of faerie fruit (basically a drug in this world) and was not thinking clearly.

Superordinate goals are shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation. In “The Cruel Prince,” Jude and Cardan, who are enemies throughout the book, must work together to make sure Balekin does not rule and become High King. They successfully do so, and in the next books of the series continue to work together and fall in love.

#𐀔 // elle writes.#cardan greenbriar #jude duarte #madoc tfota #oak greenbriar #taryn duarte #the cruel prince #tcp #tfota #the folk of the air #holly black #ap psych #ap psychology

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