When it comes to humor there are several theories that can be used to explain why we laugh or why we find something funny. One of them is the Psychoanalytic Theory. This theory can be observed when people are put into situations where they turn their bottled-up emotions into humor. The emotions themselves can range from feeling fear, being nervous, or being uncomfortable. When people feel these emotions, it often gets to a point where they have no clue what to do with them other than to let them out through the use of humor.
Throughout my life I have noticed that I frequently use this theory. The most recent time I used it was when it was my uncle's wife's birthday party. I have often seen her side of the family, yet it is often strange to spend time together since they can be considered loud and outgoing while my side of the family is more serious. When arriving at the birthday party my parents and I stepped inside the house and all that could be heard was screaming and laughing from my cousins as well as the kids who belong to my uncle's wife's side of the family. For the most part we are all around the same age, but I usually keep to myself and don't interact with them. So, on this day I took a seat beside my mother while the other kids continued laughing and screaming. The reason for all the noise was that they were trying to film a TikTok. Now, considering that they were recording right behind my chair, I started to feel nervous and uncomfortable. I feared that if I moved, I would come out in their video. The emotions themselves were already strong inside of me but they eventually came out with the Psychoanalytic Theory when one of the girls' moms approached me. She had noticed that I was just sitting there with the older adults and asked if I wanted to be in the video with the others. I said no considering that I am not used to recording TikTok's. She then asked "why, are you embarrassed?" and at this point I felt so uncomfortable that I did not know what to say to her, so I simply looked at her and laughed. After seeing me laugh she also laughed and eventually walked away. While I did feel that the moment was very awkward, I also think that laughing allowed me to relax a bit.
Overall, the Psychoanalytic Theory in my personal example goes to show that we can turn feelings that make us feel bad into humor as a way to minimize them and ultimately help us feel better.
