Analyzing the Movie You've Got Mail Using Jungian Psychology

There are many Jungian concepts to be discovered and explained in the movie You’ve Got Mail. From the display of an obviously unhealthy ego to the dominate display of Anima/Animus, this movie is incredibly rich in Jungian concepts and psychology. 

It is my understanding that the ego is a primary feature in one’s psychology and is responsible for dictating who we are and giving us a sense of self-definition. The ego, defined as “The central complex in the field of consciousness.” (Sharp, p. 49) is particularly evident through Tom Hanks’ character, “Joe Fox”. Joe is an entrepreneur with a knack for hard-ball business. He is also soft and kind-hearted however these traits are rarely displayed through his behavior due to the nature of his work. As Joe carries out the opening of his first bookstore, a sense of his unhealthy ego exposes itself to the woman he falls in love with over the internet. 

Joe displays his arrogance and selfishness while talking to Cathleen Kelly, a fellow bookstore owner who is involved in the online affair. Cathleen is very meek and, most of the time, at a loss for words. At a dinner party, the two meet face to face and Joe makes no attempt to keep his arrogance to himself. He admits to Cathleen that he is going to buy out her bookstore and that she is just a bug to be squashed in the wide world of business. Without taking a moment to think about how much this type of behavior may effect her, Joe throws caution to the wind and makes her feel as though he has “belittled her existence.” (You’ve Got Mail) This scene shows the “assimilation of the self to the ego,” (Sharp, pp. 49-50) meaning that Joe’s ego has become over accentuated, resulting in Joe’s inability to adapt to the stressful situation in which he finds himself.