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In this essay I will explore personality transformation in the confrontation with death. This transformation may occur in consequence of realizing the finality of life, an inability to mourn, or the impact of this confrontation on the superego. I will examine the ensuing de- or reformation the superego may undergo under the threat of death and the effect of these processes on the whole personality.
To illustrate the process of superego deformation under the threat of death, I will analyze the personality of Walter White, protagonist of the critically acclaimed American television drama series Breaking Bad (2008-2013). I will then analyze the reformation of the superego when confronted with a near-death experience in the story of Ivan Andreich Laevsky, protagonist of Anton Chekhov's novella The Duel (1891), a screen adaptation of which appeared in 2010.1
I will compare and contrast how each of these protagonists reacts to the confrontation with death. I will explore their inability to mourn, their fear of death, and their use of manic defenses to counter their depressive anxiety, as well as the phenomenon of character growth in extreme personal crises.