Screams and Schemas: A Psychological Dive into Horror

Episode 3: Hereditary

“Go Big or Go Paimon.” Welcome back to Screams & Schemas — where horror meets psychology with a dash of dark humor. I’m your host Jessie, a clinical psychology doctoral student, here to help you process the emotional carnage that is Hereditary. This episode dives into: • Intergenerational trauma • Grief & dissociation • Family systems (…and cults, but same thing sometimes) • Schemas like abandonment, shame, and enmeshment We explore Annie, Peter, and Charlie’s unraveling; how trauma gets passed down like cursed heirlooms; and whether Grandma’s book club is secretly trying to crown a demon king. Plus: a clinical thought experiment — If Annie came into my office… — including diagnostic impressions + treatment notes (and probably a safety plan). If you like psychology, horror, and laughing so you don’t cry — this one’s for you.

Episode 2: The Shining

All work and no therapy makes Jack a dull boy… In this episode of Screams and Schemas, we step intothe haunted halls of the Overlook Hotel and explore one of horror’s most iconicdepictions of psychological unraveling: Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Together, we trace the Torrance family’s descent intoisolation, madness, and legacy — examining what happens when untreated trauma,generational wounds, and impossible standards meet a haunted building that maynot be haunted at all… unless by the mind itself. We’ll cover: 🔪 Plot Walkthrough— From the job interview to the hedge maze finale 🧠Psychological Analysis — How Jack’s schemas create fertile ground for unraveling 👁️The Overlook as the Unconscious Mind— A symbolic deep dive 📚 Kubrick vs. King— Two visions of terror, one fractured family 📝 Case Conceptualization: Jack Torrance — If Jack walked into therapy… what then?• Presenting concerns • Possible diagnoses • Key schemas • Treatmentrecommendations (yes, even for Jack) 🔦 Schema Breakdown— Enmeshment, Defectiveness/Shame, Punitiveness & more ❄️Reflection — What Jack leaves behind… and what we carry with us Through psychological frameworks, darkly playful commentary, and a therapist-inflected lens, we sit with the Torrances as the Overlook brings their deepest shadows to the surface. Is Jack possessed? Or is he just finally listening to theghosts he brought with him? Bundle up — and watch out for REDRUM. — If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, andshare. It helps other horror nerds and psychology lovers find their way to theOverlook. Follow on Instagram: @screams_and_schemas Next week: We descend into inherited grief, family fate, andthe unholy terror of what we can’t escape — as we explore Hereditary. Pleasant dreams… 🕯️ Screams and SchemasWhere the mind meets the macabre.

Episode 1: Psycho

In this inaugural episode, Screams and Schemas opens the door to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho — a psychological autopsy of Norman Bates and the schemas that shaped him. Host, Jessie Young, analyzes the enmeshment that blurred Norman’s identity, the defectiveness and shame that hollowed him from within, and the haunting consequences of internalized control. Part case study, part cinematic reflection, this episode examines how early attachment wounds can split the self — and how horror films mirror the very defenses we use to survive them.

Screams and Schemas

Welcome to Screams and Schemas-where horror movies meet the mind. In this short trailer, I introduce the show's mission: exploring what our favorite scary stories reveal about fear, the psyche, and the human condition. Subscribe now and get ready to dive into the psychologyof horror-one scream at a time. New episodes every Friday with a Halloween launch date. Enter the dark intersection of cinema and psychology. Hosted by a clinical psychology doctoral student, Screams and Schemas dissects horror films through the lens of the human mind—exploring trauma, fear, identity, and the monsters that mirror our inner worlds. Think Freud meets Final Girl.