The Salesman: The Tale of a Male Identity Crisis (3)

Reza Kazemzadeh, a psychologist and researcher based in Belgium, has examined the film "The Salesman" by Farhadi in three articles. The first and second parts of this article were published in recent weeks. The role of the interactional system and personality on Emad's behavior in Farhadi's films not only does not suffice to look into the past of the heroes and analyze it to understand what they live today, but it is also not considered a determining factor. What is primarily important is the current conditions of the heroes and the events that happen in their lives. For this purpose, to study Emad's present, we must examine the interactional system of Iranian society, which primarily influences his internal crisis based on its rules. By interactional system, we mean a set of rules and contracts that determine how individuals present themselves in both private and public spheres. For example, politeness, dignity, and respect are among the important rules of the interactional system in Iranian culture that dictate our presence in society. It is within this system that one's past (personality) manifests itself. To understand the subject more clearly and show the difference and at the same time the relationship between the two phenomena of "psychological personality" and "interactional system," the metaphor of a vehicle and its movement in a city can be enlightening. The behavior and movement of a car can be examined and explained from two different yet complementary perspectives. The behavior of a car in the city depends on the type, model, and also its past (year of purchase, maintenance, number of accidents, etc.) on one hand, and on the driving rules governing that city (rules regarding speed, stopping places, times to use various lights, etc.) on the other. In this metaphor, the characteristics of the first type define the personality of the car, while the rules and characteristics of the second type define the interactional system governing the environment and public space. To have a correct understanding of the "behavior" (movement and manner of movement) of a particular car, we must be familiar with both the "personality" of the car (model, year of purchase, maintenance, etc.) and the "interactional system" (traffic rules) that defines the relationships between this car and the outside environment and other cars. To have a correct and comprehensive understanding of Emad's behaviors, we must be familiar with both his personality and, consequently, his past, as well as the interactional system through which he organizes his social relationships and life. If Emad reacted to the unfortunate incident solely based on the personality we had seen from him at the beginning of the film, his behavior would certainly have been different, and he would have avoided violent and especially humiliating confrontations with the old man. The importance and impact of the interactional system on the personality crisis in "The Salesman," like in two other films by Asghar Farhadi ("Wednesday's Feast" and "A Separation"), shows that the rules governing the interactional system not only affect the relationships between humans but also have a serious and determining impact on their individual personalities. As previously mentioned, in "The Salesman," there exists a dialectical relationship between the interactional system governing the culture on one hand and the hero's personality on the other, and the behavior and actions of the film's main character in various situations result from the conflict between these two phenomena. Of course, depending on the situation, the degree of influence of each of these two factors on Emad's behavior varies. In some situations, the characteristics related to personality play a more effective role in Emad's behaviors, while in others, it is the governing interactional system that becomes the determining factor. In "The Salesman," as in Farhadi's other two films, the rules governing the interactional system seriously and determinatively affect both the relationships between humans and their individual personalities. Let's take a look at two examples of situations where personality plays a primary role in determining Emad's behavior and demeanor: In the taxi scene early in the film, Emad is sitting next to a woman in the back seat of the taxi, while his student is in the front next to the driver. After a few moments, the woman asks the taxi driver to stop so she can change her seat. From the woman's behavior, it can be inferred that Emad's presence next to her has caused her discomfort and annoyance. In the second scene, while teaching, Emad notices that one of his students is snooping on another student's phone. In both scenes, Emad's personality and the values he believes in play a primary role in how he reacts to the situation. In the first case, when the student describes the woman's rude behavior in the taxi as very ugly and insulting, Emad, despite experiencing an unpleasant and unfair situation due to the woman's behavior (as he has been indirectly accused of engaging in or intending to engage in unethical behavior), tries to understand the reasons for such behavior and does not judge the woman. In the second scene (snooping and invading another's privacy), Emad condemns the intruder and does not find any motivation or reason (in this case, ethical) to justify such an action. However, this "personality" in two later scenes, which relate to after the unfortunate incident (the invasion of his wife's privacy, which we will henceforth refer to simply as the "unfortunate incident"), shows that his reaction is more influenced by the rules of the interactional system of the culture and the situation than by his usual demeanor and beliefs. The first example relates to Emad's treatment of the old street vendor. His violent behavior towards the old man can be understood and explained based on the concept of "honor" in the interactional system of Iranian culture. The second example pertains to his nervous and uncontrolled behavior in the classroom when he threatens a student who has snooped on another's phone, stating that he will definitely report his "immoral actions" to his family. Here, it is important to note that the first two cases relate to before the unfortunate incident, while the last two examples relate to after it. This means that the main cause of this behavioral change and demeanor can be linked to the occurrence of the unfortunate incident. In fact, the unfortunate incident initiates a process in Emad's psychological system that transforms him from Emad before the incident to Emad after the incident. Although this incident does not change his identity, it alters the focal point of his identity. The wound and shock that this event inflicts on Emad's psyche initiate the process he refers to as "becoming a bull." This process gradually shifts the focal point of his identity from one pole to another in his personality. These two poles have always existed in his psyche, but with the occurrence of the unfortunate incident, the power relationship between them has completely reversed. Emad's unbalanced, highly emotional, violent, and seemingly uncontrollable behavior, along with the personality crisis he grapples with immediately after the incident, all indicate that at least part of the values belonging to the interactional system of society have been internalized in Emad's psyche. It is as if a part of him that had been dormant in a winter sleep has been activated by the occurrence of the unfortunate incident and gradually gained control over his personality and relationships with others. Honor: The Connecting Link Between Personality and the Interactional System From that part of the internalized rules of the governing interactional system of Iranian culture, which has caused a crisis in Emad's personality due to its conflict with another part of his psyche, we can speak of "honor." Honor in our culture is a complex, multifaceted concept that is very thought-provoking and interesting for study and analysis. The complexity of the phenomenon of honor arises from its position at the intersection of two processes: identity formation and socialization. One end is connected to identity, more precisely to male identity, and the other end relates to male social roles in relation to women and honor. Thus, honor is simultaneously part of male identity and organizes the relationship between men and women in both private and public spheres. In fact, honor arises from the connection between individual identity (personality) and social role (interactional system). The phenomenon of honor links the individual's identity with his social role in such a way that preserving identity, safeguarding, and adhering to social roles seem inevitable and necessary. Thus, male identity is intertwined with the relationship between men and women, and a man who reacts due to an offense against his "honor" primarily defends his identity as a "man" (under the title of "dignity"). In this case, revenge is essentially an attempt to reconstruct dignity and restore honor from male identity. Therefore, in a nutshell, honor can be defined as the intertwining of social role with male identity around the body of a woman. The emphasis on the "body" of the woman here is because concepts such as honor and dignity primarily relate to the feeling of possession and consequently control over the body of a woman (especially in public space). However, the phenomenon of honor in Emad has taken on a more complex form. In fact, honor must link two phenomena in Emad's psyche that are in conflict with each other: personal identity and social role. The significant difference between Emad and a character like Ghaiser lies in this internal struggle and psychological tension. In Ghaiser's existence, honor is formed from the combination of two harmonious and complementary elements. That is, there is no tension or disharmony between the individual's personality and his social role as a man in Iranian society. In other words, there is complete compatibility and alignment between the male identity he feels within himself and the male role assigned to him by the governing interactional system of his culture. However, in Emad, these two aspects are not in harmony and alignment with each other. His sense of honor is accompanied by tension and transformation, and to the extent that he assigns a more significant role to his identity, he faces a more profound and severe crisis. One of the significant changes that occur due to the growth of honor in Emad's demeanor and behavior relates to his approach to authority, which we will briefly look at here. Emad's Approach to Authority Emad's approach to authority gradually changes due to the identity transformation resulting from the unfortunate incident. Emad holds authority in two roles: as a husband (in relation to his wife) and as a teacher (in relation to his students). In both cases, at the beginning of the film, we encounter a person who, contrary to traditional criteria and even the spirit of the laws governing Iranian society, adheres to a democratic model in his behavior with his wife and students. Since Emad could not have received such a model from the socialization process within educational institutions in society (most importantly, school), he must have become familiar with it within the framework of his family and kinship system. Nevertheless, this individual, who initially adhered to a democratic model of authority, changes his approach to authority in both situations when the unfortunate incident occurs to his wife and gradually shifts towards an authoritarian and traditional model of authority. For example, when he snoops on a student's phone against their will and encounters "immoral" images (according to the community's official standards), he exhibits an authoritarian reaction and instructs the student to return to school with their parents as soon as possible to punish and suppress the "immoral" act. In relation to his wife, Rana, Emad gradually transforms from a considerate and sensitive individual to his wife's needs into a "jealous" and self-willed man. In other words, gradually, the wife (a different and independent being) transforms into honor (i.e., a part of his personal identity) for him. In fact, if we examine Emad from the perspective of the motivation for behavioral change, we can conclude that throughout the film, his personality (individual history) gradually gives way to social role (collective contracts). That is, over time, the internal motivations related to core identity are marginalized by the rules governing the interactional system, and Emad increasingly acts according to the socialization teachings related to the role of men in relation to women = honor. In this film, as in Farhadi's previous films, the protagonists at critical junctures and often unforeseen yet impactful situations behave, speak, and even feel more based on social roles and under the supervision of the rules governing the interactional system of cultural society than under the influence of personality, individual criteria, and internalized values within the framework of kinship. It appears that in sensitive and significant life situations, the power and influence of rulers in identity formation and socialization of children surpass that of relatives. Perhaps the reason for this phenomenon is that although tradition has been dying for decades in Iranian society, it still has life and influence. The Iranian Revolution not only marked the end of the traditional interactional system...