Psychology Behind: Manchild

Like a miraculous spell cast under the moon, Sabrina Carpenter rose to her stardom overnight, snatching everyone's breath away with her intricately woven storyline through her cinematography, lyrics, and performances. Her powerful yet cunning way of surrounding each of her songs with themes of modern love, power, and chaotic empowerment of womanhood is astounding.

Today, we are diving deep into her latest sensation, "Manchild"—a retro, country-influenced synth, diabolically fever dream-like song. With its iconic symbolism and commentary on male incompetence, the song is embedded with surreal psychological aspects that we will break down one infectious, cinematic scene at a time.

Color Psychology and the Pathology of Performative Incompetence

The song unravels with a 1950s pastels concept that portrays initial soothing tones but contrasts sharply with the filmography angles, such as the smeared fake blood, which serves as a visual metaphor for strong femininity. The first line begins as, "You said your phone was broken, just forgot to charge it," which conveys weaponized incompetence—a cluster B trait where learned helplessness is a conditioned behavior in which men pretend inability to hold accountability.

The lines progressively become more direct, revealing the character's exhaustion and frustration build-up. Lines including "Whole outfit you're wearing, God, I hope it's ironic" and "Did you just say you're finished? Didn't know we started" signify cognitive dissonance where she mocks his lack of self-awareness while brutally dismissing his ego. A stark contradiction is created between her lyrics and scenes as we see her attraction conflicts with his lack of sense—highlighting how society holds "hot mess" men too high.

The Pre-Chorus: A Musical Psychology Study

Have you noticed something different in her pre-chorus?

"Or is it slow?
Maybe it's useless?
But there's a cuter word for it, I know"

That feeling of unpredictability mixed with an eerie children's song drum beat where the bass drops on "useless" emphasizes her condemnation of him. In addition, her vocal layering displays her sarcasm and rudeness coated with her contradictory 'fun' beat. Her satirical sugar-coating is a clear identification of how gaslighting is inflicted, mirroring how women also face insults delivered with sweet tones.

What is more fascinating is the hilarious framing of low-angle shots. When Sabrina sings "Why you always come running to me?", the camera shifts, tilting up at the male co-stars—infantilizing their behavior and actions. This comedic aspect contrasts with Sabrina's high-angle shots and deliberately portrays her as 'fed-up' or possessing more 'common sense'.

Female Complexity and Psychological Roots

The chorus follows a distinct critique toward men regarding Attachment Theory and emotional labor by exaggerating the societal dismissal of this frustration as "bitching." The lines are as follows:

"Won't you let an innocent woman be?
Never heard of self-care
Half your brain just ain't there"

As the song progresses, the fast-paced cut scenes indicate an upcoming climax as the storyline slowly emerges puzzle by puzzle. Sabrina's adrenaline-rushed romance that was shown to differ from the lyrics slowly gets stripped away as her notes reflect deeper internal issues. Her line, "I choose to blame your mom" alludes to Bowen's family systems theory, where overbearing mothers and absent fathers create emotionally underdeveloped adult children. This kind of family system is apparent in the majority of families.

Identifying Manchild Behaviors

As the scenes continue to show the 'stupidity' of her partners, each interaction loses its spark as she stands up for herself. A keen aspect of each of her partners is how they portray different causes of manchild syndrome:

The Main Twist and Cinematic Catharsis

As the upbeat song transforms, the diner scenes and food fights increasingly get off-kilter, reflecting her internal unraveling. This is when the scenes are cut more vigorously as she makes her partners shoot, fall off cliffs, and even fight with her.

"I like my boys playing hard to get
And I like my men all incompetent."

Is She Part of the Problem?

Throughout the entirety of the song, we see her hopping from man to man, and the question arises: why is she tolerating their foolishness if she is not part of the problem?

This topic delves into societal conditioning, where women are taught to nurture and be patient, unlike men. Furthermore, the dopamine paradox of seeing the "potential" creates an addictive fantasy. Sometimes, it could also represent a trauma response to familiar dysfunction that often feels safer than healthy love.

Hair as a Behavioral Motif

One key point to note is Sabrina's hair. Her hair appears as perfect pin curls in the opening shot, presenting hopefulness as she enters a new relationship. However, with progressive destruction, her hair goes wild—untamed, frizzy curls at the end of every relationship, signifying fury and rebellion.

The Bigger Message

Why does "Manchild" resonate so deeply? A 2023 study showed that women perform 7 more hours of household and mental labor than men weekly. While Sabrina is essentially validating female frustration and anger, she distinctively created an eye-opener through comedy and satire to prove that it's not just the man, but the system that rewards them for staying emotionally small.

Sabrina Carpenter's "Manchild" is a masterpiece that blends satirical comedy with 1950s nostalgia and cleverly disguises a bubbly pop song as feminist critique. The song addresses several critical psychological concepts:

• Weaponized Incompetence: The deliberate performance of tasks poorly to avoid future responsibility
• Emotional Labor: The invisible work of managing emotions and relationships
• Societal Conditioning: How cultural norms shape our expectations and behaviors
• Trauma Bonding: The psychological attachment to familiar dysfunction
• Family Systems Theory: How childhood family dynamics create adult relationship patterns

"The song serves as both entertainment and education, using catchy melodies to deliver profound psychological insights about modern relationships and gender dynamics."

If you haven't watched the music video, consider this your sign to experience a diss track brimming with cultural awareness and feminism. Through her artistry, Carpenter has created a piece that not only entertains but also educates audiences about the psychological complexities underlying modern romantic relationships.