The American Journal of Psychoanalysis !35:169-174 (1975) the Great Comedians: Personality and Other Factors

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between comedians and their anxiety and depression and to evaluate its function in their success as comedians. How this relationship is communicated to the audience and its interplay with the fears and anxieties of the audience will also be examined. The world of the theatre has always found meaningfully symbolic the alternate faces of comedy and tragedy. Historically, court jesters were tragicomic figures the embodiment of the bittersweet of life. Among the oppressed, the role of social critic has been the comedian's forte. Freud indicated that humor is a release for anxiety. To quote Abe Burrows: "The comedian must practice his comedy in order to avoid destroying himself." Jack Carter, another leading humoristl says: "The funny part, the laughter, is given to the audience, but the comedian is left with the bitter dregs." Comedy has been described by a leading theologian as: "The ability to laugh at one's own tragedy." There appears to be an awareness on the part of the audience of the relationship between humor and anxiety. Consequently it would he reasonable to assume some awareness of the fact that comedians are very anxious and often depressed people. Some indication of the need to view humor as a release for tension can be seen in the increasingly sadomasochistic relationship between the comedian and his audience. As an example, witness the success of the recent Don RicHes album Hello Dummy. The comic is moving away from his historical role as caustic commentator on life and toward being a social activist and agitator (for example, the role of Dick Gregory and other new black comedians). Humor, then, can be seen to be especially applicable in situations in which the individual feels himself to be powerless. One can note here the plethora of jokes about doctors, psychiatrists, undertakers, sex, and mothers-inqaw. This paper will examine whether or not comedians who seem anxious, depressed, and articulate do ventilate their feelings and relieve their anxiety through their humor. It will also examine the relationship between the comedian and his audience, which will either accept or reject the credibility of the comedian. There is a close relationship between the comedian's suffering and the audience's believing that he is indeed suffering. There are numerous indications that many of our top comedians are really crying out loud. It is our con-