"When you're famous you kind of run into human nature in a raw kind of way" - Marilyn Monroe
One of the lesser known facts about Marilyn Monroe is that she did daily sessions of psychoanalysis, and that rather than this being a passing fad, psychotherapy played a profound role in her life.
Having experienced a childhood blighted by deprivation and trauma there was much to explore, and so psychoanalysis became a gateway to a more expansive way of being, which included an interest in nineteenth century literature, radical leftist politics and counterculture. Marilyn spoke out against racial segregation, openly supporting artists such as Ella Fitzgerald. She challenged entrenched gender norms by taking on the suits at Twentieth Century Fox setting up her own film production company, and in interviews she talked about non-normative sex and relationships:
"when two people love each other, who cares what colour or flavour or religion they are? It’s two human beings."
Born Norma Jeane Mortenson in 1926, Marilyn never knew her father, and her mother, Gladys Baker, suffered from schizophrenia, spending much of her life in psychiatric institutions. As a result, Marilyn was placed in foster homes and an orphanage, experiencing repeated abandonment and abuse. These early experiences contributed to psychological wounds which she carried into - and played out - in adulthood. Hollywood provided a seductive escape, but the glitz and glamour could never offer her the healing she needed. As the actress Bette Davis observed, Hollywood is full of daughters looking for Daddies.
Marilyn began therapy in the 1950s and later worked with Dr. Ralph Greenson, a prominent psychoanalyst based in Los Angeles.
"Like any creative human being I would like a bit more control ... Goethe said, talent is developed in privacy, .. and it's really true. There is a need for aloneness which I don't think most people realise for an actor."
At this time, psychoanalysis was coming off the couch. Civil rights and psychedylics had begun to impact the expectation of therapy, and patients were wanting more than just free association and the unconscious fantasy world. A therapeutically relational way of working was beginning to emerge, which was uncharted territory for both patient and analyst, but which offered the potential for something deeply healing and transformative.
Greenson became more than just Marilyn's therapist; he assumed a quasi-parental role in her life, offering her a reparative relationship. He even went so far as to introduce her to his family, creating a dynamic that blurred professional and ethical boundaries. While Marilyn trusted Greenson deeply, her dependence on him also underscored her lifelong search for a secure base and sense of home.
Marilyn’s dedication to psychoanalysis extended beyond her sessions with Greenson. In 1956, while in the United Kingdom filming The Prince and the Showgirl with Laurence Olivier, she sought out Anna Freud, the renowned child psychoanalyst and daughter of Sigmund Freud. Although details of their meetings remain scarce, Anna Freud is on record as describing Marilyn as, ‘emotionally unstable, highly impulsive, and needing continuing approval from the outside world; she cannot bear solitude and tends to get depressed when faced by rejection; paranoid with schizophrenic elements.’ It’s a harsh pathological assessment, and for both of their reputations it is important to consider the context.
At the time, Marilyn’s marriage to Arthur Miller was unravelling. Miller claimed to have seen the vulnerability behind Marilyn’s blonde bombshell persona, but he still wanted her to be the ‘good wife’. Not long after they were married, Miller told journalists that Marilyn would only make one movie every 18 months. When asked what she would do the rest of the time, he said, “she will be my wife, that is a full time job.” This was a man who wanted a woman to recognise his genius whilst servicing his intellectual and political needs. Marilyn may have shared many of his political standpoints and intellectual aspirations, but she also needed a husband to meet her in a more equal emotional space.
"Your're always running into people's unconscious ... I don't understand why people aren't a little more generous with each other."
Whilst suffering from endometriosis and the psychological and physical impact of two miscarriages, Miller abandoned her. No wonder she resorted to barbiturates and alcohol. No wonder she was late on set, or for forgot her lines. Sectioning her, which was the outcome, was not the answer, but a not uncommon outcome faced by women at this time.
At one point, it was proposed that Marilyn star in a film about Sigmund Freud, which was to be directed by John Huston. A film about Freud, exploring the depths of the human psyche, seemed like the perfect project for Marilyn, however, when she consulted Anna Freud about the role, Freud advised against it. Whether this was out of concern for Monroe’s mental health, or down to a fear of how Sigmund Freud and his legacy would be represented on the big screen, Anna Freud’s counsel carried weight. Monroe ultimately declined the role, heeding Freud's advice. The film, Freud: The Secret Passion, was later made with Susannah York playing a key role instead.
In some psychoanalytic circles, Marilyn is referred to a ‘psychoanalytic failure’, being a patient who could not be cured, but this misses the point, let alone the non-linear aspect of healing trauma. Regardless of the circumstances, it is evident that Marilyn was a woman in search of meaning and connection. Her commitment to psychoanalysis illustrates her desire to confront her past, understand herself better, and make a purposeful contribution to society. At the time of her death, the world was changing, civil rights, second wave feminism, and gay liberation were all gaining momentum. Marilyn played a nascent part in all of those movements, and we can only speculate on the role she would have played within them moving forward.
Marilyn: The Exhibition @ Arches London Bridge is on until 21st April 2025
Marilyn quotes - Life Magazine