Harvey Specter Character Analysis

Harvey Specter

Character Analysis from Suits Culminating Performance Task

Jessica Chen

Table of Contents

01. Who is Harvey Specter? 02. Some Basics of Psychology 03. Psychological Development 04. Humanism: Maslow's Hierachy of Needs05. Karen Horney's Neurotic Needs06. Anthropology Component 07. Sociology Component 08. Next Steps 09. That's a Wrap! 10. Questions & Discussion 11. Thanks for Listening 12. References

(Harvey Specter, 2021)

Who is Harvey Specter?

• ​​Harvey Reginald Specter - Born during the 1970s
• Grew up in Riverside, New York and was extremely poor
• At 16 years old, his mother, Lily Specter, had an affair with another man
• Lived with his father, Gordan Specter
• He began working in a firm’s mailroom
• Met Jessica Pearson who was impressed by his cleverness and negotiation skills
• Volunteered to pay for his tuition at Harvard Law School, graduating in 1997
• A Senior Partner/corporate lawyer at Pearson Darby
• Known to be New York City's best closer

(Harvey Specter, 2011)

Characteristics & Interests

• His self-assurance and his confidence in his abilities
• Knows he is the best & not hesitant/afraid to express so
• Interests include sports like boxing and baseball
• Big fan of cars and is seen driving Bentley, Mercedes, and a vintage Mustang, etc.

(Harvey Specter Boxing, 2012)

03. Donna Paulsen

02. Mike Ross

01. Jessica Pearson

Some Basics of Psychology

• Personality type of ENTJ
• A logical thinker, a natural leader, charismatic & ambitious.

• English Victorian polymath, Francis Galton, created the theory Nature vs Nurture
• Harvey is heavily influenced by “nurture” (external environmental factors)
• Influence from his parent were not from genetics (nature) but the way they acted around him (nurture)
• E.g. the experience of finding out his mom was cheating on his dad initiated a series of trauma and behaviours in his current life

(ENTJ from 16 Personalities 2021)

The Self-Determination Theory

Human Motivation

• Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan
• Intrinsic & Extrinsic motivations are significant factors in who we are as a person and the way we behave

Extrinsic

Intrinsic

• His self-determined will and personal desire to conform his personal beliefs.
• Choice to suppress emotions whenever he can
• From the belief that people will take advantage of him if they know he cares about something/someone

• Harvey acts the way he is for an expected outcome (reward)
• His competitive spirit can be seen in and out of the courtroom
• E.g. Gotham Car Club

(Gotham Car Club, 2021)

1. Psychological Development

Erik Erikson's theory of Emotional Development:

• Harvey starts to become emotionally distinct from people after his mother had an affair.
• Developed trust issues, making it harder for him to form secure and emotional connections with other people

Lev Vygotsky's theory of Social Development

• Explains how social factors, like family and friends, have an effect on children and how they formulate relationships with other people
• Neglected by a maternal figure when he was young
• Refuses to let people into his bubble, appearing cold and scary in others’ eyes

Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of Moral Development:

• Centred more on explaining how children base decisions concerning what's right, wrong, good and bad
• Realized what his mother had done was wrong and hurtful
• He takes the rule to never sleep with women in a relationship very seriously

(Harvey Retrospecting, 2021)

2. Humanism:Maslow's HumanisticHierarchy of Needs

(Maslow's Hierachy of Needs)

• Individuals should be dependent on their own recovery
• Based on observing people rather than experimenting

• Abraham Maslow studied “self-actualization.”
• People become the best versions of themselves when they reach the self-actualization stage (top of the pyramid)

• Fixated on the esteem level, focusing on personal achievements/accomplishments primarily (fourth tier).
• Obsession to always win has prevented him from reaching self-actualization

• Highly competitive and would go to great lengths to preserve his title and reputation

• E.g. putting up a million dollars as security to acquire a loan for his clients to win a case

(Harvey Specter Smiling, 2021)

3. Karen Horney's Neurotic Needs Theory

• Harvey is seen to have a driving work ethic to always win and a strong desire for power

• When he doesn’t get what he wants, he tends to become more motivated to reach the top

• German Psychoanalyst, Karen Horney - behaviour of those who have the pathological need to be “liked by others'' is due to an underlying neurotic need for affection and approval
• In her book “Self-Analysis” she explains different coping strategies to deal with basic anxiety (caused by interpersonal relationships)

• In Harvey's case, this is resulted from “parental disagreements and lack of real guidance from parental figures''
• Classed into three categories:

1. Need that moves you towards people2. Need that moves you away from people3. Need that moves you against people

(Karen Horney)

3. Karen Horney's Neurotic Needs Theory

• "Moving against people" category
• "Neurotic Need for Personal Admiration”,
• Harvey's narcissistic personality and exaggerated self-perception.
• "Neurotic Need for Power”
• Individuals seek power and fear personal limitations and uncontrollable situations
• Harvey constantly wanting to be in charge and make decisions.

• Donna states "people don't like that he's always right."
• Jessica states that "he’s almost always winning."
• Harvey quotes “I am not about caring, I’m about winning”

• A result from parental disagreements and a lack of real guidance from parental figures at a young age
• Convinced that his mother left his father because she saw him as inadequate
• Prioritize being seen as the best man

(Harvey Specter, 2011)

(Harvey seeing Donna)

Anthropology Component:

• As a lawyer, Harvey tends to not show any emotions by keeping his feelings to himself
• Harvey's choice of career, his way of thinking and his personality could be a result of his cultural subgroup:
• a middle-aged, wealthy white male

• A cultural component he chooses to follow, that his mother did not, was the rite of passage of marriage

• Once you are married, you are not allowed to have another relationship.
• One of the rules Harvey takes extremely seriously
• Not even his friends can make an exception

(Harvey Thinking)

Sociology Component:Role Theory

(Harvey Specter, 2011)

• Harvey plays two significant roles: his role as a lawyer and his role as a friend
• Spends the majority of his time at work - more people are exposed to his more vicious and cold side
• Co-worker and rival Louis quotes that "he's always been alone" as he is constantly emotionally detached from other people
• As a friend, he places high importance on loyalty and is willing to fight tirelessly for his close friends
• American sociologist, Talcott Parsons - “role theory” which was used to understand social behavior

• "Role" was to define a set of expected behaviours and obligations that a person is expected to have

(Harvey Hugging Donna)

Sociology Component:Role Conflict

• Role conflict arises when there are contradictions and opposing values between his role as a friend and lawyer
• In his professional life, Harvey has stated that he will not violate any laws such as lying under oath to win
• His role as a friend believes rules aren't necessarily right or wrong, and that he should do what he thought was right.
• When there is a legal case involving his friends and if the stakes are high enough, his two roles would conflict
• Example: when he lied to his clients to help Mike escape from prison (which is illegal)

(Mike in Prison)

(Harvey helps Mike Escape)

Recommended Next Steps For Harvey

01. Emotional Detachment

02. Trapped in the "Working World"

03. Past Family Issues

• One way Harvey can start being more open to people and start building strong secure connections with others is to meet others with someone he trusts
• Bring someone he is comfortable around/trusts like Donna or Mike
• Help bring out Harvey’s more caring and less tense personality

• Harvey’s unresolved issues from his past left him with no contact with his mother after their divorce.

• His therapist concluded his panic attacks resulted from the fear of abandonment his mother left on him
• Harvey reached out to his mother and was able to forgive and reunite with her

• Spend less time on his work and spend more time with his friends outside of work

• Should accept more of Mike’s invitation to hang out whether it's grabbing a quick bagel or bringing him along on his work car rides
• Once he shifts the focus to spending more time with people that understand him and having time to himself, his self-awareness will increase

(Harvey & Mike 2021)

(Harvey Specter meeting his mother)

That's a Wrap!

• Conclusion of character analysis of Harvey Specter
• Arrogant and cocky or confident and self-assured, Harvey is an extremely dependent character
• Willing to go to extreme lengths for those he cares about
• An extremely hardworking person which can be seen through his commitment to his work and his loyalty to his friends

"You want to change your life? Change the way you think.” "Win a no-win situation by rewriting the rules.” - Harvey Specter

(Harvey Specter, 2011)

Question & Discussion Time!

Poll Questions

1. What do you think is Harvey most influenced by and why?
2. Do you think you and Harvey are more similar or different?
3. Do you think Harvey’s positive traits outweigh his negative ones?
4. If you were ever in Harvey’s shoes would you put your friends over the law (especially if you’re a lawyer and extremely dedicated to work?)

Thanks for listening!

Any questions?

References

Alexander, J. (n.d.). Harvey Specter main - mind map. Mindomo. Retrieved January 10, 2022, from https://www.mindomo.com/mindmap/harvey-specter-maindce91680614f920e1d28a7a6d5773770#:~:text=Harvey%20Specter%20is%20the%20epitome,to%20the%20way%20he%20dresses.&text=He%20understands%20that%20your%20appearance,tries%20to%20look%20the%20best Cherry, K. (2019, November 26). The 10 needs of neurotic people. Verywell Mind. Retrieved January 10, 2022, from https://www.verywellmind.com/horneys-list-of-neurotic-needs-2795949#:~:text=Psychoanalytic%20 theorist%20 Karen%20Horney%20developed,on%20the%20appearance%20of%20needs. Cherry, K. (2020, March 28). Why Karen Horney is important to feminine psychology. Verywell Mind. Retrieved January 10, 2022, from https://www.verywellmind.com/karen-horney-biography-2795539 Cherry, K. (2021, April 24). Levels of developing morality in Kohlberg's theories. Verywell Mind. Retrieved January 10, 2022, from https://www.verywellmind.com/kohlbergs-theory-of-moral-development-2795071#:~:text=American%20psychologist%20Lawrence%20Kohlberg%20developed,how%20children%20develop%20moral%20reasoning. Cherry, K. (2021, July 18). Understanding Erikson's stages of psychosocial development. Verywell Mind. Retrieved January 10, 2022, from https://www.verywellmind.com/erik-eriksons-stages-of-psychosocial-development-2795740

References

Crossman, A. (2019, May 30). Learn how and why role conflict affects our day-to-day lives. ThoughtCo. Retrieved January 10, 2022, fromhttps://www.thoughtco.com/role-conflict-3026528Developmental psychology. Developmental psychology - New World Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved January 10, 2022, from https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Developmental_psychology Eckstein-Koas, M. (2021, March 4). Social-emotional development theories and the early childhood Miriam Eckstein-Koas. Continued Early Childhood Education. Retrieved January 10, 2022, from https://www.continued.com/early-childhood-education/articles/social-emotional-development-theories-and-23713 Harvey Specter psych analysis. prezi.com. (n.d.). Retrieved January 10, 2022, from https://prezi.com/gipltiphprzw/harvey-specter-psych-analysis/ Harvey Specter. Suits Wiki. (n.d.). Retrieved January 10, 2022, from https://suits.fandom.com/wiki/Harvey_Specter Harvey Specter: A study in late modern sociopathy. Mark Carrigan. (2018, November 25). Retrieved January 10, 2022, from https://markcarrigan.net/2018/11/25/harvey-specter-a-study-in-late-modern-sociopathy/

References

How much would it cost to own the life of Harvey Specter? Boss Hunting. (2021, December 2). Retrieved January 10, 2022, fromhttps://www.bosshunting.com.au/hustle/personal-finance/harvey-specter-salary/Mcleod, S. (1970, January 1). Developmental psychology. Developmental Psychology | Simply Psychology. Retrieved January 10, 2022, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/developmental-psychology.html The Psychology Notes H.Q. (2020, February 14). Abraham Maslow's humanistic psychology. The Psychology Notes Headquarters. RetrievedJanuary 10, 2022, from https://www.psychologynoteshq.com/abraham-maslows-humanistic-psychology/ Self-determination theory of motivation: Why intrinsic motivation matters. PositivePsychology.com. (2021, December 7). Retrieved January 10, 2022, from https://positivepsychology.com/self-determination-theory/ Suits' Gabriel Macht digs into the personal side of Harvey Specter. Rotten Tomatoes Movie and TV News Suits Gabriel Macht Digs Into the Personal Side of Harvey Specter Comments. (n.d.). Retrieved January 10, 2022, from https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/suits-gabriel-macht-digs-into-the-personal-side-of-harvey-specter/