The Collapse Of The Symbolic Order: A Lacanian Psychoanalysis Of The Mother Figure In The Movie Norma: Antara Mertua Dan Menantu
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56127/jukim.v5i01.2480Keywords:
Lacanian psychoanalysis, mother-in-law, incest, The Name-of-the-Father, Symbolic order.Abstract
The mother figure in Indonesian families is traditionally constructed as the guardian of moral values. However, the movie Norma: Antara Mertua dan Menantu depicts a radical deviation where a mother engages in an incestuous relationship with her son-in-law. This study aims to analyze the psychic dynamics of the mother character, Rina, using Jacques Lacan's psychoanalytic theory. Using a qualitative descriptive method, this research dissects visual and verbal data representing the three Lacanian registers: The Real, The Imaginary, and The Symbolic. The results indicate that Rina's transgression is not merely a moral failure but a structural collapse of the Symbolic order caused by the absence of "The Name-of-the-Father" (the husband's function) in the household. The study finds that the mother attempts to reconstruct her fragmented ego through the Imaginary phase by using her son-in-law as a mirror to reclaim her lost youth (The Real). This research concludes that the incestuous affair serves as a tragic defense mechanism against domestic alienation, ultimately leading to the destruction of the family structure.
References
[1] Endraswara, S. (2008). Metodologi penelitian sastra: Epistemologi, model, teori dan aplikasi. Media Pressindo.
[2] Hook, D. (2016). What, for Lacan, makes the function of the Father work? Of Abraham and the goat, or, of Elliott and ET. Psychology in Society, (51), 113-116. https://doi.org/10.17159/2309-8708/2016/n51a9
[3] Kalalo, F. Y., Himpong, M. D., & Waleleng, G. J. (2021). Fenomena komunikasi antarbudaya mertua dan menantu dalam pernikahan suku Jawa dan suku Minahasa. Acta Diurna Komunikasi, 3(2). https://ejournal.unsrat.ac.id/v3/index.php/actadiurnakomunikasi/article/view/33468
[4] Koentjaraningrat. (2004). Manusia dan kebudayaan di Indonesia. Djambatan.
[5] Mu’afiyah, L. (2025). Analisis psikoanalisis Lacan terhadap karakter Oh Ri-Na dalam ‘Daily Dose of Sunshine’: Refleksi nilai-nilai Al-Qur’an dan konteks sosial. Jurnal Semiotika-Q: Kajian Ilmu Al-Quran dan Tafsir, 5(2), 707–725. https://doi.org/10.19109/jsq.v5i2.29491
[6] Neill, C. (2023). Jacques Lacan: The basics. Routledge.
[7] Norma: Antara Mertua dan Menantu [Film]. (2025). Netflix.
[8] Nuroniyah, W. (2023). Psikologi keluarga. CV. Zenius Publisher.
[9] Pradnyana, I. W. G., Artawan, G., & Sutama, I. M. (2019). Psikologi tokoh dalam novel Suti karya Sapardi Djoko Damono: Analisis psikologi sastra. Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan dan Pembelajaran, 3(3), 339–347. https://doi.org/10.23887/jipp.v3i3.21844
[10] Rahmah, M., Quraisy, H., & Risfaisal, R. (2019). Konflik sosial menantu yang tinggal serumah dengan mertua (Studi kasus di Desa Lempang Kecamatan Tanete Riaja Kabupaten Barru). Equilibrium: Jurnal Pendidikan, 7(2), 206–210. https://doi.org/10.26618/equilibrium.v7i2.2626
[11] Ratna, N. K. (2013). Teori, metode, dan teknik penelitian sastra. Pustaka Pelajar.
[12] Reza, V., Ardiansyah, M. F., Nur Khovivah, S., & Afza Camila, L. (2024). Implikasi budaya patriarki terhadap perubahan peran perempuan dalam keluarga di lingkungan sivitas akademik. JSPH: Jurnal Sosial Politik Humaniora, 1(3), 30–41. https://doi.org/10.59966/jsph.v1i3.1427
[13] Vanheule, S. (2024). When the father is more than just a signifier: Lacan’s later work on the father-function in psychosis. Theory & Psychology, 34(2), 153–169. https://doi.org/10.1177/09593543241240002
