Jekyll and Hyde

Definition of Jekyll and Hyde

The Canada social science dictionary [1] provides the following meaning of Jekyll and Hyde: The primary characters in the 1886 story by Robert Louis Stevenson (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde). Jekyll was the stereotypical member of the middle class – repressed and moralistic. Through the ingestion of a drug Dr. Jekyll becomes his mirror opposite – vital, egocentric, a sexual predator and ferocious. While expressing a Christian dichotomy between good and evil the two characters are also seen as expressing the conflict within the self between ‘ego’ and ‘id’ as well as the conflict between ‘culture’ and ‘nature’.

Jekyll and Hyde: Resources

Notes and References

• Drislane, R., & Parkinson, G. (2016). (Concept of) Jekyll and Hyde. Online dictionary of the social sciences. Open University of Canada