Splash Biography



GUSTAVO ANTONIO MARTIR LUNA, UCLA Social Psychology PhD Student




Major: Psychology

College/Employer: UCLA

Year of Graduation: G

Picture of Gustavo Antonio Martir Luna

Brief Biographical Sketch:

Gustavo was born in Los Angeles, but raised in Sacramento to a working-class family. He attended Cristo Rey High School and earned his BA and MA in Psychological Sciences at California State University, Chico. Gustavo is now a doctoral student at UCLA's Psychology department.



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

H277: On the analytical psychology of Kendrick Lamar's DAMN album in Splash Spring 2023 (Apr. 22, 2023)
This course is designed to explore the themes of duality and Christian symbolism in Kendrick Lamar's fourth studio album, DAMN, through the lens of Jungian principles of analytical psychology. In this class, students will examine the album's lyrical content, musical style, and cultural context to better understand how Lamar uses duality and Christian symbolism to convey his message. Throughout the course, we will focus on several key concepts from analytical psychology, including the collective unconscious, archetypes, and the process of individuation. By applying these concepts to Lamar's work, we will deepen our understanding of the album's themes and their psychological significance. The course is split into three sections: Overview, Symbolism, and Christification. The course begins with an overview of Jungian psychology. We will then move on to explore the duality theme in DAMN, paying special attention to Lamar's use of contrasting images and ideas. Next, we will examine the Christian symbolism in the album, exploring how Lamar uses religious imagery to explore his own struggles with sin, redemption, and faith. We will also consider how these themes relate to the larger cultural and political context in which the album was created. Lastly, we will turn our attention to the concept of Christification, exploring how Lamar's exploration of duality and Christian symbolism in this albums explains Lamar’s life, death, and resurrection. We will also consider the relevance of these themes to our own lives, and how we can use Jungian principles to deepen our understanding of our own psychological development. By the end of the course, students will have a deep understanding of the duality and Christian symbolism in DAMN, and will be able to apply Jungian principles of analytical psychology to other works of art and to their own lives.