#psychoanalysing characters

[blood-orange-juice]

In your opinion, which Genshin characters would have CPTSD? Asking out of genuine curiosity and a desire to see your take on it.

(My personal picks are Kachina, Lyney and Lynette, Kinich, and Arlecchino.)

I mean, depends on how you want to define it! That was the point of my previous post: if a term means too many different things it's not useful.

(unless we specify which exact meaning we are using)

If you accept the consequences of any prolonged trauma as cPTSD then even Childe might qualify.

(although I still hesitate. the "P" letter is there for a reason: disordered behaviour should continue in a safe environment, and he's just acting p̵̺̒̄̎ę̸̛͎̞̱̝̜̯̪̭͗̽͆̔̎̔͘͠͝r̷͓̮̙͔̻̲̍͆́͊͌͆͛̚̕͝͠f̵̨̠̟̣̹͙̥͈̣̝̭̯̲̤̀̍̉̒̃̔̚͜͜͝ͅę̸̨̭͉̰̬̩͈̯͛̍͗̆̔͝c̶̡̢̫̫̭͕̙͈̟̥̫̦͔̟̯͔̊͒̀̈̊́̍̍̐̃̿̚͝ͅt̸̡͈̞͕͉̥̗͉̠̿͗̾̉̔̂͊̾̋̎̔l̷͚̓͑̃̌̋̅̾͂͛̉͝ÿ̴̡̥͎̮̜̱͍̤́͗̐͊̂͆̓̈̕ͅ ̷̥̤̯̪͚̦͙̣̘̣͐͌̇̿̋̋͗̏͋̓̎̒̏̄̎͠͝á̶̢̡̢̧̡͙̮̠̺͙͈͕̰̳͚͉̼́̾̽̾̀̂̍̅͋̀̌͠p̶̨̡̨͙̦̤͙͉̞̗͎̼̗̗͊̊̎̿̀̍͂̍̈́͆̉̃̕͜p̶̦̺̙̩̿̈́̚r̸̳̲͓͓͓̟̤͓̹̪̫̅̋̒̅̐̎̃͗̕͠ǒ̷͓͓̫̹͑͌̋̇̐̐͑̀͊͒͠͝͝p̷̢̧͇̫̤̪̱̦̺͔̦̜͚͂͌̊͒̀͝r̶̳̦̝̲̻̣̣̪̟̩̜̼̾̿͗͋̉̿̍̓͘͜͠ï̴͙͙͇̲̩̥̠͙̥̺̫̬͔̃̐̄͆̄́͋̀͂͐͆̚͜ä̶̙̞̟͔́ţ̴̡̯̞͖͙̱̠̬͖̜̳̜̞̝̞̓̓̈́̋͗e̷̢̯̫̰̞̘̰̳̗̥̞̪̻̠͆́̿̑̋̌͜͝ ̴̊̍��̧̥̦̘͉̫͕̤̬̖͇̜̠̥͜f̷̧̠̼̗̩̹̜̜̠͇͖̺̽́̿̐̏̾̀͛̒̚̚o̴̰̖̟̓͆̆̀͘͝͠r̷̨̧̻͔̫̫̔ ̸͉͖̪͍̖̠̼̙͇͓̝̊̉̍̇͒̌h̶͇̥̪̳͕͍͙͇͓̹͉̝̒͐͛͆͊̃ͅi̶̡̢̛͔̠̼̯͓̗̘̣̦̗̍͋̉͛̈́̽͒̐͝s̷̨̢̘͎͎̭̟̀ ̶̛̙͙̗̻̰̙͎̱͆͋̓̄̚ͅc̶̡̛̦͍̮̬͈̮̬͍̠̋͆̽͌̄͘̕į̷̳̫͎̖̭̤̳̭̬̟̮̹̈̏̍̀̕͜͜r̵̛͇͍̪̥͍̗̫̜̜̩͍͇̠͉̫̃̽͋̎͘̚͝c̵̰̳̺̟̟̝̱̪̻̃͂̎̾̓̓͗̚̕ͅu̴̡͚̬̪̭̣͌͊̃̐̉͂̚͝͠ͅm̸̛̰͎̖̌̀̃̍̃͗̈́́͑̏̋͋̅͝ś̴̡̻͖͓̬̙̮̂́̊͐̌̅̅̐̀̿ţ̵̧̨̡͎̜̰̽͆͆̀͒͜ͅą̶̞̣̻̥͎͓̭͇͙͈̪̦̜̗̾̐͜n̴̜̮̥̖̟̜̜͍̮͋͑̋̇͊̈́̍͝͠c̴̨̗̭̰͎̮͇̖̫̭̬̠͖̥͔̝̭͂̓̎̏̅̈́̊͑̿̌̈́͘̕͝͝͠e̶̙̤͖̗͈̘̽ͅs̸̼͗̃. some professionals use the term "continuous traumatic stress disorder" for that but it's not in any classification)

For a chemically pure case: Collei. Extreme anxiety while she's actually a very capable person and is surrounded by safe people who love her, emotional outbursts that scare herself, the mix of shame and guilt. Note the sense of self: it's fragmented and extremely negative but not empty, her moral compass is perfectly intact too.

I'm on the fence about Lyney.

cPTSD overlaps heavily with BPD which is another awful umbrella diagnosis (there's a concept of "true" BPD but in psychiatric practice it's a category where we currently put everyone disregulated who we can't diagnose. the main result achieved is usually stigmatisation) and some people even say all BPD cases are just a form of cPTSD.

For personal convenience I draw a line at how a person handles their sense of self (but then it's not universal and ICD even includes a loss of sense of self as a diagnostic criterion). If it's negative and/or fragmented but stable it's a cPTSD case. If a person needs to be in a relationship to even know who they are it's a BPD case. By this criterion Lyney is a BPD case (charming, constantly fawning, completely dependent on his sister to even know who he is and at the same time perfectly functional).

But then he doesn't have BPD splitting or a history of unstable relationships. And if you go with ICD criteria he qualifies for cPTSD. So I don't know. He's a type that very much exists irl, I just don't know what these people are diagnosed with.

Also not sure about Lynette. I think she qualifies for garden variety PTSD more. Also I'm not sure if her aloofness is a result of trauma and dissociation or if she's just schizoid which is more of a neurodivergency type.

Also Freminet to an extent (especially if we accept the retcon where he remembers Crucabena). He's mostly AvPD though.

I haven't read Kachina's stories and haven't finished Natlan AQ, so I can't say. She doesn't display any sort of cPTSD behaviour until the war sequence and I haven't seen the aftermath.

I will not be diagnosing Arlecchino, she transcends our petty human classifications. She's a perfectly healthy non-human being.

Definitely Xiao. Do I even need to explain. He has relational trauma and abuse trauma but not developmental trauma.

Furina, perhaps? If we accept the prolonged trauma definition she qualifies a bit more than Childe. I mean, Focalors+Furina is a DID metaphor, but I'm focusing on Furina specifically.

Scaramouche after his interactions with Dottore but it's hard to see behind his glorious NPD (ok, I'm not sure if it qualifies as a full-blown disorder but he's such a wonderful, respectful and non-demonising representation of narcissistic trauma and healing from it. I love Hoyo for that).

I'm squinting at Kaeya. Not enough data.

Possibly Wriothesley but he's very well-compensated. Maybe just generic PTSD.

[harriertail]

what do you see?

[mintgreen-homewrecker]

A rant about Mendel being a bad psychiatrist that ends up in William Finn appreciation

I mean, we all know, don't date a patient (least of all things MARRY them). But the man is a psychiatrist, it is his job to help people (obviously).

Marvin is spiraling. And it is 100% his fault that his life ends up falling apart the way it does. But Mendel is too infatuated with Trina/too disinterested in his patient to offer him help before worst comes to worst.

I mean, joke all you like, but Mendel actively failed his duty as a mental health professional, even justss a doctor (hippocratic oath and such).

Everyone (except Jason, of course because he's literally 10 years old) is flawed and makes mistakes, of course. But Mendel was the only one who could have actually done something.

Now, how does that lead to William Finn appreciation?

Originally this post was about Mendel choosing to overlook how Marvin bery clearly displays many traits of Narcissistic personality disorder and Borderline personality disorder. I decided to look, just to make sure, when these two became official diagnoses. And guess what?

Both BPD and NPD only became official diagnoses in the DSM III, which was published in 1980. Yes, you read that correctly. 1980. The year in between the two years between the two acts. And that not only explains why Mendel, despite being an awful psychiatrist, probably couldn't have helped him very effectively even if he was a good mental health professional.

It also explains how, with just two years, the bitter, hateful and spiteful Marvin from March of the Falsettos manages to become a good father, gets on reasonably good terms with Trina and, as someone who needs affirmation and validation, actually makes friends with someone who is as no nonsense as Charlotte. It makes me think of More Raquetball, where you can see his old traits shine through.

This would have probably been their first big fight since getting together. Whizzer is reacting differently, Marvin reacts "accordingly" based on all the assumptions he makes.

But when Whizzer collapses he sees it had nothing to do with him. And instead of making it about himself or how bad he feels about it (both very realistic for the respective diagnoses) instead he reassures Whizzer that it will be fine. That he loves him. True growth through accepting your flaws and working through them rather than ignoring them.

I don't mean to say that the year 1981 doesn't have primary importance as the year the AIDS crisis began, because Falsettoland is about the lives lost and how communities were torn apart and how lesbians were an absolute pillar of support for all the gay men, who suffered and the majority that died.

Still, I find it fascinating that, considering so much of Falsettos is written so intentionally and so succinct in its character building and descriptions, 1981 is not only the year of one of a scar in gay history but also the first year people with those disorders were actually able to get help.

It makes Marvin even more tragic. 1981 was likely the first year he ever felt like his life was on the right track, with how much he has mended his relationships, that he not only got to be with Whizzer again but that their relationship was a good and healthy one. Treatment definitely wasn't very advanced. It was the first year of being an official diagnosis, after all. Still, the treatments helped him.

[tempestmothstorm]

crazy how the sanshee plush is one of the few actual direct confirmations on what a non-act 2 Natsuki’s home life is like because of how cagey she is on literally everything. Like this isn’t anything surprising or something you wouldn’t be able to extrapolate from the games but unlike everything else we know about her the implications are right there on the tin.

They literally did the character bio trope where where all the likes are normal but the dislikes are about their very specific trauma it’s just so funny they did that on the plushie card

[beautiful-destroyers]

I want to do more deep dives on Lanfear's psyche and personality as a psychology student and person with multiple diagnosed disorders, but I feel like people will see it as me pushing my headcanons on canon or something

[madaqueue]

actually if i ever made a private blog it would just be to post psychoanalyses of mori

[biscuitboba]

Thinking about how when zoro and luffy tried to tear their limbs apart (zoro with his feet and luffy with his hands) nami was always there to witness it, like... poor nami??😭

But seriously, thinking about zolu and how they were willing to lose their limbs rather than accept defeat/death.

Andd, once again thinking about how zolu are very much alike but also very different, how they are very complementary yet also very contrasting... it's definitely redundant at this point but-

Okay maybe i'll talk a little bit from psychology perspective, but i reallyyy love how zolu are very similiar but also different at the same time.

Like they're both 'opposites attract' & 'similiarity leads to compatibility' simultaneously. But im gonna focus on the similiarity aspect.

When talking about relationship, similiarity is usually one of the few keys to success in maintaining a lasting relationship. But like what kind of similiarity? Researchers have shown that similarity in couples tends to be more about shared values and background. And these are the factors that appear to predict relationship success—couples with more similar attitudes, values, and backgrounds tend to experience more lasting satisfaction, companionship, intimacy, love, and are less likely to break up [x]. Like similiarity between couples is more about the values than personality... guess what?

They are just very similiar-

In any kind of way. Personality, values, attitudes, you name it. but somehow also very different at the same time!! Like i can talk about zolu from psychological and i guess astrological perspective cuz they are very compatible that way, but i will shut up for now.

They are just soo 🫠🫠

[knbposting]

no but something i'm thinking about is how midorima consistently shows that he likes kagami, he just doesn't know how to handle his wild personality. from the very beginning, THE VERY VERY BEGINNING, midorima has seen a huge amount of potential in kagami and has HELPED HIM to figure out his strengths, in order to help dethrone the ex-miragen. midorima had already abandoned the teiko "winning over everything" mentality before his first competition. he isn't interested in basketball as a sport to dominate in, he's interested because he loves it. he wants powerful opponents to fight. he wants to have fun with his friends.

[air--so--sweet]

I believe Carmy when he says he doesn't like dysfunction. The problem is if that's all you've known, especially if thats what you grew up with, it can be hard to get it go.

If all you've known is chaos stability can feel frightening. Humans find comfort in what we find familiar, for Carmy dysfunction, as much as he may dislike it, is familiar.

Edit: Feel so vindicated when they're all saying what they fear at the wedding and Carmy says 'What's the opposite of Chaos?' during his turn. But then pivots when Claire answers 'It's peace'. He's afraid of peace!

[bitchfitch]

Idk, the first ten minutes of my shrink appointment yesterday were about how I've had no motivation to do anything and have been in a bad slump these last few weeks that I've not really been able to get out of because my health tanked hard. And then the next 40 minutes were about Karl Heisenberg from Resident Evil 8.

And her trying to figure out why I like Karl Heisenberg or if there was any deeper meaning to my recent fixation on karl to which I could only respond "I like that Hes old, looks gross, and also like he smells bad." bc I could not explain it any better than that.

[thatmoththoth]

Imagine one of Jekyll’s friends completely misunderstanding how the transformation potion works and pulling the whole “stop this isn’t you” Schtick on Hyde.

Although I guess that’s kinda what happened in the musical ngl.

[zqttixx]

not to dsmp rant in the big 2024 but cwilbur is so heavily tfem coded throughout canon u just have to look really hard.

i might be insane but after cwil was revived it felt like they centered themself and their life around some sort of queer identity the we js dont know labels lmao.

That’s why everyone clinged onto so many different cwilbur headcanons, because we all know they’re queer but we don’t know what they identify with.

idk i might be insane cuz i haven’t watched any of the dsmp streams in like a year but from memory cwil’s queerness was very vague yet well known. it didn’t need to be verbalised that’s js the kinda character they are, you just have to observe them long enough.

[prismatic-starstuff]

man, bill's line to stanford about how he'd 'fit in with the other freaks' because of his sixth finger really... hits different after the book of bill; after learning that bill himself got taken to doctors about his - in his own mother's words - 'strange eye.'

like... bill has a habit of projecting onto people, and this is such a huge example of it. in that moment, he's calling himself a freak every bit as much as he's calling ford and the henchmaniacs freaks. maybe he's even taking comfort in the fact he's among other people who have also been considered abnormal in their lives.

[aelirus]

by the way i LOVE LOVE LOVE that we see cyllene absolutely overburdened with papers on her desk and in her office. that's such an interesting, neat detail they chose to include for .. cyrus' ancestor.

It denotes that she's not just some machine who can do everything immediately and efficiently, it shows what a workaholic she is and how much she does/manages ....

i bet the only reason Cyrus' office doesnt look exactly the same is because he has computers now, and he's probably got about 8 tabs open at all times with all the stuff he's gotta do.

It's a small thing, but its really interesting to me.

also the whole "overburdened" thing. yknow. seems meaningful.

[34saveme34]

honestly I love the reactions to WPNZ, it's all so diverse, yall either want to take him out or take him out JFLHKLFJFKLJF meanwhile I just want to put him in situations and study him, I wonder what he's exactly like, his strengths and weaknesses, what could make him feel cornered if anything like he's a book and I'm about to go studying that shit

[blumunn]

I'm starting to realize most of my dnd characters are not good for combat at all. They mostly heal, and I tend to give strength and constitution the lowest values. They also all have religious trauma. I'm sure this doesn't mean anything about who I am as a person in real life.