#tbh i think i lost the thread for this ask oops sdkjfhs

[gentil-minou]

It does make me happy to read your takes on Adrien from the pov of a therapist. This is partially because a person I followed said they could speak on psychology because they took psych course(s?) in post-secondary yet said that Adrien's storyline was like listening to the world's smallest violin and that essentially made me question on how much "credentials" someone should have to be taken seriously. I know I don't have any but that their POV was insulting, especially if they've taken psych

So I'm kinda torn on this ask because I know anon is being complimentary towards me and what I have to say and while I am genuinely flattered I do think it's worth taking other folks' opinions into account. So yeah I guess that salter's opinion is valid and I don't want to be like they're views are wrong. Everyone is entitled to what they think.

But also, here's the biggest difference between someone who studies psychology and someone who does it clinically with real people: as a clinician we cannot let our own biases interfere with our perception of the client. In my work, I frequently come across people who have completely opposite personalities and ideals from what I have. I've come across people who if they met me in real life we would actively disdain each other. And I still see those clients. Because at the end of the day, if I let my own views interfere with my perception of them or their case I would cause legitimate and definite harm.

Let's take Chloe for example. I've made it quite obvious that I dislike Chloe, but fun fact I have clients who are Chloe. And I still treat them. If Chloe were my client, instead of focusing on how I hate her actions and how she's digging her own hole (like I mention when I talk about her as a fan) as a clinician treating her we would focus mostly on her trauma and abuse, as well as the reason why she gets into volatile relationships, with a focus on building self-esteem within herself as well as focusing on positive relationships. Never, ever, would I invalidate or tell her she's a bad person.

The fact is that anyone can understand the psychology of a character and their motives, but it's our biases that interfere with that. The person you are referring to, whoever they are, is letting their bias interfere with their analysis of Adrien. They have the knowledge, but they may not fully have empathy.

I know this probably comes across as vagueposting but I see this way to often in the fandom and how it's actually extremely invalidating. Because the reality is people can see themselves in these characters. That's why I react so strongly when someone hates on a character, because I know a lot of people, especially they kids I work with, who see themselves in the characters. So a person who thinks they are Adrien is going to feel attacked, just like how someone who identifies with Chloe is going to feel attacked when folks badmouth her (which is why I try not to do that too much).

People often forget that while the characters we talk about aren't real, the people who love them are. When someone learns how to balance unbiased psychological analysis with empathy, it's usually pretty obvious because they will be neutral and not let their own opinions interfere.

Even I'm not perfect, and still working on changing how I talk about characters. But if any one person starts claiming they're an expert in a character, then I start to doubt them because the reality is the only expert is the character/individual themselves. Everyone else, including me, is just trying to interpret and should be able to accept when they're wrong.