As discussed above, relatively effortless empathy with a fictional character imbues us with the perception that we are similar to the character in question. In addition, her friendships with anthropomorphized teacups and footstools are stronger than any she's ever had with a human (outside of her father). Or, as the Yale Child Study Center puts it, Asperger's sufferers show "a narrow range of capacities for memorizing lists or trivial information, calendar calculation, visual-spatial skills such as drawing, or musical skills involving a perfect pitch or playing a piece of music after hearing it only once. Joy has usually been the predominant emotion inRiley'slife, but the move gives a voice to Sadness, who soon commandeers her personality. We want to expose ourselves, for our deepest core to be seen. The courts recognized the actas an episode of bipolar mania, not as a crime of passion, and his long road to recovery begins. He gets entrusted to his younger brother Charlie (Tom Cruise) after the death of their father and has no idea that Charlie is an opportunistusing Raymondto get at their father's fortune. Living in an era when women weren't considered their most attractive unless their mouths were shut, Scarlett was portrayed as a hard-workin', hard-drinkin', hard-screwin' Southern belle who wouldn't take shit from anyone. He embarks on long-winded monologues about very specific topics, oblivious to the listener's lack of interest. Among the problematic fictional characters weve listed so far, this dude is basically the epitome of white male privilege. Have you seen the way he treats his girlfriend, Sloane, and his supposed best friend, Cameron? This point struck home with me: Have your character confide some of these fears or worries through dialogue. So much emphasis is placed on show, dont tell nowadays, but dialogue provides a way for characters to tell, in their own distinctive speech patterns, what is driving them. Though Winona Ryder's character was the protagonist ofGirl, Interrupted,the suicide attempt that landed her in an all-female mental institution was the catalyst for more engrossing stories featuring her fellow patients. marketing solutions across multiple channels. But behind this mask of ultraconfidence lies a fragile self-esteem that's vulnerable to the slightest criticism.". As the turn of the century neared, the White Russian was just another bad, outdated cocktail from the 1970s. Scar from The Lion King grew up in the shadow of his older brother,Mufasa. If CLICK TO SEE MORE ARTICLES BY Marcy Miniano. If so, wed love to hear your own hot takes on our Facebook page! If so, wed love to hear your own hot takes on our, On a different note, weve also previously written about, movies and TV shows whose characters arent such lost causes, . We have to let someone get close enough to see the real, authentic us. He must act. Ariel has 20 corkscrews and she doesn't even know what they do. The loneliness, negative thoughts, and perpetual isolation will be immediately recognizable for anyone with a mental illness, as will the words, "The worst part of having a mental illness is that people expect you to behave as if you don't. and her bank account, but shes also a terrible friend. She's clearly not throwing anything away: This teenager has already collected a landfill worth of human trash in her few short years and socked it all away where no one else can get at it. In a desperate attempt to save her, her family sends her to a group home, which specializes in mental health for young people. Insteresting cases pop up when television actors portray a character for a long time. Perhaps 70 years from now, experts will have a name for the ability to slow down time and punch people in slow motion. But this guys record is hard to beat: multiple attempts at forcing himself on women, manipulation, and even trying to sell his girlfriend for a hotel. Then, when she discovers that her step-daughter, Snow White, has become "the fairest of them all," extreme jealousy and envy sends her into a murderous rage. Fictional characters with BPD are also often villainized instead of presented as people learning to exist with their illness. Put the character struggling with trust in a vulnerable situation. The latter is obviously a horrible human being, but at least she was self-aware. But Ariel has another glaring, deep-seated issue that should be addressed. Growing up and watching it again made me realise how much of a twat he was. He literally attempts to rape Jenny in the first episode and it's never addressed again. Love is not supposed to be a prison with your partner the fucking guard, isolating you from everyone else in the world. I'm still grossed out when I think about how he and Aria got married rather than him ending up in prison for literally preying on teenage girls. She was incredibly entitled and self-centred. Want to burn your workplace down, beer in hand? OK, she's just a kid. Mental illnesses can manifest in a variety of ways. This war talk's spoiling all the fun at every party this spring. Follow the BuzzFeed Community on. And sure enough, we find out that Glinda knows from the start how to send Dorothy home, but instead she makes up a ridiculous quest to the wizard with no tangible gain. Lisa was a sociopath, characterized bya charismatic and manipulative nature she used to elicit close bonds from the patients around her. I just hate him. You know, just in case this piece has got you jaded or something. Janis, on the other hand, is the fake-woke type who would talk about social justice and then slut-shame someone in the same breath. What's Eating Gilbert Grapeis about the importance of characters not only identifying their own mental illnesses but locating those around them that understand them as well. Content Warning: The following article contains discussions of mental health conditions, violence, and suicide. And what do you know, according to the researchers behind the book Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things, the difference between just collecting and hoarding is that, "When people collect things, they typically want to display them to other people . Hoarders want to keep things hidden because of the shame they have. People with antisocial personality disorder tend to antagonize, manipulate or treat others harshly or with callous indifference. RELATED:10 TV Characters Who Accurately Portray Mental Illness. In the following infographic, the team at Withdrawal.net looks at 31 of the most prominent fictional characters who are remembered for their addictions that resulted in some major consequences. Luckily inRain Man,this isn't the case, and the presentation of Raymond Babbitt's (Dustin Hoffman) autism is authentic and genuine. That said, weve re-examined some of the most popular fictional characters from movies and TV shows and whether or not they were actually decent enough human beings. And you know what, we're going to give the main character, Ariel, a pass on all that. Rebecca marks a change in that. The assailant couldnt steal her good mood. When we trust someone, we want to open ourselves to them because doing so signifies a high level of self-acceptance. Kids obsess over weird things: that's not unusual. The Diagnosis: Antisocial personality disorder (APD), What Is APD? Copyright 2023 Inspire Portal. Carrie Mathison (Homeland) Carrie Mathison lives with bipolar disorder while being a top notch agent for the CIA. You've earned your first teardrop tattoo.". Hermione Granger from Harry Potter Series. The short story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" also deals with the suicidal thoughts of a man trying to live a normal life after traumatic events, and the story "For Esme" parallels his own traumatic experiences in the military (it was published only five years after Salinger was hospitalized in Germany for his nervous breakdown). , Dialogue is an excellent way to show vulnerability in snippets, and allows us to show as well, so many subscribe to show DONT tell, but show AND tell can open a very personal door between characters, and encourage empathy on the story level and reading level. . The character is not alien to us in any profound sense. #Vulnerability is what allows people to connect on a deep, meaningful level., #Fiction is a reflection of the real world, especially when it comes to our characters., The strongest, most compelling characters are those who are authentic, true-to-life., Put the character struggling with trust in a vulnerable situation.@AngelaAckerman #writetip, Trust is earned in inches, not miles. Shes in total denial about her manipulative behaviour and unfortunately, she wasnt a good friend either! Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) isn't given a formal diagnosis in the movie but appears to suffer from extreme social anxiety, narcissism, and a lack of empathy. Attachment mostly forms in the first year of life and there are four types; anxious, avoidant, secure and disorganized/fearful. ", "This box is where I keep my toenail clippings and hairballs.". "Not when we've put so much effort into prying them off her cold dead feet!". (2) There's no easy solution, no easy way out. Learn how your comment data is processed. my all-time favourite fiction writing book series. Granted, nobody in the show was actually a good person and despite their impeccable taste and style they all had more issues than Vogue. Even more important, many will feel compelled to act, either to intervene, to support, or to commiserate. This is why we bond with family members, form friendships, and search for that special someone. Either way, it creates a shared moment where the shield is lowered and the two connect through trust and a willingness to be vulnerable. When she didn't get her way, Lisa's seductive personality turned incredibly abusive, showing a sociopath's lack of remorse even whenshe drove a fellow patient to suicide. And most telling is that Holmes' talents are coupled with an inability to interact socially with anyone but Watson. When it isn't either of those, its "madness" is the perfect fuel for horror films by misconceptions of aggressive psychosis. He's the most-portrayed fictional character in the world, running the gamut from Basil Rathbone playing a jolly English gentleman who fights Nazis to Robert Downey Jr.'s Victorian Rain Man/MMA fighter. Problematic fictional characters from popular TV shows 1. You can find more from Amanda at gizmachronicles.blogspot.com. Not only was Edward a creepy stalker (pre-dating Bella), but he was also clingy with zero boundaries (once they were together). Throughout her journey, Alice seestalking animals anda hookah-smoking caterpillar. Holden has had to deal with both a brother dying of leukemia and seeing a classmate commit suicide while wearing his borrowed sweater. Why she ever wanted him back I'll never know. "Well, this is totally better than anorexia!". Updated by Kayleena Pierce-Bohen on January 17th, 2022: The challenges brought on by a global pandemic in 2020 have now, two years later, led to a resurgence in theexploration of mental illness and mental health disorders in current media, with an emphasis on authenticity and care towards humanization. Believe it or not, lots of the, People are used to seeing mental disorders on TV. Now keep that in mind when you watch the vague, detached, smirking expression on Glinda's face throughout the string of tragedies that open the film. Pat feels things too intensely, gets too worked up about trivial things, but struggles to succeed because he's perceived as too high-functioning to be broken. Many characters have vulnerability issues, and if yours is one of them, you might findVulnerability In Fiction: Teaching Jaded Characters How To Trust helpful to [], [] library like no other, andWRITERS HELPING WRITERS, with her guest post:Vulnerability In Fiction: Teaching Jaded Characters How To Trust. The Good Witch is so dead set on demeaning the Wicked Witch in front of a crowd that, in a weird magic pissing contest, Glinda calls the Wicked Witch's power into question and throws out the threat that someone might drop a house on her, too. Changing a characters mind about vulnerability is not easy, nor something that can happen quickly. It certainly changes the tone of the happy ending. And Ariel's compulsion does interfere with her normal life -- she lets down her father by hunting for trash instead of going to a concert she promised to attend. In the beginning of the film, while the men's conversation changes from her to the war, she says, "War, war, war. (Looking at you, Don Draper, Anakin Skywalker, and Cersei Lannister.). Ron Weasley is the Ross Gellar of Hogwarts. The strongest, most compelling characters are those who are authentic, true-to-life. COPYRIGHT 2005-2023 Cracked is published by Literally media Ltd., Glinda the Good Witch -- Sadistic Personality Disorder, Scarlett O'Hara -- Antisocial and Histrionic Personality Disorder, Molly Shannon Got Hired on Saturday Night Live and Mugged on the Same Day, Conan O'Brien Runs Down Every Hideous Mutation of His Hideous Body, 15 Bits Of Trivia So Powerful, They Would Have Instantly Vaporized Our Ancestors, Kevin Bacon Was in a Band Called Footloose When He Was 15, 12 Healthcare Innovations That The US Needs To Adopt ASAP, 6 BELOVED CHARACTERS THAT HAD UNDIAGNOSED MENTAL ILLNESSES, is characterized by a long-standing pattern of detachment from social relationships, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, puddle of melodrama when she is rejected by a man, 9 Beloved Characters Made Horrifying by Japan, 6 Famous Characters You Didn't Know Were Shameless Rip-Offs, 5 Employees Who Spectacularly Told Their Bosses to Take This Job and Shove It, How The Big Lebowski Turned the White Russian into a Milk of the Gods, 12 Behind-the-Scenes Photos That Ruin Iconic Scenes (And Actually Improve The Bad Ones), 5 Boring Things That Movies and TV Have Managed to Make Scary as Hell, 15 Trivia Tidbits About The Lonely Island, Five Times Michael Shannon Showed Up and Made Everything Better. It didnt help that these fictional characters dont even have any justification (you know, at least a backstory) for why they act like that; something that probably wouldnt fly as well in 2021. / Conceal, dont feel, dont let them know.. Two new books will soon join these: The Urban and Rural Thesaurus volumes, which help writers write stronger, more vivid imagery by profiling 225 Fictional settings and the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures associated with each. She ends up befriending and falling in love with a beast before she knows he's secretly a human prince under a spell. Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother CBS He was a sex-obsessed womaniser who treated women like objects, tricking and misleading them into sleeping with. To obtain this type of protection, a creator must prove that the characters are sufficiently unique and distinctive to merit this protection. Theories like Erik Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development and Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development, center on a variety of aspects of development including social, emotional and moral growth. When Joy and Sadness get pulled to the furthest reaches of Riley's subconscious, Anger, Fear, and Disgust assume control. She's never open-minded enough to consider other people's view points and the show tries to spin it to make her look like the victim. This dude is as misogynistic as they come, and while Robin Scherbatsky was far from the best character, she certainly deserved better. Sorry for the late responseI had responded when this came up, but I think the Internet must have eaten it. You guys, he literally threatened to kill himself if Allie doesnt go on a date with him. Wikipedia "You're just tired, J.D. WithInside Out,Pixar created a surprisingly sensitive and deft portrayal of a child suffering from anxiety and depression that was accessible to both children and adults. Some of you have already heard of this, but for the benefit of those who havent: Janis is the real villain, not Regina George. Trust is earned in inches, not miles. You can create an infograpic and you could be on the front page of Cracked.com tomorrow! That need to demean people in the presence of others is a primary symptom of sadistic personality disorder, and Glinda's unwavering enjoyment throughout the ordeal is a testament to her sickness. Alice's delusions build a magical world that shows her schizophrenic perceptions. To be honest, we skimmed this bit back in high school. Doing two good things doesn't excuse his white male privilege and the the literal 500 screw-ups he made. In addition, the disorder fuels a desire to restrict the autonomy of others, and to lie for the sole purpose of confusion. As much as were all for flawed yet complex characters, there just arent enough reasons to excuse Rorys terrible behaviour. xraypictures "Solving crimes is all well and good, Watson, but I have a Yu-Gi-Oh! Sheimagines adrink that makes you shrink in size. People have common worries and fears. He is fun-loving, good-hearted, and a natural leader in his peer group, but cocky about his gifts. Symptoms include hallucinations and delusions. ", NEXT:10 Best Movies About Tortured Geniuses, Ranked. As we have pointed out before, her actions in The Wizard of Oz involve dropping a house on her rival, blaming it on a teenage child and then encouraging that teenager to assassinate the dead woman's last living relative. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Schizophrenia "is a serious mental illness that interferes with a person's ability to think clearly, manage emotions, make decisions, and relate to others." Symptoms include hallucinations and delusions. She was selfish, rude and manipulative, constantly messed with other peoples relationships and refused to support Marshall when he got the opportunity of a lifetime. Jane Eyre. The fact that Glinda is the one who helps Dorothy get home in the end is almost sickening, given the mortal danger she put the girl through (not to mention the two deaths that are now on Dorothy's hands as a result). Mental conditions. Are there any other problematic fictional characters that you believe should be on this list? Bonnie suffers from severe depression and punishes herself by becoming morbidly obese, her youngest son contends with autism and ADHD, and her eldest son Gilbert tries to hold his clan together while struggling with his own depression and anxiety. Oh, and remember how he tried to restrict her friend group, just because he didnt get along with or approve of them? bastard.". He's massively sexist he not only slut-shames Ginny but punishes Hermione for dating Krum, yet snogs Lavender and calls her problematic for liking him. Being in a relationship with her will always hurt her partner or friend in the long run . In Sweden, they send you a thank-you text when they use your blood. Appropriately used, this could reduce word count and speed the pace. Get the best of Cracked sent directly to your inbox! You cant have intimacy without vulnerability. His family's support has always kept him able to go through life without ever facing his mental illness, but after a severe manic episode hospitalizes him, he's forced to have a wake-up call. That lack of empathy manifests itself right from the start, when Scarlett tries to seduce the engaged Ashley Wilkes, fails, and then seduces his brother instead out of spite. I felt like jumping out the window."). It isnt necessarily a negativesometimes, we crave it. A film buff, she has a Western collection of 250+ titles and counting that she's particularly proud of. The Little Mermaid is the heartwarming tale of a mermaid who cuts a deal with a cephalopod witch doctor to transform her into a mute nudist so she can seduce a man from another species. Your email address will not be published. Handing your character success on a silver platter is a sure-fire way to cheapen their development. We're supposed to think he's a hero and deserves a happy ending after a lifetime of shitty behaviour because for five seconds he says sorry after sending Emily's entire family, including her SON, to literal hell?! Everyone says Big was a bad character, but seriously they both sucked so much they deserved each other. The worst example is Frank Kennedy, her sister's fiance, whom she tricks into marriage only because she needs him to pay the taxes on her plantation. The Diagnosis: Avoidant personality disorder (APD), What Is APD? His struggles are both real, relatable, and inspiringbecauseof his mental illness, not in spite of it. It's tough to pin down the exact personality traits of Sherlock Holmes, since his story has been recycled in so many incarnations. Christian tells her he's not a "flowers and hearts" kind of guy because of his past and is only into BDSM, and yet she's so desperate for him to love her that she submits to him. They feel, think, and behave like real people. #27: MAKE THEM SWEAT. Representation is as important in fiction as it is in nonfiction, and it's good to see complex issues like depression, anxiety, and trauma increasingly being treated not only with . His cold behavior is exhibited not only to the hyenas, but to every animal he encounters. The Evil Queen absolutely refuses to stand by and play second fiddle in the beauty department to anyone, which shows her extreme lack of self-esteem and obsessive thirst for admiration. The terrifying psychological thriller trappings ofBlack Swanmight make it seem like a lurid take on mental illness, but the delusions and hallucinations build a truly realistic world for someone who actively suffers from schizophrenia. All the characters we used to love but now, we realise theyre kinda awful Be part of Asia's most authentic travel community. I get so bored, I could scream." At the end of the day, I still believe in possible character development and redemption, no matter how long overdue. The Best New TV Characters of the Last Few Years. She burns her way through three marriages over the course of a few years, sticking with each man only until he wears out his usefulness. Maybe they simply need help and cant bring themselves to ask. She is completely engrossed with being the most beautiful person in the kingdom. And the fact that she did this after reading private entries from her moms diary and never bothered giving anyone a heads up! Most notable among them are a quick temper, a willingness to show a little skin to get what she wants and a cutthroat determination, regardless of who gets hurt. It instead chronicles his years of professional genius, his downward mental spiral, and his eventual recovery in a tasteful way that isn't romanticized. And while those traits would win her a lot of competitive reality shows, they are also the definite symptoms of antisocial and histrionic personality disorders. Or to put it simply, he has to grow the fuck up. He's supposed to be the rebel and the hero, but spends about 75% of the movie repeatedly sexually harassing Claire, almost to the point of assault when he puts his face between her legs without her knowledge or consent. Do you possess expert skills in image creation and manipulation? OK, cool.". A derivative work is protected as part of the . The story of Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx) may seem singular enough to be featured as the premise of a movie, but his circumstances are far more common than viewers might think. ", Elsa from Frozen is the sister with the magical powers. Before you skip down to the comments to submit your passionate defense of Holmes' mental state, we're not the only ones who think he shows up on the autism spectrum. Instead he concentrates on the visual of seeing the blood and teeth everywhere, or the look on James' face. Seriously, she spent most of the time just whining and depending on Troy. With Nicolas Cage in the role of Roy, a con artist with obsessive-compulsive disorder,audiences might expect him to bring some of his grandiose showboating to Matchstick Men. Note the radically different facial expressions. They show no guilt or remorse for their behavior.". Phoenix accurately and painfully shows the indignities suffered by Arthur for daring to exist with his conditions in aworld that refuses to accommodate them. Scar shows no remorse for what he does. A fast-talking caffeine-dependent wordsmith, Marcy has never been one to shy away from sharing a good story or two. She drastically lowers her standards for him and would essentially take a spanking over a hug just so he'll touch her. Remember that time when she got mad at Charlotte for not lending her rent money? Sure, the show presented her as a sympathetic underdog for a long time. ", "Care for a 70th rendition of 'Baa Baa Black Sheep,' my dear Watson?". But Belle didn't need to be kidnapped to develop a mental disorder; she comes firing out of the gates with one already fully developed: schizoid personality disorder. The reality of substance abuse is brought to life every day with many movies and television shows portraying characters who are addicted to drugs and/or alcohol. 1. According to WebMD, APD"is characterized by feelings of extreme social inhibition, inadequacy, and sensitivity to negative criticism and rejection." Personal story time: Miles Teller is one of my all-time celebrity crushes, and yet I still wanted to strangle this character throughout the movie. And don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get sexy, sexy jokes sent straight to your news feed. Aside from the usual cognitive behavioral therapy, they examine the romantic relationships in their lives to try to find areas of their unhappiness that they can alter. [] surprised. What Is Major Depressive Disorder? Disturbed, Elsa locks herself away and refuses to face the world out of fear of hurting more people. He left his umbrella.". Through therapy and reassessment, she's able to take her mental health seriously. Mark Ruffalo is at his mercurial best depicting Cam, a single father suffering from manic depression, unsure of how to take care of himself let alone his two spirited daughters. PTSD causes that kind of persistent emotional numbing, which would explain his distance from the experience. Honestly, it was quite disappointing to watch her make one questionable decision after another on the Netflix spin-off; from acting all entitled with her dream job, to having an affair with her engaged ex-boyfriend. Even ifJokerdidn't tangentially connect its main character to the DC Universe, itsinvestigation ofwhat might lead tothe origins of a "psychopathic clown" would be thought-provoking in the context of a callous society. This would have been perfectly fine if not for the fact that these two dude-bros literally kissed an unconscious woman. All the characters are problematic as hell, but she's on another level. Vulnerability is a two sided coin that often lands on its edge. He disrespects Native American culture in one episode, lies about being Jewish to attend a basketball in another and sold swimsuit photos of underage girls. According to The National Institute of Mental Health, ADHD "is a disorder that makes it difficult for a person to pay attention and control impulsive behaviors. RELATED:Angelina Jolie's Best Movies Of The Decade (According To IMDB). However, she has some downright unsavory characteristics as well. Angela Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of several bestselling resources including, The Emotion Thesaurus, The Positive Trait Thesaurus and The Negative Trait Thesaurus. A lot of fiction gets more depressing when you realize that writers are usually writing about themselves, whether they admit it or not. You know, just in case this piece has got you jaded or something, We respect your privacy & will not share your email address. So, in Disney's reimagining of the fairy tale, Belle is a beautiful, independent and headstrong bookworm who is unfairly ostracized by the other inhabitants of her little French village simply for being "odd."