Personality Disorders exist wherever people live and are part of our culture. It should come as no surprise that many popular characters in movies and fiction portray some of the characteristic behaviors of people with personality disorders.
This page contains discriptions of some popular movies with links to YouTube trailers and clips related to personality disorders which may be of interest to our readers.
A Streetcar Named Desire - A Streetcar Named Desire is a is a 1947 play written by Tennessee Williams, later adapted for film, which tells the story of a woman who displays histrionic and borderline traits, who goes to live with her codependent sister and her narcissistic husband.
Description:
A Streetcar Named Desire tells the story of Blanche DuBois, an attractive, flirtatious but troubled young woman, who moves to New Orleans to live with her sister, Stella and her husband, Stanley Kowalski after the death of her husband.
Blanche is less than honest about herself. She attempts to use her charms to manipulate people and cover up details about her past, including her husband's suicide, her transient relationships with men, her alcoholism, the loss of her home and that she was fired as a teacher for having had an affair with a student.
Stella's husband, Stanley, plays the role of a abusive narcissist, whose dominance and control is challenged by the arrival of Blanche. Blanche tries to expose, confront and exploit his vulnerabilities. Enraged by this and ultimately finding his opportunity, Stanley brutally attacks Blanche, first on an emotional level, then on a physical one. Ultimately, he dispenses of her coldly to a psychiatric facility, thus returning himself to a position of dominance.
Blanche's sister, Stella, plays the role of a codependent enabler, trying to appease Stanley and Blanche.
A Streetcar Named Desire earned Tennessee Williams a Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1947. Vivien Leigh's performance as Blanche in the 1951 movie adaptation earned her an Academy Award for best actress and Marlon Brando received an Academy Award Nomination as best actor. The movie also received oscars for best supporting actor and actress and best Art Direction. Alec Baldwin's performance as Stanley in a 1992 version of the play earned him a Tony award.
You can watch portions of the movie here :
"A Streetcar Named Desire", 1951
Charlie Brown
Definition:Charlie Brown is the lead character in Charles M. Schulz's classic "Peanuts" cartoons who is generally portrayed as feeling insecure and seeking acceptance. Charlie Brown's character contrasts with the somewhat narcissistic character of Lucy and their relationship is sometimes used to illustrate the relationship between personality-disordered and non-personality-disordered people.
Description:
Perhaps no popular cultural character illustrates the plight of the Non-PD as brilliantly and humorously as Charlie Brown. Uncomplicated, transparent, trusting and ever-hopeful, seeking acceptance, yet hopelessly naive.
There is a classic scene which recurs throughout the Peanuts cartoons where Lucy persuades Charlie to try to kick a football, promising to hold it. Charlie knows that every time in the past when Lucy has promised to hold the ball, she has pulled it away at the last second, causing him to fall and make a fool of himself, but she always manages to project enough fear, obligation and guilt to persuade him to try it again.
"Peanuts" by Charles M. Schulz
In another classic scene, Charlie Brown is feeling depressed and goes looking for psychiatric help. Lucy, ever the narcissist, is only too happy to present him with list of his failures and give him a prescription which does nothing to make him feel better, but only serves to build up her own ego.
"A Boy Named Charlie Brown", 1969, Charles M. Schulz
"Gaslight" & Gaslighting
Definition:
Gaslighting - Gaslighting is the practice of brainwashing or convincing a mentally healthy individual that they are going insane or that their understanding of reality is mistaken or false. The term "Gaslighting" is based on the 1944 MGM movie “Gaslight”.
Description:
Gaslight is a classic suspense thriller set in nineteenth-century London. In the movie, Paula (Ingrid Bergman) marries the villainous Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer), not realizing that he is the one who murdered her aunt and is now searching for her missing jewels.
To cover up his treachery, he tries to persuade Paula that she is going mad, so he can search the attic for the jewels without her interference.. He plants missing objects on her person in order to make her believe that she has no recollection of reality. He tries to isolate her, not allowing her to have visitors or to leave the house. However, she uncovers the truth when she notices the dimming of the gaslight.
From the movie, the term "Gaslighting" has come to mean any form of manipulating a person into believing something other than the truth.
Examples:
A family member who steals something from you tries to convince you that it belongs to them.
A person acts threateningly, then accuses you of abuse when you react in self-defense.
A spouse tries to persuade you that you said or did something that you know is inaccurate.
What Gaslighting feels like:
Gaslighting can be a terrifying experience. It can quickly put you on the defensive - trying to justify your own actions or behaviors - when you started out by challenging someone else's questionable behavior. The fabrications spoken to you may be presented so convincingly and with such conviction that you begin to question yourself and your own memories and judgment. You may begin to fear that other people - who don't know the truth - might be persuaded believe some of the distortions that are being told.
You can watch the trailer from the 1944 MGM Movie "Gaslight" Starring Charles Boyer & Ingrid Bergman here:
"Gaslight" - 1944 MGM Trailer
What NOT to Do:
Don't equate intelligence with character - just because someone can run rings around you in an argument doesn't mean they are right.
Don't waste your time trying to convince someone who has already made up their mind about you that they should reconsider.
Don't argue with a person who is fabricating the facts. Wait for them to return to reality before engaging them in a discussion and do it on YOUR terms - not theirs.
Don't allow yourself to be isolated from others against our own better judgment. Insist on your right to have your own friends and family.
Don't blame yourself for what the other person is feeling or how they are behaving. Don't look for ways to change yourself to try to fix another person. As the old mantra says: "You didn't cause it, you can't cure it and you can't control it". You are only responsible for your own words and actions.
Don't stay in the room if the situation becomes physically, verbally or emotionally unhealthy.
Don't go it alone or keep what you are experiencing a secret.
What TO Do:
Remind yourself that this is a mental illness and your not to blame.
Detach yourself from being responsible for how another person is feeling, behaving or thinking.
Turn your attention on your own behavior and your own thought patterns. Discard the unhealthy and learn what is healthy for yourself and pursue it - regardless of what reaction you get from the person with the personality disorder.
Talk about it! Talk to trusted friends and family about what you are dealing with.
If you are ever confronted with violence or abuse, get yourself and any children immediately out of the room and call for help. Report all acts of violence, threats of violence or self harm to the police immediately every time.
Maintain your healthy lifestyle and thought life. You will need them. If necessary, explain to your loved-one gently, but firmly that you are doing what you need to do for yourself and then close the conversation.
Girl, Interrupted
Definition:Girl, Interrupted is a 1999 Columbia Pictures movie which chronicles the experiences of a teenage girl with Borderline Personality Disorder, who is admitted to a mental health institution after attempting suicide.
Description:
The movie is set in the 1960's in a mental health institution. Susana Kaysen, a young girl who suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), is admitted into the facility after a failed suicide attempt. On her arrival, she forms friendships with the other patients who suffer from various other mental health disorders. In particular, Lisa Rowe (played by Angelina Jolie), who suffers from Antisocial Personality Disorder, becomes a strong influence on the group, discouraging the others from taking their medications, participating in therapy or co-operating with the staff.
As the plot develops the girls' rebellion leads to tragedy and the movie explores the contrasting choices the characters make in response to the tragedy.
Girl, Interrupted is a stunning movie, vividly and tenderly portraying the humanity and depth of people who suffer from personality disorders, their decisions and the consequences of those decisions. Angelina Jolie won an Academy Award for her memorable portrayal of Lisa Rowe.
However, the movie only portrays a handful of characters in one specific situation - a mental health clinic - and is told through the eyes of the BPD sufferer, Susana. As such, the movie only begins to crack the lid off the surface of personality disorders. In particular, the movie does little to explore the feelings or experiences of her family members or of those who come closest to her, whose characters are presented as somewhat shallow and stereotyped. The emotional vacancy this creates is, therefore, unlikely to resonate with most Non-PD's who live with a personality disordered individual.
You can watch the movie trailer here :
"Girl, Interrupted" 1999 Columbia Pictures Trailer
Gone With The Wind
Gone With The Wind is a 1939 romantic epic starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable, set in the American Civil War portraying the story of Scarlett O'Hara, a southern woman who manifests symptoms of Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD).
In Gone With The WInd, Scarlett O'Hara is a priveleged southern woman who uses her attractiveness to manipulate men. Scarlett flirts and chases after another woman's husband, but concludes that she is no longer interested in him as soon as his wife dies.
You can watch the classic ending scene from the movie here:
Trailer: "Gone With The WInd", 1939, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Definition:The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is an 1886 book written by Robert Louis Stevenson which has been adapted into numerous movies and stage productions. The story portrays the mild-mannered Doctor Henry Jekyll, who unleashes his monstrous alternate identity, Edward Hyde, by taking a chemical potion.
Description:
The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde has become something of a cultural icon to describe people who exhibit contrasting and inconsistent moods or behaviors - known in psychological terms as dissociation. Dissociation is the principal attribute of people who suffer from dissociative identity disorder, which is more commonly known as multiple personality disorder or split personality disorder. Disassociation is also common in cases of borderline personality disorder. Click Here to Learn More about Dissociation.
Numerous adaptations of the Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde story have been portrayed on stage and film.
You can see some scenes from the 1932 classic "Dr Jekyll an Mr. Hyde" compiled here:
Scenes from "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"
Fatal Attraction
Definition:Fatal Attraction is a 1987 Movie Thriller starring Glenn Close & Michael Douglas about Dan Gallagher, a New York Lawyer (played by Michael Douglas) who is stalked by Alex Forrest (played by Glenn Close) with whom he has had an affair. The story portrays Alex's increasingly unstable behavior as a result of having Borderline Personality Disorder and feeling abandoned by Dan.
Description:
When Dan tries to end the affair with Alex, she attempts suicide, stalks him and his family, vandalizes his his car, abducts one of his children and even kills the family pet.
The original script for "Fatal Attraction" portrayed Alex committing suicide, which would have been far more consistent with Alex's BPD character, but after screen testing the original ending, the producers gave in to commercial pressure to change the conclusion of the movie to a more crowd-pleasing "hollywood shoot-out" kind of ending.
Nevertheless, "Fatal Attraction" provided one of the most striking and convincing portrayals of a person with borderline personality disorder - including Fear of Abandonment, Stalking, Child Abduction, Destruction of Property and Suicidal Ideation.
Bunny Boiling - Bunny Boiling is a reference to an iconic scene in the movie "Fatal Attraction" in which the main character Alex, who suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder, kills the family's pet rabbit and boils it on the stove. Bunny Boiling has become a popular reference to how people sometimes exhibit their rage by acting out on the target of their rage "in effigy" by behaving destructively towards symbolic, important or treasured possessions of those whom they wish to hurt, control or intimidate.
"Fatal Attraction" was nominated for 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Acress (Glenn Close).
In 1961 and 1962, Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram performed a famous series of experiments which demonstrated that about 2 out of 3 people will perform a cruel action towards another person if instructed to do so by someone whom they regard as an authority figure. This demonstrated that most people are prone to doing something they do not want to do, even something they would normally regard as "wrong", just because they are told to do it by an assertive or authoritative person.
Description:
In the Milgram experiment, participants responding to an advertisement were asked to participate in what was described as a experiment about learning and punishment. They were told that one person would be the "teacher" and the other person would be the "learner'" and drew lots decide who would be who. In reality, the "learner" was an actor following a script and the draw was rigged so that the real participant was always "randomly" chosen to be the "teacher".
The participant "teacher" was then seated in front of a fake "electrical shock machine" which had switches labeled in 15-volt increments, from 15 to 450 volts. The "learner was seated out of sight in an adjacent room but could communicate verbally with the teacher. The teacher was given a list of word-pairs to read to the learner. Then the learner would be asked to remember the pairings and communicate his answer by the correct button out of four. The teacher was instructed to administer progressively higher levels of electrical shock each time the learner made a mistake.
Stanley Milgram's fake "Shock Machine"
The learner intentionally made mistakes to put the teacher in the position of having to administer increasing shock levels. As progressively higher "shocks" were administered, the "learner" reacted audibly by screaming, shouting for it to stop and complaining about his heart condition. At even higher levels the "learner" refused to answer then fell silent. The teacher was instructed to continue by delivering shocks if no correct answer was given within a few seconds.
As the experiments progressed, most of the participants became visibly uncomfortable and began to question the wisdom of continuing and expressing concern for the well being of the "learner". Whenever this happened, the experimenter would calmly instruct the participant to continue with a series of responses such as:
"Please continue teacher."
"The shocks may be painful but they're not dangerous"
"The experiment requires that you continue."
"whether the learner likes it or not, we must go on until he learns all the word pairs."
"It is absolutely essential that you continue."
"I'm responsible for anything that happens to him."
"You have no other choice, you must go on."
If the participant absolutely refused, the experiment was stopped. If not, it continued until the maximum 450-volt shock had been administered 3 times.
Milgram found that 26 out of 40 participants (65%) went all the way to the highest shock level.
Milgram set up the experiment as a way of investigating why extreme acts of cruelty were committed by so many people during World War II and hypothesized that people will obediently do things they would otherwise consider wrong if they feel that they will not be held responsible for what happens happening and if they instructed to do so by an authority figure.
Milgram's experiment is also an illustration of Learned Helplessness, where a person is influenced to relinquish their power to someone they percieve to be an authority figure.
Connection between Stanley Milgram's Experiment and Personality Disorders
Stanley Milgram's experiments illustrate what can happen when an otherwise ethical person finds themselves under the influence of an authority figure who instructs them to behave in an unethical way.
An example of this is when an abusive parent, who suffers from a personality disorder, influences the child's siblings and even the other parent to behave in a similar way towards a child. The other family members may not have acted abusively without this influence, but within a system which carries it's own momentum certain acts which they would ordinarily not perform may become "normal" and they become "Abusers by Proxy " of the victim.
Abusive parents may also recruit proxies from outside the home. Many people regard a parent as an authority figure over their children's lives and consider that the "parents know best". Using this social trust, abusive parents sometimes successfully recruit people from outside the family including teachers, doctors, pastors, counselors, friends and acquaintances to participate in the abuse of a child. A famous example of this is Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome in which a parent persuades medical staff to overmedicate or mistreat a child by claiming the child has illness or symptoms of an illness.
Another example of this is when someone in a relationship with a personality-disordered individual begins to reject people whom they would otherwise consider as friends, steal or break laws in order to please or placate the demands of their partner or spouse.
You can watch Stanley Milgram's Movie "Obedience" which documents the experiments here:
"Obedience" by Stanley Milgram
Rachel Getting Married
2008 Sony Pictures Classics Release Starring Anne Hathaway
Definition:Rachel Getting Married is a 2008 Sony Pictures Classics Release starring Anne Hathaway which chronicles the events surrounding the appearance of a young woman who suffers from Antisocial Personality Disorder at her sister's wedding.
Description:
The movie follows the return home of Kym (Anne Hathaway) from a rehab clinic to attend the wedding of her sister Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt). Kym suffers from Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) and her return home and her behaviors cause a number of family conflicts to rise to the surface.
Anne Hathaway's performance as Kym in Rachel Getting Married earned her a nomination for an Academy Award as best actress.
You can watch the movie trailer here :
Trailer: "Rachel Getting Married", 2008, Sony Pictures Classics
Schindler's List
Schindler's List is a 1993 drama which chronicles the suffering of Jews in Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II and Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who rescued over a thousand of them by employing them in his factories. The movie includes a striking portrayal of Amon Göth, a narcissistic SS officer and camp director, played by Ralph Fiennes.
In Schindler's list, Oskar Schindler is a German businessman and opportunist who bribes and manipulates his way into German officer's graces so he can grow his business using free slave Jewish labor. As the movie begins he is seen as a pragmatic opportunist but as the movie develops he develops a concern for the well being of the jewish workers in his factory, ultimately risking his status and wealth to rescue them from the Auschwitz concentration camp.
The movie presents a convincing portrayal of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) through the character of Amon Göth, a narcissistic SS officer and camp director, played by Ralph Fiennes. In the movie we see the narcissist as having feelings and occasionally being vulnerable, while at the same time unable to empathize or ascribe humane concern for his subjects. He develops an attraction to Helen Hirsch, a young Jewish prisoner who is his housekeeper and we see a powerful scene where he struggles to reconcile his attraction to her with his emotional need to reassert his authority over her. Schindler tries to appeals to the pragmatic side of his vanity in an attempt to get him to treat the prisoners more humanely and we see him briefly admire himself in a mirror as he entertains the idea of himself as a benevolent figure. However, moments later, he murders a young boy with his rifle.
You can watch a montage of Amon Göth scenes from Schindler's List here:
Montage from "Schindler's List", 1993, Universal Pictures
Single White Female
1992 Columbia Pictures Release starring Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh
Definition:
Single White Female is a 1992 Columbia Pictures Release starring Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh which portrays the events after a young woman takes in a roommate who exhibits some of the symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD) including mirroring, impulsivity and fear of abandonment.
Description:
Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh which portrays the events after a young woman takes in a roommate who exhibits some of the symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) aand Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD) including mirroring, impulsivity and fear of abandonment.
Allie Jones (Bridget Fonda) runs a newspaper ad for a room mate to replace her boyfriend who has moved out" "Wanted, Single White Female. She recieves a response from Hendra Carlson (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who moves in and initially looks to be the ideal roommate.
However, as time goes by, Allie begins to notice all is not as it should be. Hedra begins to imitate Allie in the way she looks, dresses and behaves, imitating her haircut, wearing her clothes and ultimately seducing Allie's boyfriend.
The character development portions of the film, convincingly portray some of the characteristics of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) aand Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD) - in particular mirroring, impulsivity and fear of abandonment. However, as with most popular movies, in order to appeal to a broad audience, the characters revert to melodramatic steroetypes as the movie progresses.
You can watch the movie trailer here :
Trailer: "Single White Female", 1992, Columbia Pictures
Sleeping With The Enemy
Sleeping with the Enemy is a 1991 psychological thriller starring Julia Roberts, who tries to escape from her abusive husband, who suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder.
You can watch the movie trailer here :
Trailer: "Sleeping With The Enemy", 1991, 20th Century Fox
Sybil
Definition:
Sybil is a 1976 movie which portrays the life of a woman who suffers from Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) / Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).
Description:
Sybil tells the story of Sybil Dorsett (played by Sally Field), a woman who as been severely abused by her mother and who suffers from Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) / Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). In the movie she recounts with her psychologist Dr. Wilbur (played by Joanne Woodward) her experiences as a child and the different personalities she has developed. Sybil was based on a book by Flora Rheta Schreiber.
Sybil was originally broadcast as a 2-part miniseries on NBC in 1976 and later, due to public demand, released as a video/DVD.
Sally Field earned an Emmy award for her portrayal of Sybil.
You can watch a clip from the movie here:
"Sybil", 1976
The English Patient
Definition:The English Patient is a 1996 Miramax movie set during World War II which portrays the live and relationships of a wounded pilot who demonstrates schizoid traits and his caretaker nurse.
Description:
The movie is set in World War II Europe. It depicts László de Almásy, played by Ralph Fiennes, a seriously burned airplane pilot, whose mysterious past is gradually revealed to his attending nurse, played by Juliette Binoche.
The English Patient won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
You can watch the movie trailer here :
"The English Patient" 1996 Miramax Films
The Remains of the Day
Definition:The Remains of the Day is a 1993 Columbia Pictures Release, starring Anthony Hopkins & Emma Thompson which portrays the life of a head butler in an English Manor who manifests some of the traits of schizoid personality disorder.
Description:
The movie is set in 1950's England. It depicts the character of Mr Stevens, a head butler in a stately English Mansion and his relationshiop to one of his head housekeepers, Miss Kenton, played by Emma Thompson, who is frustrated by her attempts to show her affection for Mr. Stevens which he appears unwilling or unable to reciprocate.
The Remains of the Day was nominated for 8 Academy Awards.
You can watch the movie trailer here :
"The Remains Of The Day" 1993 Columbia Pictures Trailer
The Silence Of The Lambs
Definition:
The Silence Of The Lambs is a 1991 thriller starring Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster which features a psychopathic serial killer, Hannibal Lecter, who advises a young FBI agent as she tries to stop another serial killer.
Description:
Anthony Hopkins plays the part of Hannibal Lecter - a high functioning psychiatrist who suffers from Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD), who has been imprisoned for murder and cannibalism. In the movie, he develops a relationship with a young FBI agent, played by Jodie Foster, who is trying to track down another serial killer.
Although the plot is far-fetched, the movie makes an honest attempt to explore the psyche of a character who suffers from antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), representing him as a complex combination of character traits - rather than as just as a "pure evil" character. However, as with all popular stories, the character development is constrained by the need to be entertaining and so the emphasis of the writing and the production is put on the dramatic and shocking character traits.
The movie won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Screenplay, .
You can watch the movie trailer here:
"The Silence Of The Lambs", 1991, Orion Pictures
"The Wizard of Oz"
Definition:"The Wizard of Oz" is a 1944 movie starring Judy Garland which is sometimes used as a metaphor to describe the disconnect between the dissociated reality of the personality-disordered individual (Oz) and the real world experienced by the Non-PD (Kansas). The metaphor is based on the iconic phrase: "Toto - I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more".
Description:
In the classic 1939 MGM Musical, "The Wizard of Oz", Dorothy (Judy Garland) a young girl from Kansas, is thrust by a tornado into the freakish world of Oz, populated by munchkins, wizards, witches, and flying monkeys. The movie chronicles her adventures as she searches for a way to get back to her home in Kansas.
In an iconic scene, Dorothy emerges from the house carrying her dog Toto from the house which has just been transported by a violent tornado - or "twister" into the land of Oz. As she observes the strange new colors and textures of the new world, she utters the phrase: "Toto - I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more".
The phrase: "I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more" has developed into a popular cultural icon for any situation in which reality seems to take a back seat to a new order of freakish rules, people and events.
The phrase has also been adopted by a number of Chosen Non-PD's who identify with the feeling as they discover the strange dynamics of dissociation or a new dysfunctional relationship and begin to wonder about the wisdom of getting involved with a person who has a personality disorder. In this analogy, "Kansas" becomes synonymous with normal old situation they came from and "Oz" becomes synonymous with the crazy new world they are experiencing
You can view a clip of the famous scene here:
"The Wizard of Oz" MGM 1939
For More Information & Support...
If you suspect you may have a family member or partner who suffers from a personality disorder, we encourage you to learn all you can and surround yourself with support as you learn how to cope.
Sep 1, 2010 - We have just completed the first of what will be an annual leadership nomination and election cycle. In addition to Gary being reconfirmed as site owner and MoGlow, Haggis & Aames being reconfirmed as Admins, Klarity Belle and 2bad were appointed as new moderators. Please join us in welcoming Klarity Belle and 2bad to the OOTF leadership team.
Jul 21, 2010 - We will shortly be bidding farewell to an old friend - our original "nook2.com" url. She has served us well! Please update all bookmarks and links to point to the new Out of the FOG domain at http://www.outofthefog.net
New Leadership Guidelines Posted
Jun 23, 2010 - New Out of the FOG Leadership Guidelines have been developed. These explain the process we intend to use at Out of the FOG to appoint new moderators, admins and site owners going forward. Our goal is to implement a consistent, transparent and sustainable process for leadership changes and to introduce a component of accountability.
