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Bradley's mum?

I would say Bradley probably has a positive relationship with his mum. He seems to really like being in the company of girls as he receives positive validation from them so I would assume he got positive attention from his mum too.

Bradley even prefers to play with girls on his team than with his Gamma brothers when playing Volleyball. 

So I would guess that growing up , Bradley was probably a momma's boy where he would get a lot of praise and attention from her as he mostly seeks positive attention from girls than with boys.

I also think she would probably be an enabler as Bradley doesn't seem to understand that he can’t always get away with the things that he does to other people. Like she would probably let her son do whatever he wanted as she thinks so highly of their family status and of him. That’s not to say that his father couldn’t also have been an enabler too but we're mostly talking about his mother.

In terms of what she could be like I would say quite traditional in terms of looking pretty. They come from the best and care about their status so she would probably look the best too.

If she had a career I would say something in makeup and fashion as for the time period of the film I think Bradley’s family would be quite traditional. 

This being said though , if she is alive it’s not clear if she is still married or divorced to Bradley’s dad.  Like I mentioned in my father's speculation posts , Bradley prioritizes business even over girls so it’s hard to say how his mother would feel if Bradley’s dad did the same to her.

Maybe being married into the Uppercrust family though would mean more to her though or just wouldn't care , who knows. 

These are just my opinions though. 

( I do like to head canon though that the mirror that Bradley used to cheat with was given to him by her mother. Maybe they both had a love for their appearance and bonded over spa’s , hehe. )

[bradleyblog]

Bradley’s father speculation part 4 - final

There were going to be five parts to this series but while writing part 4 , it was really hard to tell if Bradley’s lack of emotional/physical intimacy with others and him trying to hold in his anger even when he lashes out is up to his own personal choice or due to his own upbringing.

So I decided to scrap it , sorry. It is possible that even if Bradley was told not to show negative emotions in public and to be emotionally composed while doing business that he was still allowed to express himself openly with his family. It's just hard to tell really. 

So instead we're going to talk about if Bradley and Max’s father relationships are parallel to one another ? This post isn’t going to be very long but I hope for those that are interested it is a good read nonetheless. 

Throughout the film it is shown that both Max and Bradley are foils to one another. But could their dad’s be foils to one another too? 

In the first goofy movie , Pete and Goofy are meant to be foils to one another in how they parent PJ and Max. Pete is too much of a dictator whereas Goofy can be too lenient. 

In the sequel film, Goofy’s problem is that he wants to spend too much time with Max and is giving him too much attention. Even loses his job over being too focused on Max. 

So due to Max and Bradley being foils to one another , I wondered if Bradley had the opposite problem to Max where his father spends too little time with his son and focuses too much on his career. . 

If this was the case it would certainly add more depth to Bradley taking the mick out of Max for when Goofy attends college with him , as in Bradley’s eyes he feels better about himself knowing he can handle being left alone compared to Max as his used to it.

“Daddy’s little baby couldn’t be alone”- Bradley

It could also add more of a reason as to why Bradley didn’t want Goofy to quit the Gamma’s as in a sense he now has something he didn't have growing up and wants to keep Goofy away from Max out of spite. 

Additionally , something I also noticed was how at the end of the movie , Bradley only interrupts Max’s victory with a cough when Goofy is about to hug Max after congratulating him, haha.

Maybe getting a victory hug from his father was where Bradley drew the line when accepting his defeat but this could just be because Bradley was getting impatient when having to wait to congratulate to Max. 

This all being said though , it is possible that Bradley did get a lot of attention from his dad as just because their foils to one another doesn't mean they have to necessarily be the opposite. Bradley could have been showered with affection and attention too from his own father, giving both Bradley and Max a lot more in common. 

Again , Bradley’s relationship with his dad is really up to the fans to interpret at the end of the day as there's no concrete answer in the film as to what their relationship was like so anything is possible. Could be good or bad really. 

Thanks for reading. This is the end of my Father speculation posts. Hope you enjoyed the ride.

Whatever interpretation anyone has is totally valid.  

[bradleyblog]

Bradley’s father speculation part 3.5

Continuing from Part 3 , we discussed how Bradley’s father is probably a businessman of some sort and how his father focused solely on his career.

Now like I mentioned in Part 1 and Part 2 , I assessed that Bradley’s dad didn’t have an emotional bond with Bradley, due to Bradley’s reaction when Goofy accused Bradley of not understanding a father’s bond with his son. 

So , with this added knowledge that Bradleys father could be a successful businessman , it would make sense that Bradley wouldn’t understand If he felt like his dad always chose his career over him and focused more on himself than his son.  

Now from this part onward though , everything I'm going to say is more debatable and up to interpretation as Bradley’s backstory is left so much to the imagination that there isn’t really any concrete way of saying if any of this is true. This is more like possibilities , hence why this part is more like a short bonus to part 3 as who really knows. Even I don't know really? But never the less here are just some things to potentially consider ?

Was Bradley’s love from his father conditional ?

As we know, being seen as the best really matters to Bradley. To Bradley, even though he's on the same team , It’s not enough that the Gamma’s win the College X games but it has to be himself who has to be the one to come first in the final race. 

Any person in Bradley’s position would have just let Tank win for the team as at the end of the day , if you want your team to win it shouldn't matter who crosses the finish line first as long as it’s one of your own team members that does so. 

But not to Bradley though. Having and keeping his status as the College X game King is really important to Bradley. It’s what makes Bradley feel like he really is the best , what gives himself more self-worth and keeps people giving him attention. 

Now , putting Bradley’s ego aside. It is possible that when growing up, Bradley has been conditioned to be seen as the best due to his dad giving him unrealistic expectations. 

If his father is a narcissistic parent this wouldn’t be too surprising. 

www.psychologytoday.com

We also have to remember that due to Bradley being born into a family who are descendants of royalty, a high elite family , it is possible that he grew up with high expectations whether it be from within the family or from society itself.  Their mentality would probably be ‘They come from the best so they should of course be the best right?’  

But any good parent regardless of background , would let their child know that it’s okay to fail and that it's okay if somebody else beats you at something and yet Bradley is very competitive and cares alot about his own status. We also have to remember that Bradley’s values on being the best and being successful are probably values that have been passed down onto him.

so it it makes you wonder how his father would react if Bradley didn’t do better than someone else in something. 

As in , did his father only give Bradley positive attention when he was successful and negative attention if he was not? 

Here is a segment from How a Child Can Grow Up to Become a Narcissist | Psychology Today

“the child is raised in a family that is very competitive and only rewards high achievement. One or both of the parents are Exhibitionist Narcissists. The family motto is: If you can’t be the best, why bother?

Love is conditional: When you come in first in the race, win the science fair or star in the school show, you are showered with praise and attention. When you do not, you are a disappointment. Everyone in the family is supposed to be special and prove it over and over again. No matter how much you achieve, the pressure is never off. As one woman said: “When I came home with a report card with all A’s, my father asked me if anyone got an A+.”

Children in these families do not feel stably loved. It is hard for them to enjoy anything for its own sake if it does not confer status. Instead of being supported by their parents to explore what they like and want to do more of, they only receive support for high achievement. Their parents are not interested in their children’s “real selves,” they are mainly interested in how their children can make the family look good. They want to be able to brag to their neighbors: “Look at what my kid did!”

The children who grow up in homes like this only feel secure and worthwhile when they are successful and recognized as the “best.” The conditional love of their childhood and the over-evaluation of high status and success in their home sets in motion a lifelong pattern of chasing success and confusing it with happiness.”

If this is true then Bradley would believe that people only think highly of you when you are successful and that you're not worth anyone’s attention if you fail.

It also might give Bradley more of a reason as to why he likes winning so much as he feels like it's the only way he can get constant positive attention from people if he's a always a winner. 

To me Bradley wanting to win all the time is like an addiction of his. He can’t just win once or twice , he has to keep winning every year even though he could just quit any time and let one of the other gamma’s compete for him instead.  It’s like he doesn't understand that your value doesn't come from your status or from your own achievements.  

This being said , it’s hard to know at what age Bradley started to cheat. His cheats are very child-like after all such as using rockets , marbles , fireworks etc. 

In a upbringing like this , if he felt pressure as a kid to be the best and was worried about receiving negative attention from failing , I could certainly see him cheating and then feeling good from the attention he got when he got away with it. Then continuing to keep cheating into his adult hood. But it's hard to say when he started to cheat really?

Or maybe his dad told him it was okay to cheat, who knows?

Now it's not clear if Bradley is given high expectations when it comes to his studies , but I do think he was influenced to take part in sports and to be good at them. 

From what we see he plays 

snooker 

Volleyball 

skateboarding 

And in the X games we can see that he can cycle and roller skate. You also don't get a body like Bradley’s without being athletically fit and healthy.

Not only would sports elevate Bradley’s success but it would also elevate the family's success, making their family look more superior. 

We also have to remember that with royals in real life ,  it is common for them to attend , host or take part in sport events. 

The Royal Family and Sport | The Royal Family

So sport and royalty go hand in hand really. 

Makes you wonder if his father was also a sports champion too, doesn't it ? or if he invests his business money in sports. 

Well that's all i have for part 3.5 

I don't really have any evidence for any of this hence why it's more of a bonus post but it was still something I wanted to add for the sake of consideration and debate as this series of posts is just speculation at the end of the day.

The only thing we know for sure about Bradley’s backstory is that he grew up super privileged from having a royal title and that’s pretty much it. But in a way it's kind of nice for fans to come up with their own interpretations.

Thanks for reading. 

[bradleyblog]

Bradley’s father speculation part 3

For this part we're going to talk about Bradley and his father having a business relationship rather than having a typical father son bond.  

( Last time I said I'd talk about Bradley’s emotional state but while writing both part 3 and 4, I felt that it would make more sense for that part to be part 4 instead. Will get there though )

So let’s talk about how Bradley values success/achievement over valuing people and how Bradley always prioritizes business. 

Values success/achievement over valuing people. 

When Max turns down Bradley’s offer to be a Gamma due to Bobby and PJ not being offered to be Gamma’s as well , Bradley doesn't see how they could possibly benefit Max.

He sees them as clowns and as people who would only hold Max back from winning.

 He just doesn't understand why Max would stay loyal to those who appear to be less than him and pick them over the chance to be a Gamma, a team in which he has stated has won every College X game since the beginning. 

“Max , Max , Max. You don't want to be weighed down by those clowns do you? I thought you wanted to win.”- Bradley 

In Bradley’s eyes , being with the best and being successful is what matters and if people are going to prevent you from your own success then those people should hold no value to you, regardless if they're your friends or not.

It’s why he has no problem with what he does to other competitors in the College X games as they are a threat to his own success and why he chooses to abandon Tank when he sees Tank as a threat to him achieving his own personal goal of crossing the finish line first. 

It’s also why he is very particular on who he chooses to be a part of his team as he only values people who can aid him in his own goals. 

Bradley also never hangs out/sits with anyone who isn’t a Gamma.

Girls being the only exception.

So being around the best is very important to him as It makes him appear more successful and important…   

Overall , Bradley is a character who just doesn't understand why valuing other people for just themselves is important. It’s like he has been influenced to believe that success and personal achievement is all that matters and that people should be seen as more of a personal asset to aid your own ambitions.  

But is his father responsible for Bradley’s viewpoint ? Well I would certainly say so as parents play an important role in determining what values their children should adhere to.

Like I mentioned in Part 2 , Bradley’s values would have been corrected if his father didn’t think they were the right values to adhere too, so when you consider Bradley’s father being a potential narcissistic parent , he would certainly value the following things and teach these values to Bradley.

( www.psychologytoday.com )

Values of People with Narcissism:

Perfection

Get attention from others

Superiority

Winning

Status

Image 

We also have to remember that Bradley was born into a family that are descendants of royalty. They come from the best , so them not being the best would damage their false image of superiority. So being successful and only associating themselves with the best is how they maintain their view point of being better than everyone else. 

Bradley the business man 

At heart Bradley is very business-like. But I don't think he learned to be this way all on his own. Despite Bradley potentially being emotionally neglected , I don't think his father would ignore his son’s education/career. He would probably want Bradley to be like him in some regard and carry on the family fortune. So having Bradley be business-like would be beneficial to the continued success of their family. 

Here are some examples of Bradley being business-like 

Words over brute force 

When trying to get what he wants , Bradley seems to prefer to persuade people through his own words rather than brute force. The only time Bradley lets Tank and the Gamma’s use physical intimidation is when both Bobby and PJ intentionally mock him and when he lets Tank hold on to Goofy in the air so he can tell Goofy that he can’t leave the Gamma’s. But in general Bradley prefers to use his words. 

Which is interesting considering how he has Tank at his disposal and yet on two occasions tells him to take it easy despite what Tank could potentially be capable of. 

When spotting Max

“Well, well, well. Look what the freshman cat dragged in, baby. Some new meat.” Tank

“Hey, easy, big fella. That new meat looks like Gamma material. Let's check him out.”- Bradley

When Goofy tries to quit 

“Should I knock some sense into his big melon?” - Tank 

“Whoa, whoa! Down, Tank. Easy, boy.” -  Bradley  

Gamma welcome

When trying to persuade someone to join the Gamma’s, Bradley’s go to tactic is to complement them first and then tell them how the Gamma’s have a history in winning. It’s like a business tactic of his. He also tries to insinuate that if they join they will be a winner.

Max 

“I'd wager that if you were on a skateboard, you wouldn't have spilled a drop.”-Bradley

“Max, we have won every College "X" Games competition... since the beginning. And we have decided to make you , our first draft pick. Lucky you, huh? What do you think of that?” - Bradley

 

Goofy 

“Mr. Goof! Your performance was, without a doubt, the most breath-taking display of alternative sport inventiveness... yet to be paralleled by mankind!”- Bradley

“The Gammas, the number one team in the history of the College "X" Games, have an opening on our team. And it has got your name on it, buddy! Be a winner. Join us.”- Bradley

While I do think his compliment to Max was more genuine ( even flirty haha ) and his compliment to Goofy was more exaggerated , It’s clear to see that he prefers to use this tactic in gaining members. 

Bradley carries around a card 

Bradley gives Goofy his card If Goofy changes his mind about being a Gamma. I don’t know about you but you can’t get any more businessmen-like , than carrying around your own name card on you.

Leader of the Gamma’s.  As Gamma leader , Bradley is shown giving orders to the Gamma’s but it’s usually related to Gamma business. 1-The Gamma’s carrying out Bradley’s plans to cheat in the X games.  2-Telling the Gamma’s to stop Bobby and PJ from mocking him while his talking to Max about being a Gamma. 3- When telling the Gamma’s to follow and leave with him 

-Wanting to recruit Max 

-Leaving the Bean scene when their business with Max is done 

-Telling the Gamma’s to pack it up when leaving Gamma practice and to exit after Goofy joins. 

But Bradley isn’t shown going around campus giving orders to other students. It’s strictly within his own group. 

Bradley also usually refers to the Gamma’s in a formal way such as calling them Gamma’s , Gamma brothers or gentlemen. The only person in the group who he calls by their first name is  Tank but even when he introduces Tank to Max he makes it clear that Tank is his right hand man , as to Bradley that is all Tank really is to him.    

“Ah yes , my right hand man , Gamma brother Tank”- Bradley 

A right hand man is a term used to describe someone as a very important assistant. Their job is to help you the most. It’s also common for someone to be a right hand man when it comes to the world of business.   

So In general , I would say Bradley has more of a professional relationship with the Gamma’s than a personal one.  In a sense, Bradley is like their boss while the Gamma’s are his loyal employees.

Bradley keeps to his commitments when he makes a deal.

When Bradley makes a wager with Max , Max tells him he has a deal and extends his hand to Bradley to which Bradley accepts and gives Max a handshake , cementing the deal.

Considering how he didn’t even shake Max’s hand when Max first introduced himself , it shows that Bradley is at least willing to shake someone's hand over a deal.  

In business , Handshakes are an agreement between two people who commit to an agreed business deal and can be seen as a symbol of trust , commitment and mutual understanding. For the handshake to be legally binding though , it needs to have witnesses. 

Now during the scene , Bradley is fully aware that not only are the Gamma's witnesses but everyone else in the room is a witness also. So when he makes this wager and gives Max a handshake he is very aware that he is making an actual commitment between the two. 

Then at the end of the movie when Bradley decides to congratulate Max after losing, he is the one out of the two who brings up the bet by telling Max that he hasn't forgotten their agreement. He could have tried to weasel his way out of it, denied that he even agreed to the wager or not even brought it up to Max in the first place but he didn’t. 

He wanted Max to know that he was going to follow through with his end of the bargain as even though he was willing to do whatever it took to win the College X games , it shows that he doesn't back out of an agreement that he shook hands on,  which says a lot about who he is as a person. Very business-like indeed.  

Business first , no exceptions

When Bradley first see’s Max and wants to make him a Gamma , he expects the Gamma’s to stop what they're doing and go with him to recruit Max to the team.

However , Bradley completely neglects what he was previously doing, which was playing Volleyball with a couple of girls at the Gamma party.

Doesn't even say goodbye or apologize, just focuses purely on getting Max to be a Gamma.

Then later on in the movie when Bradley is confronted by Beret Girl , he tells her that he's busy right now ,

despite clearly liking her stage performance and stating he likes her style.  

“ Hey, Daddy-os. This is a real L-7 scene. Let's all take a trip down the road of forgiveness and compassion.” - Beret Girl

“Ooh, passion ( Chuckle ). I like your style, Little Miss Mochachino, but I'm busy right now.” - Bradley 

Now , throughout the movie it’s pretty clear that Bradley likes to hang out with girls as he can get positive attention from them,

so the fact that Bradley prioritizes taking care of business over them, people he has a positive association with, is quite interesting...

Could Bradley’s dad be a businessman ?

So from all these points about Bradley being business-like , I think it’s safe to say that he probably learned this behaviour from his dad either from being taught or witnessing his Father’s behaviour, which would suggest that Bradley’s father is probably a businessman of some kind.  

This also gives another reason as to why Bradley could have probably been emotionally neglected , as his father could have always been focused on his career and prioritized it over Bradley. Maybe even prioritized his job over his wife if Bradley is mimicking this behaviour with his own relationships with girls?

But I dont think Bradley’s father would pick his career for the sake of providing for his family. 

Again, being an Uppercurst would put you in a financially well off family , so even though he still needs to pay the bills , Bradley’s dad isn’t some struggling father who needs to put food on the table. 

I think he would pick his career solely because he valued it more. After all, if Bradley values his own success over people then why would his dad be any different. 

His father could easily make time for Bradley if he really wanted to but when you consider that Bradley doesn't understand the bond between a father and son, i dont think his father put in the effort to form an emotional connection with Bradley. I believe he intentionally put his own career first as it held more value to his own ego. 

When researching narcissistic parents , a point that was made about them neglecting their kids is that if the parent is so self-absorbed in themselves, their sole focus may lie in their own hobbies and career. 

( www.choosingtherapy.com )

To Bradley’s father, his job would hold more value as it’s what makes him feel successful, have more authority and make him feel more important than he already is as it would amplify his already high status. 

So all in all , if Bradley’s dad is a self absorbed narcissistic parent who values success and himself above everything and always puts his career first over his family,  it wouldn’t be too surprising if he influenced Bradley to be the same. 

I have to end this part here as it's probably getting too long for one post but I've still got a bit more to say on this topic so part 3.5 will be next. Sorry part 4 , you have to wait a little longer. 

Hope my points came across clearly , had to do so many rewrites haha.

[bradleyblog]

For those that are interested in my Bradley's father speculation posts I thought id give a quick update on part 3.

It was going to focus on Bradley's emotional state but while I was writing it , I felt like it would make more sense for it to be part 4 instead.

Altogether this series will be 5 parts at most so when part 3 does come out I thought id clarify that Part 3 will instead be about Bradley and his dad having more of a business relationship rather than having a father son bond.

Thanks for your patience.

[bradleyblog]

Bradley's handshake with Max

While Bradley is talking , Max starts to pull his hand away with a amused face but Bradley immediately pulls Max's hand back towards him as Bradley calls him Freshmen.

Just doesn't want Max to let go first huh? haha

Bonus gif - Really Slow version

[bradleyblog]

Bradley observation

I noticed that when on his own , Bradley tends to back away from people during verbal confrontations where they get to close in his personal space.

Beret Girl

Goofy

Max on the other hand...

literally stands there in place.

Even lets Max get close and tap him on the chest without backing away ?

like what ?????????

[bradleyblog]

Bradley Uppercrust’s Father speculation Part Two

( Before reading part 2 I would recommend reading part 1 first )

From Part 1 we looked at Bradley’s conversation with Goofy about him not understanding the bond between a father and son and how Bradley responded to this statement. 

From the scene overall, I concluded that If Bradley doesn't seem to understand the bond between a father and his son , let alone understand why someone would pick family over success, it's likely that he doesn't even have a strong emotional bond with his own father to begin with. 

It can even imply that in his own family, success is always the top priority and that family isn’t even an expectation to this rule. 

This makes me believe that the root cause for Bradley’s lack of a bond with his dad is probably due to emotional neglect. Along with their family values of being successful and needing to appear to be the best, taking priority over his own emotions. 

If Bradley had a bond with his dad then there would at least be an emotional connection between them but it doesn't appear to be so. 

Throughout part 2 I will be discussing the idea of Bradley being emotionally neglected by his father but remember, this is all just speculation. 

Emotional neglect 

“Emotional neglect is the ongoing lack of emotional support, validation, and acknowledgment from a caregiver. It is a form of emotional abuse in which the caregiver doesn’t respond to or acknowledge their children’s emotions.” - www.makinwellness.com

If a parent Emotionally neglects their child, they fail to provide that child with attention , affection , engagement and other forms of emotional nurturing.

Now while I do understand that Bradley’s need for attention does stem from his own ego, him having emotional neglect from his father would certainly make him crave attention even more. A bit like him trying to overcompensate for the lack of attention his own dad didn’t give him by getting it from other people.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. What I just discussed here will be for a future part. 

But why would Bradley’s father of all people emotionally neglect his son? 

Well , I believe it’s because it’s very likely that Bradley’s father is a Narcissistic parent. It wouldn’t be too surprising considering how Bradley possesses some narcissistic traits himself but one common factor that I found about a narcissistic parent was the fact that they can be neglectful. 

“A narcissistic parent expects children to be present when needed , but will not provide support to children in return. They may also be so self-absorbed that their sole focus lies in their own hobbies or career. Narcissistic parents often seek instant gratification , leaving their kids to fend for themselves.”

Some other points about a narcissistic parent that I also came across were…

They need to be the center of attention 

They show little concern for others needs and feelings 

They are manipulative and Exploitative

Obsessed with maintaining the family’s image  

Their love is conditional 

They will do anything to be the best 

They are neglectful and never present when needed 

They are allowed to be emotional but you are not

If anyone wants to cheek the full list of 23 signs of a narcissistic parent , the link is shown below  

Narcissistic Parents: Traits, Signs, & How to Deal With One (choosingtherapy.com) 

These traits of a narcissistic father would certainly give a lot of reason as to why there might not be an emotional bond between Bradley and his dad. It would certainly make their relationship very emotionally distant/strained and make Bradley's father be presented as very self-absorbed and absent. 

But is Bradley’s dad really a narcissistic parent ? Well,  if he is emotionally neglecting Bradley then it’s not because he's a struggling parent with never ending bills to pay. They are super rich and decadents of royalty after all. And Even if Bradley’s dad is really busy with a super successful job , you would still make an effort to attend to your son’s emotional needs and to have a good bond with them. 

So to me , his father being self-centered makes the most logical sense as to why he could be emotionally neglectful of Bradley. 

But to really determine if Bradley’s dad is a narcissistic parent ,  we have to look at Bradley himself. 

Bradley has narcissistic traits and feels important due to his heritage. 

When Bradley declares who he is to Max , it's clear to see that he thinks highly of himself for being an Uppercrust. It’s his heritage that makes Bradley feel important, giving him an ego and in return makes him feel like he should be treated with admiration. 

Now obviously, being rich doesn't automatically determine that you're going to be narcissistic. But it is understandable as to why Bradley as a character would feel more important about himself due to him being a descendant of royalty. 

That being said though, if you were in Bradley’s shoes and were actually raised by good parents then they would surely keep your ego in check, teach you good values/morals and that you need to be compassionate and empathetic towards others. But Bradley doesn't seem to have any of this influence. 

As a person , Bradley is very success/ambition driven where it's his first priority and possesses narcissistic traits such as exploiting others for his own benefit, lack of empathy , having high self importance and a need for constant attention/admiration. 

But what would cause Bradley to have these narcissistic traits? His heritage for one and him valuing success over people but because his behavior never seemed to be corrected when he was growing up , It makes me think that these traits are also contributed by his upbringing. 

As in , his father was probably a bad role model and bad influence to him who taught him all the wrong things to value in life.  

But let’s look at what some of the causes of narcissism could be from a Physiology perspective. 

Here are some screenshots of my resources. 

( www.choosingtherapy.com ) 

( www.healthcentral.com )

Any of these causes could relate to Bradley but among these causes are “Learning narcissistic and manipulative behaviour from parents or peers”. In my opinion , Bradley learning narcissistic behaviour from his dad would be very likely due to their high status. But Something else to note is that neglect can also be a factor too. 

Well would you look at that, what a coincidence...

But in all seriousness though , if neglect can be one of the causes then it is possible that Bradley could have actually been neglected. 

But when we relate this to his dad , the only reason I can think of as to why Bradley’s dad would be neglectful of him is because he is indeed a narcissistic parent.  

Reason being is that If Bradley has narcissistic traits that aren't being discouraged from his family , nor does he have an emotional connection to his dad,  then him being emotionally neglected by a narcissistic father does seem the most likely. 

We also have to remember that Bradley is a descendant of royalty, which means their family probably have a lot of privileges. So it's highly likely that they have servants to do a lot of their manual labour and whose job it is to attend to their every request. Why bother taking care of your own child when he has servants to do it for him. 

So now that we have speculated that Bradley’s father is a narcissistic parent and could have  emotionally neglected Bradley , I think it’s important to talk about Bradley’s emotional state next but that will have to wait for part 3. 

There’s a lot more that I want to say but it was important to establish this all first before going forward.  

( For those who read part 1 , thank you all for the previous feedback )

[bradleyblog]

Bradley Uppercrust’s Father speculation Part one

When it comes to Bradley’s family and backstory not much is known. The one thing that we do know for certain is that Bradley is probably a descendant of a monarch due to having a regnal name ( “Bradley Uppercrust the 3rd” ) as these titles are as far as I know only given to those with regal backgrounds. 

But despite not knowing much else , I do believe that the movie does give us the audience a small hint about what kind of relationship Bradley has with his own father. 

When Bradley is trying to convince Goofy to join his team , Goofy respectfully declines due to the fact that he only wants to stay close to Max. 

“That’s real nice of you to ask, but I’m really only interested in stayin close to Maxie.”- Goofy

We then cut to Bradley’s reaction where just by his body language of him moving back slightly while pressing his fingertips between his forehead, you can tell that he thinks Goofy is lacking common sense and isn’t thinking clearly.

Bradley then counter’s Goofy’s statement by bringing up how he doesn't think Goofy understands how big of a deal being offered to be a Gamma is due to it being a once in a lifetime opportunity.

”Uh… I’m not sure you understand this once in a lifetime opportunity.”- Bradley

Goofy however prioritizes spending time with Max and mimics Bradley’s body language and choice of words to emphasize his point that Bradley doesn't understand the bond between a father and son if Bradley thinks he would choose the Gamma’s over Max.

“Well , ah-yuck, I’m not sure you understand the bond between a father and his son.”

Now what’s interesting about Goofy’s choice of words is how he could have said something along the lines of “I’m not sure you understand the fatherly son bond between me and Max”, as Goofy should really only be referring to him and Max’s relationship. But instead he chooses to refer to a bond between a father and son in general. 

But what is Bradley’s reaction to Goofy’s statement? Well at first he is smiling while waiting for Goofy to respond but once Goofy says “I’m not sure you understand-” Bradley’s smile drops into a neutral expression to see what Goofy thinks he doesn't understand. 

We then cut to a wider shot of Goofy and the Gamma’s when Goofy is finishing the rest of his sentence to Bradley.

As Goofy says “the bond between a father and his son” , you can see that Bradley’s expression has changed slightly to something more vulnerable looking. 

It’s one of those if you don't look close enough you may miss it moments but just by looking at Bradley’s expression to Goofy’s assessment of him , it looks like Goofy may have briefly struck a chord with Bradley and that he took it a little personally. As if what Goofy just said to him is actually true but deep down he doesn't want it to be. I mean he does look a little sad don't he?

So why would Bradley’s expression look like this? Well I think it’s because Bradley knows Goofy is right about him not understanding due to the fact that he himself doesn't have a bond with his own dad. Something he probably would have wanted but is too proud to admit.  

If he had a good bond with his dad I don't think his expression would look like this as if he did then his expression would have been portrayed differently. You would even think Bradley would try to prove Goofy wrong and may even brag about his own father but he doesn't. 

Instead , Bradley doesn't even retort back. He just changes the direction of the conversation into a Exit strategy by giving Goofy a business card if he changes his mind about joining the Gamma’s. 

To me this looks like a classic defence mechanism of personal deflection where when someone doesn't want to deal with a topic that makes them uncomfortable , they will turn the focus onto something else of their choosing. This to me suggests that Bradley isn't comfortable with the topic of father's and sons , more specifically him and his own father.

Bradley even does a similar kind of deflective behaviour earlier on in the movie when he is confronted by Beret Girl. At first he tells her that he is busy as he just wants to deal with Max being a Gamma but she wont back down from him. Instead she accuses him of making her dizzy from being a downward spiral ( making things worse and worse) , to which Bradley responds by deflecting her statement by telling her to go save some whales as he doesn't want to engage with what she's negatively saying about him.

But back to the scene at hand. When Bradley wants to leave the situation with Goofy he starts by folding his arms across his chest which in body language terms is a classic gesture of defensiveness where it’s usually done out of discomfort , uneasiness , shyness , insecurity , feeling threatened or feeling like you're in an undesirable situation. I get that Bradley is failing to persuade Goofy to join and all but the fact that he gives up so quickly after what Goofy just said to him is a bit suspicious.  

( Psychmechanics.com was my resource about body language ) 

So despite Bradley putting on a smile and acting composed when leaving, you can tell by his overall responsive to Goofy that Bradley was probably effected by what he said but would rather deflect than deal with it.

Of course this is just how I Interpret the scene.

So if they dont have a good bond then what could Bradley and his father’s relationship really be like and how does this impact Bradley’s character? Well Be ready for Part 2 as we got a lot of speculating to do.