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The Psychology of Victor Frankenstein

Apologies for my decline in posts as of late. There’s been a cold going around my school and I got sick from it :( however I am making my recovery and what better time to post than Halloween! 

There has been multiple debates upon the psychological profile of Victor Frankenstein from Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”. If you simply google “what psychological disorder does Victor Frankenstein have?” you will get a differential diagnosis of a result: obsessive-compulsive disorder, antisocial personality disorder, psychopathy or monomania. This can all be confusing, so I’ll give you the tools to think to yourself: what is Frankenstein’s psychology?

The first result I saw for Victor’s diagnosis was both monomania and antisocial personality disorder, as diagnosed by an essay from Murray State University. Let’s define it!

Monomania:  “exaggerated or obsessive enthusiasm for or preoccupation with one thing.” This could be exhibited in Frankenstein's obsession over creation of the monster and his overall scientific studies, isolating himself in his lab, even sleeping there.

Note: this term comes from 19th-century psychiatry and can be an outdated term. However, Frankenstein is set in the 18th century, so this may or may not be appropriate. 

Antisocial Personality Disorder: 

It is a Cluster B personality disorder for adults including: disregard/violation of the rights of others, conduct disorder, and antisocial behavior.  Throughout the book, Victor exhibits self-centered behaviors in which he prioritizes himself and his scientific discoveries over his relationship with his family and friends. He has lack of remorse for the creature after he creates it, refusing to take responsibility for bringing life into the monster and not caring for its life at all.

Traits can include, but are not limited to:

Not conforming to social norms in a severe way that can lead to arrest 

Reckless or impulsive behavior

Lack of remorse 

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Depression

As I said in my anxiety post, the depression mood disorder is another one of those disorders that can be overlooked and also how common it can be. Depression Disorder is also known as Major Depressive Disorder or Clinical Depression. However, Depressive Disorders is its own category in the DSM-5, including major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and others. I will be focusing on Major Depressive Disorder. 

“Approximately one in six people will experience a major depressive episode at some point in their lifetime, while up to 16 million adults each year suffer from clinical depression.”

The diagnostic criteria is as follows:

5+ of these symptoms for 2 weeks. One of them has to be either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure. All of the symptoms happen for most of the day almost every day. 

1. Depressed mood, as defined by stating feelings of emptiness, hopelessness, sadness, etc, or as an observation made by others. 

2. Great diminished interest or pleasure in practically all activities

3. Significant weight and or appetite change that isn’t due to dieting or weight gain

4. Insomnia or hypersomnia

5. Psychomotor agitation or mental lethargy 

6. Fatigue or loss of energy 

7. Excessive feelings of worthlessness or guilt 

8. It’s harder to think or concentrate. Indecisiveness

9. Recurrent thoughts of death (different from fear of dying!), recurrent suicidal ideation without a plan

Symptoms causes a drastic impact on your social and or work life

Symptoms aren’t caused by any drugs or medications

At least one major depressive episode isn’t better explained by any schizophrenia disorders or psychotic disorders

There has never been a naturally occurring (without substances) manic episode or a hypomanic episode

here's a link to my previous post on psychomotor agitation! (x)

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Psychomotor Agitation vs Stimming

Psychomotor agitation is the inability to remain still or calm, using movement to release tension and anxiety. (x)

Stimming, or self-stimulatory behavior, is a repetitive action that can involve the body, senses or objects

These two behaviors can seem similar on paper but are two different things! However, there is some overlap.

most common signs of psychomotor agitation:

crowded thoughts

emotional distress

fast talking

fidgeting

hand-wringing

moving objects for no reason

pacing

racing thoughts

restlessness

starting and ending tasks abruptly

tapping

common signs of stimming:

repetitive actions (hand flapping, rocking, jumping, head banging)

repetitive actions involving the senses (feeling a texture, twirling a piece of string, flicking a rubber band)

vocal stimulation (humming, whistling, grunting, phrase/word repetition)

nail biting, hair twirling, foot jiggling, skin scratching

The difference between these two things are their PURPOSE. Stimming is (subconsciously) done to cope with emotions while psychomotor agitation is a symptom of anxiety or depression. Stimming is associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) while psychomotor agitation is associated with depression and anxiety.

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Personality Disorders 

A personality disorder is an enduring pattern of the following: 

internal experiences and behavior that is different from the expectations of someone’s culture

prevalent and inflexible

Onset in adolescence or early childhood

Stable over time

Leads to distress or impairment 

Personality disorders are sorted into three clusters

Cluster A 

Main Characteristics: unusual/odd and eccentric thinking or behaviors 

Paranoid Personality Disorder

Schizoid Personality Disorder

Schizotypal Personality Disorder

Cluster B

Main Characteristics: dramatic and erratic behaviors

Borderline Personality Disorder

Histrionic Personality Disorder

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Cluster C 

Main Characteristics: dysfunctional pattern of anxious thinking or behavior

Avoidant Personality Disorder

Dependent Personality Disorder

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

Personality disorders are, after all, PERSONALITY disorders. Therefore they affect aspects of an individual's life to a great extent. This is important to keep in mind.

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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

is commonly associated with war veterans or just people who have gone through war. Though this is true, it has led a lot of people in the general public to believe that that is the only source of PTSD. 

PTSD develops from witnessing or being a part of a traumatic event. 

As said by the National Institute of Mental Health… 

“A traumatic event is a shocking, scary, or dangerous experience that can affect someone emotionally and physically.” (x)

Examples: (not limited to) • Natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, hurricanes)  • Acts of violence (assault, abuse, terror attacks, mass shootings)   • Near-death experiences or situations of severe terror (car crashes) 

The diagnostic criteria by the DSM-5 differ for adults, adolescents, children over 6 years old, and children under 6 years. I will be listing the criteria that apply to all the groups I just previously listed. Due to criteria being quite lengthy I will be summarizing it so please keep that in mind that the diagnostic process for PTSD is more nuanced than how I am describing. 

Summarized Diagnostic Criteria: 

Exposure to the traumatic event

Re-living the traumatic event 

Avoiding situations that are related to the traumatic event

Having your cognition and emotions being negatively affected or worsened 

Trauma-related responses (can be new or worsened) 

Symptoms last for over a month

Symptoms create distress and/or functional impairment (social, occupational, executive functioning, etc.) 

Symptoms are not caused by substances or another medical condition 

Has one of the following dissociative symptoms: 

Depersonalization (feeling detached from your mind/body) 

Derealization (experiences of unreality of surroundings) 

To further explain PTSD I will be using Sunny from the video game Omori as an example of this disorder! There will be spoilers for Omori so I will have the rest of this post be under the cut

How Sunny fits the diagnostic criteria for PTSD: 

(1) Sunny was directly exposed to the death of his sister Mari when he was twelve. He pushed her down their house stairs and watched her die right before his own eyes. The process of then staging her death––with the help of Basil––as a suicide was also traumatic. 

(2) Sunny is reminded of Mari's death frequently throughout Black Space and even White Space. You spend quite a good chunk of the game going through references to Mari’s death and even re-living certain scenarios related to her death in Sunny’s dream world. 

(3) After Mari’s death, Sunny shuts himself in his house for approximately 4 years as the outside world that he used to share with Mari would remind him of her absence. He also hides from his friends, especially Basil. 

(4) During the final fight between Omori and Sunny, Omori continuously blames Sunny for Mari’s death. This altercation represents Sunny’s exaggerated beliefs about the traumatic situation and how he blames himself. 

(5) Sunny experiences sleep disturbances from his dreams/nightmares in headspace. In an ending of the game he commits suicide, being a self-destructive behavior. 

(6) Sunny shut himself in his house for 4 years, being well over one month. Sure we don’t see everything that happened for the past 4 years since Mari’s death, but the fact that he is still experiencing PTSD symptoms years after the event shows that the trauma greatly affected him. 

(7) Also because he shut himself in his house, he had no social life and most likely didn’t go to school as well. 

(8) Sunny doesn’t take any substances in the game and there is no lore that supports that. He also did not have a pre-existing condition. 

(9) One can come to the assumption that with the persona of Omori, Sunny experiences depersonalization. 

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Anxiety

To kick-start this blog I would like to first address an old friend of mine, anxiety. 

Anxiety can so easily be overlooked and dismissed as a disorder because anxiety can be experienced by anyone. Anxiety on its own is a natural emotion that is just a kind of fear that instinctively protects us from potential threats and harm. However with increased frequency, anxiety can cause suffering to someone. 

Another reason for anxiety to commonly be dismissed is because it’s an “invisible disorder” that doesn’t necessarily present in physical symptoms. It’s so important to be mindful of this.   

Fear vs Anxiety 

Fear → the emotional response to real or perceived imminent threat

fight or flight response 

thoughts of immediate danger

escape behaviors

Anxiety → anticipation of a future threat  

muscle tension and vigilance in preparation for future danger 

Cautious or avoidant behavior 

Panic attacks 

Persistent and can be long lasting 

Overestimates danger 

The diagnostic criteria for GAD is the following: 

excessive anxiety/worry that occurs frequently over the course of 6 months

It’s difficult to manage/control the worry that is felt 

Frequently having 3+ of these symptoms:

Restlessness or being on-edge

frequent exhaustion or fatigue 

having trouble concentrating, brain fog

irritability

muscle tension

sleeping problems (hard time falling asleep, staying asleep, etc.)

Previously mentioned symptoms make it hard to participate in important areas of function (your job, school, socializing, etc.)

Symptoms aren’t caused by any substances (drugs, medication, etc.) or any medical conditions that can cause anxiety, such as hyperthyroidism

The anxiety is not better explained by another mental disorder; the anxiety is not from an overlap with a pre-existing mental disorder

One of the main characteristics of GAD is having anxiety and worry that is blown out of proportion in comparison to what’s actually happening. This anxiety can be about minor issues in day-to-day life or major matters that can be life threatening. 

Anxiety in GAD occurs intrusively throughout someone’s day and can influence their decision making and overall enjoyment. This greatly affects them so do not belittle the things that they worry about. It may seem silly to you but it can be very serious to someone with anxiety.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) a treatment used to help soothe anxiety, focusing on dissecting situations to help decrease any worry. Always keep in mind that it is more than ok to seek out help through a therapist or just talking to a loved one. 

Of course, anxiety is more nuanced than this post. I encourage you to do your own research if you are interested in anxiety

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ੈ✩‧₊˚ Welcome to my Blog ! ༊*·˚

Hi my name is Vita and I created this blog to summarize mental disorders and such found in the DSM-5 to make them easier to understand! I will also include examples from historical figures and/or fictional characters if possible

I am a transgender man and I myself have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. Once I received my diagnosis and told my family about it I realized how little the general public understands mental disorders. So, I hope this blog can do some good :>