#but at the same time it always strikes me just how emotionally damaging Marty's environment really is

[knickynoo]

In your interpretation, do you think Marty has anxiety?

I think that Marty definitely has a lot of anxious qualities, most of which are probably a result of his upbringing/home life. There really is a good deal of dysfunction in the McFly family, and when you consider that the scene at dinner paints a picture of what the norm is like for them, it really is lousy environment for a kid to be raised in. I almost don't see how it wouldn't end up causing some significant anxiety issues.

I mean, Marty's got a father who is constantly being pushed around and berated by Biff. This terrible, abusive guy is just there at their house all the time, threatening George and looking down on the whole family. And Marty is witness to this time and time again and probably has been since he was little. He just watches his father take the mistreatment and occasionally is subject to it himself, all the while knowing that George won't even come to his defense when a grown man is calling him names.

Marty is also--frequently, we can assume--being steered away from taking risks by his father. Having his interests and dreams sort of waved away with a shrug and a well, it's probably for the best that it didn't work out. You'd probably only end up disappointed anyway. Which is, you know, majorly damaging to a kid's self-esteem to constantly have it put in his head that taking chances is bad because of the potential failure/rejection.

And then you've got Lorraine, and while I believe she does deeply love Marty, it's clear that she really isn't great at expressing it and also has her own personal challenges. She's been sort of beaten down by life. She's depressed, an alcoholic, and generally disconnected from things. I think seeing your mother sad so often, plus the challenge of silently dealing with alcoholism, would be enough to plant the seeds of anxiety. Not to mention the fact that Lorraine also speaks with a pretty critical tone to Marty.

Add in Strickland, who's apparently made it his mission in life to antagonize a teenager and tell him what a worthless, no-good punk he is, and honestly it's impressive that Marty is like...functioning at all? (Of course, we all know that it's because Doc is his core support system and source of kindness, but I digress)

So, yeah, to make a long-winded response short: I think it's very possible Marty has some degree of anxiety. He's got so many strikes against him already with the poor quality of adults in his life, that a little (or a lot of) anxiety seems like a given.

Thanks for the ask!