I have BPD. Though I'm an INFP, not ENTJ. I can identify so much with how Anakin is feeling and how hard it is to balance your emotions, the fear of abandonment, assuming things about the people around you to try to make sense of it all, the uncontrollable anger that can rush through you like fire, trauma conflicting with what you know is right yet making the wrong choice anyway. Therapy is the greatest resource. Yes, he's a fictional character but it's heartbreaking knowing he could have been helped and the one person that was able to redeem him in the end was someone that wouldn't give up on him. Thanks for this video.
While Anakin still bears responsibility for his actions, his mental health was never nurtured or supported by the Jedi Order. If they'd genuinely cared about Anakin beyond what he represented, as "The Chosen One", perhaps he could have seen that he had better options. Obi-Wan was barely out of childhood himself when he became Anakin's master, he wasn't equipped for the job. He relied on dogma to communicate his care, and it backfired.
@@RJTheTherapyGuy Anakin does bear responsibility for his choices, but given everything he had to deal with, I don't see how his arc could have gone any other way. The Jedi and Sith both did a serious number on him. I think his fate was sealed when Qui Gon died.
@@RJTheTherapyGuyI think it is also important to consider that the Jedi don’t know how to deal with Anakin. You can see that with the way Yoda tried to berate Anakin. The Jedi can’t understand or generally emphasize with him.
@@RJTheTherapyGuyExactly, Anakin needed Qui Gon to help him regulate his emotions, and to show him compassion and understanding. Obi Wan was too stuck in the flawed Jedi dogma, he was too harsh and overly critical of Anakin, he didn’t listen enough, and he didn’t give Anakin an outlet for his emotions. The Jedi had lost their way a long time ago, they forgot their oaths to serve the will of force and instead became enforcers for the senate using the force to do it. The Jedi code was flawed when it came to emotions and attachments. The answer is to regulate emotions and attachments rather than not having them.
The thing is, Evil is not the opposite of Good, it is Good corrupted. You can feel righteous anger over an injustice, which isn't bad, but your feelings can either lead you towards the light or down a dark path. So many evil people are tricked into thinking they are good.
I really enjoy the characters of Darth and Anakin and their exceptionally portrayed by Hayden Christensen. I also enjoy your psychoanalysis very true and extremely exceptional.
If Anakin were my client, I'd have validated his feelings but also emphasized good boundaries and skills for emotional control and distress tolerance. And above all else, I would have kept him *far* away from the battlefield until he'd had months worth of tangible progress.
Extreme emotional volatility and takes no personal responsibility for a lot of his actions. If only had a therapist to help with the transition from being a slave to becoming a jedi. The outcome might have been different *shrug* Edit: Obi-Wan should have had therapy too so he could be his best self to raise Anakin. He lost his mentor/father figure and gained a child within a few days. Individual therapy for both and family therapy together. (obviously i'm a mental health therapist lol)
The biggest tragedy of Anakin's fall how much it is driven by circumstances outside of his control He was born a slave, and was one until the age of nine The first time he meets the Jedi Council they , unlike Qui-Gon who saw a boy that despite his poor circumstances still tried to do good, saw nothing but a natural fear and worry for his mother, they shame him for it as that is something forbidden by the Jedi and yet normal for everybody else and they make it clear that they don't want him, not because he is bad but because he doesn't fit in their system by things he doesn't control, and if the Jedi claim to teach emotional control him being afraid shouldn't be a problem. Then they gave him to Obi-Wan, while trying his best he simply had no idea what to do with him, Anakin had more trauma by the age of nine then most people in the Order, add the fact that his own Master died recently and you get a traumatized 25 year old raising an traumatized 9 year old, how anybody thought that would turn out well is beyond me Then they gave Anakin to Palpatine simply because he asked, Anakin was 13 at the time, and that didn't raise any red flags, they literally gave their Chosen One to the devil That we have the fact that as whole the Jedi serve the Republic a fairly corrupt government by the Prequel Era, Anakin is aware of the broken system is and while a lot of people say that in his discussion with Padme he is basically foreshadowing the Empire, the fact is that Jedi are ruled by a Council of wise men, as far as i am aware they didn't get elected, so he is using the Jedi system of ruling as a basis He was a General in a galactic scale war from 19-22 so he was really young They gave a 14 year old to raise during said war Then we have the hole Rekko Hardeen and Ashoka Trial situations which basically damaged his relationship with the Order beyond repair He has visons of his mother's death and Obi-Wan tells him that it's just a dream, he telling this to someone who is a subject of a prophecy and was quite literally born of the Force Then he has Palpatine whispering poison in his ears for a decade He had more comraderie with the Clones then with the Jedi which is saying a lot Then he gets visons of his wife and unborn child dying Is Anakin responsible for his choices, yes he is, his sins are his own but he also more of a broken man being taken advantage of by the most manipulate being in the galaxy
DBT is amazingly effective, if you choose to make it so - it is hard work. I was abused by a BPD girlfriend, and was suffering from undiagnosed autism (I didn't get a diagnosis for over 10 years after doing DBT). DBT is useful for anyone, in my personal, totally unbiased opinion (it helped me a lot).
Thank you! Thank you for your compassion. So many people consider Anakin Skywalker/ Darth Vader to be a complete monster . I, myself; have loved Anakin for a long time, and if I could, I would have prevented his downfall. You do not simply look at his intolerable deeds then call it a day. If I was the one whom committed those seemingly unforgivable sins ; I hope I would have someone like you to understand me.
Great video and analysis. Also cheers for bringing education on BPD and DBT to the fore. That said, I respectfully submit a differential diagnosis on Anakin. TLDR: rather than BPD, Anakin has ADHD and a trauma-related Anxious Attachment Style. Hear me out. First, it's important to note that the Jedi's basic mindset and everyday practices align with DBT Skills. Practicing Mindfulness (through meditation as well as being present "in the moment" as Qui-Gon said) to remain open to the Force. Practicing Distress Tolerance (self-soothing skills, Radical Acceptance) and Emotional Regulation (enjoying the moment, reducing the frequency of experiencing emotions like anger, fear, etc, Opposite Action to counteract strong emotions) to maintain a serene, peaceful emotional state as a Jedi, because the first line of the Jedi Code is "There is no emotion, there is peace." And finally, practicing Interpersonal Effectiveness (assertive, non-aggressive communication) to enhance their role as peacekeepers, diplomats, and prevent violence unless it's a last resort. So Anakin has been steeped in the Star Wars equivalent of DBT since he was about 9 years old. Yet he continues to struggle to consistently use these skills, even years later. If he had BPD, being trained in DBT on a daily basis and surrounded by others who practiced DBT Skills for more than 10 years would theoretically have had more success in managing his symptoms. Also, it's important to realize he doesn't necessarily show the excessive de-idealization of people close to him that is characteristic of BPD when he feels some form of real or imagined abandonment. When redirected or chastised by Obi-Wan in Attack of the Clones or the Clone Wars show, he is sometimes resentful, petulant, and defiant, but he rarely blows up on Obi-Wan or goes out of his way to make Obi-Wan validate him by putting his master through the same anguish/pain he went through. He is extremely hurt/angry, justifiably so, when Obi-Wan and the Jedi Council lie to him about faking Obi-Wan's death for the sake of an undercover mission. But he doesn't seem to completely lose trust in Obi-Wan, or end their friendship, or do something extremely out of pocket like leave the Order or kill some younglings (yet, anyway). When Ashoka leaves the Jedi Order in the Clone Wars show, Anakin DOES personalize it as her abandoning him, but he doesn't try to angrily get back at her for leaving, or continue to hound her to come back on her comlink, or have a crisis/meltdown that involves drastically dangerous and/or self-destructive behavior (that we know of). When Padme and her ex-boyfriend Rush Clovis are working together, Anakin shows possessive, jealous, aggressive behavior, but we don't see many other instances of him having these extreme reactions to her, even during times where she pokes fun at him or challenges him (at one point she remarks on him having Ashoka as a Padawan, in front of Ashoka: "I still can't believe they let you teach"). He doesn't start displaying these traits more consistently until he's started falling into the Dark Side. Could we consider using the Dark Side of the Force and committing to the ways of the Sith in line with BPD? Not really, because the Sith don't value people, they value Power. The idea of feeling the intense connection to another that people with BPD often feel would be seen as weakness by the Sith tradition, something to be violently severed. A traditional rite of passage for becoming a Sith is for the Dark Side user to kill someone they love. Not something a person with BPD is likely to willingly choose. Let's look at how he meets criteria for ADHD. Anakin tends to really lean into being good at a narrow band of activities/skills expected of a Jedi, which are focused on things he enjoys/is passionate about. This includes flying, using his mechanical skills ("life seems so much simpler when you're fixing things"), being a tactical genius on the battlefield, and learning/using lightsaber techniques along with the more external, power-based Force abilities compared to the more spiritual, slower ones. He is almost always in some form of movement-based activity, and seems to have trouble with activities that involve being still (as Obi-Wan said, Anakin is "always on the move"). You noted his frequent impulsivity and failure to consider the consequences of his impulsive actions, even after previous times where it didn't work out or got him in trouble. He frequently runs late to Jedi meetings (usually because he's with Padme, but this is definitely poor time management/potential "time blindness"). He frequently has trouble applying lessons he's learned before (i.e., the DBT skills he's been trained on for years). If he's bored by something, it's extremely unlikely he'll ever try to care about it, even if it could help him. For instance, he spends most of his life being mentored by Palpatine, one of the most effective, manipulative politicians ever, and was married to a politician who was effective in different ways. But even years later as Vader, being savvy at politics is not something he is good at or cares about. Becoming a Jedi Master wasn't something he cared about until doing so was a way to find out more about the Sith teachings on saving people from dying for Padme. He finds doing things the way they're supposed to be done by following directions/orders boring, and is much happier finding new, creative ways to do the same task, even and especially when doing so becomes a high-risk/high-reward situation, or coming up with solutions on the fly instead of spending lots of time planning out a strategy. During the Clone Wars, he rarely leads the 501st clones from the rear, but is usually in front, not only because he cares about them, but that's where the real action is. However, if he is focused on something that he wants or involves one of his noted passions, he is totally in the zone, harnessing his immense natural connection to the Force to become amazing, unstoppable, and brilliant in what he can come up with to problem-solve. Also, while his symptoms of extreme emotional reactions usually don't reach the intensity we see in BPD, they ARE more in line with the emotional dysregulation we see in ADHD. This includes Anakin's reactions to perceived abandonment, which to me seem more like Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria responses. Emotional dysregulation is not yet an official criteria for ADHD, but it was previously a part of early conceptualizations of the disorder as far back as the 1800s, and most clinicians working with clients who have ADHD recognize it along with RSD as common symptoms of the disorder. Finally, he also displays magical thinking, in that he often seems to think all of the galaxy's problems could be solved by being the "most powerful Jedi ever!" All of these symptoms lead to significant impairment in his life as a Jedi, his ability to be an effective husband to Padme, and make for difficulties in his relationships with his master and padawan. Finally, due to his intense childhood trauma along with the loss of his mother as a young adult, Anakin likely has an Insecure Attachment Style, and shows many criteria of Anxious Attachment. For instance, Anakin sees the boundaries he's supposed to have as a Jedi and the emotional distancing that's a part of the Jedi philosophy as threatening to his relationships, which forms his growing resentment towards the Order, and feels more stable when he can be around the people he cares about. Often, rather than meditate and center himself when he feels angry, insecure, or upset (solo regulation of his feelings), he often seeks out advice/reassurance from Palpatine, Padme, and sometimes Obi-Wan or Ashoka (seeking co-regulation of his feelings with/from others). He is very friendly with most of the clones under him, despite it sometimes appearing to blur the chain of command. The exception is when he is engaged in solo activities like flying or fixing things, but this can be attributed to his co-occurring ADHD symptoms. People with Anxious Attachment tend to desire the safety/stability of relationships, but don't think they'll get the soothing/stability they want unless they "go loud" in their efforts. This shows itself in Anakin's clinginess/refusal to let go of people or have faith they can handle their own issues (most often with Ashoka and Padme) and his willingness to be aggressive/violent as well as violate the Jedi Code to keep those people close to him or accept the risk of losing them. For example, he Force-choked Geonosian General Poggle the Lesser while Poggle was a Republic prisoner in custody to save Ashoka from trouble all the way back in season 1 of the Clone Wars, despite it being an obvious use of the Dark Side (and a war crime, but hey, in the Clone Wars that's like a regular Tuesday). So while the Jedi Order/Council did somewhat well providing DBT Skills instruction to Anakin, they failed miserably at giving him any kind of trauma-informed care, understanding how his Insecure Attachment would prevent him from being able to follow the Jedi Code, and seeing how their strict/rigid ways would keep him from healing or developing a more healthy, Secure Attachment Style. Qui-Gon would have been a perfect master for Anakin to heal and manage his problems in a holistic, empowering way, but after he died it was left to Obi-Wan. As someone else in the comments put it, Obi-Wan went from going through a rite of passage to become an adult (completing the Jedi Trials by defeating Darth Maul) to losing his father figure and more or less "adopting" a young child with some serious trauma/mental health concerns. He had very little idea what he was doing, and although he did love Anakin, he did not have the skills to effectively "parent" Anakin in the neurodiverse-friendly way the kid needed. If you're still reading, thanks! When it involves Psychology and/or Star Wars, I tend to go on rants.
People have an extremely poor understanding of Jedi non-attachment and consider it a failing Mind you, it’s basically just Japanese (zen) Buddhism and those guys are some of the least problematic people in the world. If anything, the Jedi’s only failing was training anakin at all. The truth is, the failure is entirely his own
I beg to differ, in the past the Jedi learned how to regulate emotions and attachments in a healthy way without compromising their duty to the force and their values. That way of thinking (Zen) may work with monks who don’t interact with people as much but it doesn’t work with the Jedi who are supposed to interact with and serve the people of the galaxy. Qui Gon understood that Jedi are supposed to care and love, he would’ve given Anakin the emotional support and guidance that Anakin never received from Obi Wan and the other Jedi.
The teachings are correct in the sense that letting go of attachments is a good thing, and Buddhism in general is fantastic. However, I think the teachings of the Jedi/Buddhism have a very small blind spot. Yoda tells Anakin to let go of everything he fears to lose, which isn't bad at all, but it fails to consider the perspective of the person asking for advice. Yoda has trained his entire life of 800 years, so it'd likely been centuries since Yoda had trained himself in those ways and Anakin is only 23 ish. Another difference is that Monks aren't in a constant war, they lived in harmony with nature, which is like the opposite of Couresant, making it much harder to train spiritually. Another small thing the Jedi misunderstand is that, with training it's possible to be married while also keeping said attachments under control, which is what many monks did. The Jedi teachings are absolutely inspired by Buddhism, but are framed by the movies/series as well-meaning, but imperfect
@@TheUniversalninja love and attachment are unrelated. Jedi are allowed to have relationships, to have sex, to love - they’re just meant to let go of attachment by living entirely in the present. The truth is, they knew anakin couldn’t be helped or swayed from his attachment. They knew he couldn’t let go of the past and realized he was projecting into an unknowable and uncontrollable future. For Buddhists, this is the source of the delusion of Maya, and the root cause of suffering. The Jedi didn’t want to train him. They only did so out of obligation. The Jedi were completely right and despite him being my favorite Star Wars character aside from Kreia, Qui Gonn was the one who was wrong. And again, qui gonn projected into the future. Lived by prophecy, not in the present. So…. No, Jedi are misunderstood. People want to portray them as being flawed or having failed but if they had it their way, anakin would’ve never become Vader
@@rubicunduseratiudas1264 Do you remember WHY he wanted to be granted the title of Master? After Palpatine had told him the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise, Anakin became focused on exploring the Jedi archives for info on the Sith and how Plagueis managed to keep people from dying. Those archives were only accessible by Jedi Masters (because they did contain forbidden Sith stuff like Sith holocrons). So when Anakin found out he was being promoted to the Council, he thought he'd also become a Master and get that access. When Mace told him he wasn't gonna be a Master, for Anakin they were basically telling him "you get to sit in our boring meetings about procedure and the Republic, but you won't be able to get to the info that could save your wife's life." He wasn't spoiled, he was afraid of losing someone else he loved and emotionally spiraling out of control.
Seems fairly accurate. Though I think it's borderline by proxy. And being groomed by a cult from a young age was definitely a factor. Multi-generational cult abuse, really.
COMMON KI-ADI MUNDI L!!! Great video and underated channel :3
I have BPD. Though I'm an INFP, not ENTJ. I can identify so much with how Anakin is feeling and how hard it is to balance your emotions, the fear of abandonment, assuming things about the people around you to try to make sense of it all, the uncontrollable anger that can rush through you like fire, trauma conflicting with what you know is right yet making the wrong choice anyway. Therapy is the greatest resource. Yes, he's a fictional character but it's heartbreaking knowing he could have been helped and the one person that was able to redeem him in the end was someone that wouldn't give up on him. Thanks for this video.
Anakin never really had a chance. He was screwed either way, Jedi or Sith. He's a character I genuinely feel sorry for.
While Anakin still bears responsibility for his actions, his mental health was never nurtured or supported by the Jedi Order. If they'd genuinely cared about Anakin beyond what he represented, as "The Chosen One", perhaps he could have seen that he had better options.
Obi-Wan was barely out of childhood himself when he became Anakin's master, he wasn't equipped for the job. He relied on dogma to communicate his care, and it backfired.
@@RJTheTherapyGuy Anakin does bear responsibility for his choices, but given everything he had to deal with, I don't see how his arc could have gone any other way. The Jedi and Sith both did a serious number on him. I think his fate was sealed when Qui Gon died.
FWIW, I feel sorry for Darth Maul too.
@@RJTheTherapyGuyI think it is also important to consider that the Jedi don’t know how to deal with Anakin. You can see that with the way Yoda tried to berate Anakin. The Jedi can’t understand or generally emphasize with him.
@@RJTheTherapyGuyExactly, Anakin needed Qui Gon to help him regulate his emotions, and to show him compassion and understanding. Obi Wan was too stuck in the flawed Jedi dogma, he was too harsh and overly critical of Anakin, he didn’t listen enough, and he didn’t give Anakin an outlet for his emotions. The Jedi had lost their way a long time ago, they forgot their oaths to serve the will of force and instead became enforcers for the senate using the force to do it. The Jedi code was flawed when it came to emotions and attachments. The answer is to regulate emotions and attachments rather than not having them.
The thing is, Evil is not the opposite of Good, it is Good corrupted. You can feel righteous anger over an injustice, which isn't bad, but your feelings can either lead you towards the light or down a dark path. So many evil people are tricked into thinking they are good.
I really enjoy the characters of Darth and Anakin and their exceptionally portrayed by Hayden Christensen. I also enjoy your psychoanalysis very true and extremely exceptional.
Thank you! 😁
BPD is very treatable.
Anakin could have been helped.
His Jedi meditation would have helped him.
If Anakin were my client, I'd have validated his feelings but also emphasized good boundaries and skills for emotional control and distress tolerance. And above all else, I would have kept him *far* away from the battlefield until he'd had months worth of tangible progress.
Extreme emotional volatility and takes no personal responsibility for a lot of his actions. If only had a therapist to help with the transition from being a slave to becoming a jedi. The outcome might have been different *shrug*
Edit: Obi-Wan should have had therapy too so he could be his best self to raise Anakin. He lost his mentor/father figure and gained a child within a few days. Individual therapy for both and family therapy together. (obviously i'm a mental health therapist lol)
Good insight!
The biggest tragedy of Anakin's fall how much it is driven by circumstances outside of his control
He was born a slave, and was one until the age of nine
The first time he meets the Jedi Council they , unlike Qui-Gon who saw a boy that despite his poor circumstances still tried to do good, saw nothing but a natural fear and worry for his mother, they shame him for it as that is something forbidden by the Jedi and yet normal for everybody else and they make it clear that they don't want him, not because he is bad but because he doesn't fit in their system by things he doesn't control, and if the Jedi claim to teach emotional control him being afraid shouldn't be a problem.
Then they gave him to Obi-Wan, while trying his best he simply had no idea what to do with him, Anakin had more trauma by the age of nine then most people in the Order, add the fact that his own Master died recently and you get a traumatized 25 year old raising an traumatized 9 year old, how anybody thought that would turn out well is beyond me
Then they gave Anakin to Palpatine simply because he asked, Anakin was 13 at the time, and that didn't raise any red flags, they literally gave their Chosen One to the devil
That we have the fact that as whole the Jedi serve the Republic a fairly corrupt government by the Prequel Era, Anakin is aware of the broken system is and while a lot of people say that in his discussion with Padme he is basically foreshadowing the Empire, the fact is that Jedi are ruled by a Council of wise men, as far as i am aware they didn't get elected, so he is using the Jedi system of ruling as a basis
He was a General in a galactic scale war from 19-22 so he was really young
They gave a 14 year old to raise during said war
Then we have the hole Rekko Hardeen and Ashoka Trial situations which basically damaged his relationship with the Order beyond repair
He has visons of his mother's death and Obi-Wan tells him that it's just a dream, he telling this to someone who is a subject of a prophecy and was quite literally born of the Force
Then he has Palpatine whispering poison in his ears for a decade
He had more comraderie with the Clones then with the Jedi which is saying a lot
Then he gets visons of his wife and unborn child dying
Is Anakin responsible for his choices, yes he is, his sins are his own but he also more of a broken man being taken advantage of by the most manipulate being in the galaxy
*ANAKIN IS GONE.*
🔴♠️🔴
i think anakin is such a complex character and diving into psychology behind him was super interesting!
Complex character? No,he's just a spoiled kid.
Even though the franchise is dead, i still like star wars.
DBT is amazingly effective, if you choose to make it so - it is hard work. I was abused by a BPD girlfriend, and was suffering from undiagnosed autism (I didn't get a diagnosis for over 10 years after doing DBT). DBT is useful for anyone, in my personal, totally unbiased opinion (it helped me a lot).
Thank you! Thank you for your compassion. So many people consider Anakin Skywalker/ Darth Vader to be a complete monster . I, myself; have loved Anakin for a long time, and if I could, I would have prevented his downfall. You do not simply look at his intolerable deeds then call it a day. If I was the one whom committed those seemingly unforgivable sins ; I hope I would have someone like you to understand me.
Can you do the video on what trauma does to the limbic system
Good idea! I have another character video cooking right now, but I can see about getting that one on the schedule.
BPD is very treatable.
Anakin could have been helped.
His Jedi meditation would have helped him.
Great video and analysis. Also cheers for bringing education on BPD and DBT to the fore. That said, I respectfully submit a differential diagnosis on Anakin. TLDR: rather than BPD, Anakin has ADHD and a trauma-related Anxious Attachment Style. Hear me out. First, it's important to note that the Jedi's basic mindset and everyday practices align with DBT Skills. Practicing Mindfulness (through meditation as well as being present "in the moment" as Qui-Gon said) to remain open to the Force. Practicing Distress Tolerance (self-soothing skills, Radical Acceptance) and Emotional Regulation (enjoying the moment, reducing the frequency of experiencing emotions like anger, fear, etc, Opposite Action to counteract strong emotions) to maintain a serene, peaceful emotional state as a Jedi, because the first line of the Jedi Code is "There is no emotion, there is peace." And finally, practicing Interpersonal Effectiveness (assertive, non-aggressive communication) to enhance their role as peacekeepers, diplomats, and prevent violence unless it's a last resort. So Anakin has been steeped in the Star Wars equivalent of DBT since he was about 9 years old. Yet he continues to struggle to consistently use these skills, even years later. If he had BPD, being trained in DBT on a daily basis and surrounded by others who practiced DBT Skills for more than 10 years would theoretically have had more success in managing his symptoms. Also, it's important to realize he doesn't necessarily show the excessive de-idealization of people close to him that is characteristic of BPD when he feels some form of real or imagined abandonment. When redirected or chastised by Obi-Wan in Attack of the Clones or the Clone Wars show, he is sometimes resentful, petulant, and defiant, but he rarely blows up on Obi-Wan or goes out of his way to make Obi-Wan validate him by putting his master through the same anguish/pain he went through. He is extremely hurt/angry, justifiably so, when Obi-Wan and the Jedi Council lie to him about faking Obi-Wan's death for the sake of an undercover mission. But he doesn't seem to completely lose trust in Obi-Wan, or end their friendship, or do something extremely out of pocket like leave the Order or kill some younglings (yet, anyway). When Ashoka leaves the Jedi Order in the Clone Wars show, Anakin DOES personalize it as her abandoning him, but he doesn't try to angrily get back at her for leaving, or continue to hound her to come back on her comlink, or have a crisis/meltdown that involves drastically dangerous and/or self-destructive behavior (that we know of). When Padme and her ex-boyfriend Rush Clovis are working together, Anakin shows possessive, jealous, aggressive behavior, but we don't see many other instances of him having these extreme reactions to her, even during times where she pokes fun at him or challenges him (at one point she remarks on him having Ashoka as a Padawan, in front of Ashoka: "I still can't believe they let you teach"). He doesn't start displaying these traits more consistently until he's started falling into the Dark Side.
Could we consider using the Dark Side of the Force and committing to the ways of the Sith in line with BPD? Not really, because the Sith don't value people, they value Power. The idea of feeling the intense connection to another that people with BPD often feel would be seen as weakness by the Sith tradition, something to be violently severed. A traditional rite of passage for becoming a Sith is for the Dark Side user to kill someone they love. Not something a person with BPD is likely to willingly choose.
Let's look at how he meets criteria for ADHD. Anakin tends to really lean into being good at a narrow band of activities/skills expected of a Jedi, which are focused on things he enjoys/is passionate about. This includes flying, using his mechanical skills ("life seems so much simpler when you're fixing things"), being a tactical genius on the battlefield, and learning/using lightsaber techniques along with the more external, power-based Force abilities compared to the more spiritual, slower ones. He is almost always in some form of movement-based activity, and seems to have trouble with activities that involve being still (as Obi-Wan said, Anakin is "always on the move"). You noted his frequent impulsivity and failure to consider the consequences of his impulsive actions, even after previous times where it didn't work out or got him in trouble. He frequently runs late to Jedi meetings (usually because he's with Padme, but this is definitely poor time management/potential "time blindness"). He frequently has trouble applying lessons he's learned before (i.e., the DBT skills he's been trained on for years). If he's bored by something, it's extremely unlikely he'll ever try to care about it, even if it could help him. For instance, he spends most of his life being mentored by Palpatine, one of the most effective, manipulative politicians ever, and was married to a politician who was effective in different ways. But even years later as Vader, being savvy at politics is not something he is good at or cares about. Becoming a Jedi Master wasn't something he cared about until doing so was a way to find out more about the Sith teachings on saving people from dying for Padme. He finds doing things the way they're supposed to be done by following directions/orders boring, and is much happier finding new, creative ways to do the same task, even and especially when doing so becomes a high-risk/high-reward situation, or coming up with solutions on the fly instead of spending lots of time planning out a strategy. During the Clone Wars, he rarely leads the 501st clones from the rear, but is usually in front, not only because he cares about them, but that's where the real action is. However, if he is focused on something that he wants or involves one of his noted passions, he is totally in the zone, harnessing his immense natural connection to the Force to become amazing, unstoppable, and brilliant in what he can come up with to problem-solve. Also, while his symptoms of extreme emotional reactions usually don't reach the intensity we see in BPD, they ARE more in line with the emotional dysregulation we see in ADHD. This includes Anakin's reactions to perceived abandonment, which to me seem more like Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria responses. Emotional dysregulation is not yet an official criteria for ADHD, but it was previously a part of early conceptualizations of the disorder as far back as the 1800s, and most clinicians working with clients who have ADHD recognize it along with RSD as common symptoms of the disorder. Finally, he also displays magical thinking, in that he often seems to think all of the galaxy's problems could be solved by being the "most powerful Jedi ever!" All of these symptoms lead to significant impairment in his life as a Jedi, his ability to be an effective husband to Padme, and make for difficulties in his relationships with his master and padawan.
Finally, due to his intense childhood trauma along with the loss of his mother as a young adult, Anakin likely has an Insecure Attachment Style, and shows many criteria of Anxious Attachment. For instance, Anakin sees the boundaries he's supposed to have as a Jedi and the emotional distancing that's a part of the Jedi philosophy as threatening to his relationships, which forms his growing resentment towards the Order, and feels more stable when he can be around the people he cares about. Often, rather than meditate and center himself when he feels angry, insecure, or upset (solo regulation of his feelings), he often seeks out advice/reassurance from Palpatine, Padme, and sometimes Obi-Wan or Ashoka (seeking co-regulation of his feelings with/from others). He is very friendly with most of the clones under him, despite it sometimes appearing to blur the chain of command. The exception is when he is engaged in solo activities like flying or fixing things, but this can be attributed to his co-occurring ADHD symptoms. People with Anxious Attachment tend to desire the safety/stability of relationships, but don't think they'll get the soothing/stability they want unless they "go loud" in their efforts. This shows itself in Anakin's clinginess/refusal to let go of people or have faith they can handle their own issues (most often with Ashoka and Padme) and his willingness to be aggressive/violent as well as violate the Jedi Code to keep those people close to him or accept the risk of losing them. For example, he Force-choked Geonosian General Poggle the Lesser while Poggle was a Republic prisoner in custody to save Ashoka from trouble all the way back in season 1 of the Clone Wars, despite it being an obvious use of the Dark Side (and a war crime, but hey, in the Clone Wars that's like a regular Tuesday).
So while the Jedi Order/Council did somewhat well providing DBT Skills instruction to Anakin, they failed miserably at giving him any kind of trauma-informed care, understanding how his Insecure Attachment would prevent him from being able to follow the Jedi Code, and seeing how their strict/rigid ways would keep him from healing or developing a more healthy, Secure Attachment Style. Qui-Gon would have been a perfect master for Anakin to heal and manage his problems in a holistic, empowering way, but after he died it was left to Obi-Wan. As someone else in the comments put it, Obi-Wan went from going through a rite of passage to become an adult (completing the Jedi Trials by defeating Darth Maul) to losing his father figure and more or less "adopting" a young child with some serious trauma/mental health concerns. He had very little idea what he was doing, and although he did love Anakin, he did not have the skills to effectively "parent" Anakin in the neurodiverse-friendly way the kid needed. If you're still reading, thanks! When it involves Psychology and/or Star Wars, I tend to go on rants.
Excellent ddx! A very enjoyable read.
@@RJTheTherapyGuy Thanks so much! Please keep making these videos!
okay the joke at 5 minutes, gold
People have an extremely poor understanding of Jedi non-attachment and consider it a failing
Mind you, it’s basically just Japanese (zen) Buddhism and those guys are some of the least problematic people in the world.
If anything, the Jedi’s only failing was training anakin at all. The truth is, the failure is entirely his own
Buddhists don't have powers considered unnatural
I beg to differ, in the past the Jedi learned how to regulate emotions and attachments in a healthy way without compromising their duty to the force and their values. That way of thinking (Zen) may work with monks who don’t interact with people as much but it doesn’t work with the Jedi who are supposed to interact with and serve the people of the galaxy. Qui Gon understood that Jedi are supposed to care and love, he would’ve given Anakin the emotional support and guidance that Anakin never received from Obi Wan and the other Jedi.
@@jmwilliamsart you’re under the impression Mahayana Buddhists don’t interact with people much?
Like I said, “extremely poor understanding”
The teachings are correct in the sense that letting go of attachments is a good thing, and Buddhism in general is fantastic. However, I think the teachings of the Jedi/Buddhism have a very small blind spot. Yoda tells Anakin to let go of everything he fears to lose, which isn't bad at all, but it fails to consider the perspective of the person asking for advice. Yoda has trained his entire life of 800 years, so it'd likely been centuries since Yoda had trained himself in those ways and Anakin is only 23 ish. Another difference is that Monks aren't in a constant war, they lived in harmony with nature, which is like the opposite of Couresant, making it much harder to train spiritually. Another small thing the Jedi misunderstand is that, with training it's possible to be married while also keeping said attachments under control, which is what many monks did. The Jedi teachings are absolutely inspired by Buddhism, but are framed by the movies/series as well-meaning, but imperfect
@@TheUniversalninja love and attachment are unrelated.
Jedi are allowed to have relationships, to have sex, to love - they’re just meant to let go of attachment by living entirely in the present.
The truth is, they knew anakin couldn’t be helped or swayed from his attachment. They knew he couldn’t let go of the past and realized he was projecting into an unknowable and uncontrollable future.
For Buddhists, this is the source of the delusion of Maya, and the root cause of suffering.
The Jedi didn’t want to train him. They only did so out of obligation.
The Jedi were completely right and despite him being my favorite Star Wars character aside from Kreia, Qui Gonn was the one who was wrong. And again, qui gonn projected into the future. Lived by prophecy, not in the present.
So…. No, Jedi are misunderstood. People want to portray them as being flawed or having failed but if they had it their way, anakin would’ve never become Vader
Really good video. Please make more
Cool video!
great analysis! Continue this please for more complex characters!
Thank you! Any suggestions on who you want to see next?
@@RJTheTherapyGuy I want to see the next most tragic figure - Asajj Ventress.
Wonderful Wonderful video!
Thank you!
The Psychology of Anakin Skywalker is simple: spoiled child.
I don't know if you'd call child slavery spoiling a kid... 👀
@@RJTheTherapyGuy No, but I call grown up Anakin a spoiled child who cannot even wait a little to be named Jedi master.
@@rubicunduseratiudas1264 Do you remember WHY he wanted to be granted the title of Master? After Palpatine had told him the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise, Anakin became focused on exploring the Jedi archives for info on the Sith and how Plagueis managed to keep people from dying. Those archives were only accessible by Jedi Masters (because they did contain forbidden Sith stuff like Sith holocrons). So when Anakin found out he was being promoted to the Council, he thought he'd also become a Master and get that access. When Mace told him he wasn't gonna be a Master, for Anakin they were basically telling him "you get to sit in our boring meetings about procedure and the Republic, but you won't be able to get to the info that could save your wife's life." He wasn't spoiled, he was afraid of losing someone else he loved and emotionally spiraling out of control.
So you think you know Anakin Skywalker?
I mean, I'd like to think so! 😅
Seems fairly accurate. Though I think it's borderline by proxy.
And being groomed by a cult from a young age was definitely a factor.
Multi-generational cult abuse, really.
@@RJTheTherapyGuy You've got mail!
Whooooooot
I have BPD. My Legal name is Anakin Skywalker. Hi.
Your legal name is Anakin Skywalker? 👀