Gossip Girl Character Analysis

Gossip Girl, a television show based on Cecily von Ziegesars’ book series, follows the lives of a group of high society, privileged teenagers from the Upper East Side of Manhattan. In the series, the character Gossip Girl, is a mysterious, all-knowing blogger with a secret identity who reveals everyone’s darkest and most scandalous secrets (TV Guide). Through the use of her website and constant text message updates, all of Manhattan’s elite are subject to exposure via Gossip Girl. Regardless of how sensitive or disreputable, Gossip Girl shows no mercy for anyone, including the notable character, Chuck Bass.

Charles “Chuck” Bass, one of the show’s main characters, was born and raised in the Upper East Side. Similar to many of the characters, Chuck comes from one of New York’s most powerful and elite families. Chuck’s father, Bart Bass, was the wealthy business owner of Bass Industries, a multi-million dollar company (VANITY FAIR). From an early age, Bart told Chuck that his

mother died during childbirth, and made Chuck feel guilty for her death. Bart expressed a sense of hatred and resentment towards Chuck, forcing young Chuck to raise himself as he grew up living a luxurious lifestyle in the Palace Hotel. Chuck was consistently victimized by his father’s deceit and manipulation since his early childhood.
Having a distant relationship with his father, Chuck began engaging in risqué behavior in his early teenage years. Chuck consumed excessive amounts of both drugs and alcohol and frequented prostitutes as he attempted to escape from his own dark reality (VANITY FAIR). Looking at Chuck from an outsider’s perspective, one would assume that he had it all, that he could get whatever he wanted. He had complete control over how he lived his life, every worker in the hotel bowed to his every demand, and he attended the city’s most prestigious private school. However, throughout his entire life, he always lacked a loving, supportive family. Chuck’s father was always very hard on him. When Chuck would express an interest in taking over the Bass legacy, Bart failed to acknowledge or respect his ideas. Chuck spent his entire life trying to please his father, but that always seemed out of reach.
Chuck could never control his relationship with his father and always lacked a loving maternal figure; so instead, he attempted to control the lives of those around him. Through lies and deceit, Chuck constantly manipulated those around him in ways that only benefitted himself. When faced with conflict, Chuck would become aggressive and would attempt to sabotage anyone that stood in his way (VANITY FAIR). It was difficult for Chuck to comprehend that there were some things that money couldn’t buy. Regardless of how many prostitutes were lined outside his penthouse, none of them would ever fulfill the love and closeness that he desired. That is, until he realized his feelings for Blair.
Blair Waldorf was another of Manhattan’s most elite and privileged, her mother being one of the most recognized fashion designers. Blair had also been in a long-term relationship with Chuck’s closest and only friend, Nate Archibald. As Chuck realized his feelings for Blair, he used the weaknesses of Blair and Nate’s relationship to his own advantage (VANITY FAIR). Intentionally hurting the feelings of his best friend, eventually resulted in their break-up and Chuck got the girl he wanted. Once Chuck had Blair, he did everything he could do to keep her. This was mostly done through a physical and material sense because Chuck was unable to make himself emotionally vulnerable to another person. Chuck was always afraid to fully commit to Blair, as their relationship was on-and-off throughout the series. His relationship with his father led him to believe that he was unlovable and undeserving of trusting and loving relationships.
At one point during the series, Bart fakes his own death. While “dead,” Chuck became the owner and operator of Bass Industries, something that he had always dreamed of. Through this, Chuck acquired power and respect and had Blair at his side. He felt as if his life was finally making sense. He grew the Bass Empire as he opened another successful hotel in the city, and felt that he was doing everything in his power to honor his father’s name. It was during his father’s absence, that Chuck learned how manipulative and deceitful his father had been. He learned of all of his bribes and scandals that he committed to help benefit himself and the company. Chuck felt as if he was taking the company and transforming it into something noble and respectable. Upon his father’s return, Bart took back the company and stripping Chuck of his power within the company. Bart minimized all of Chuck’s hard work, leaving Chuck feeling worthless. It was here, where viewers saw Chuck’s demise. He had lost Blair, yet again, and had returned to his aggressive scheming as he attempted to get back what he believed was rightfully his.
It is Chuck’s egocentrism, his lack of empathy and interpersonal relationships, combined with his manipulative, deceitful, and irresponsible behaviors that make the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder applicable (AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION). Throughout the series, Chuck fails to conform to social norms and acts aggressively, occasionally finding himself seriously injured or incarcerated. On one specific occasion, he even hit Blair and shoved her to the ground during an altercation. He frequently deceived his friends and those around him to get what he wanted, and showed little remorse for others in the process. He even took on other identities as one of his many scheming tactics for the pleasure of being able to successfully manipulate others. Chuck views his wealth as the solution when confronted with obstacles, providing him with a false-sense of security. It is crucial to address Chuck’s disorder and there are several therapeutic approaches that attempt to alter antisocial behaviors.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one treatment approach that has demonstrated positive results when working with individuals with antisocial personality disorder (Kazdin, Bass, Siegel & Thomas, 1989; Rosenblum et al., 2005).

Because Chuck has had several troublesome relationships in his past, in order for treatment to be successful, it is crucial the he develops a trusting relationship with his therapist. Kazdin, Marciano and Whitley (2005) acknowledge that a strong therapeutic alliance is a central component of CBT. Being able to reduce perceived barriers going into treatment can enhance the treatment experience, and can result in more positive outcomes for clients. For Chuck, the relationship he has with his therapist will be a major factor in how he will respond to treatment. Chuck has already made himself vulnerable by going to therapy and he needs to be in a supportive and positive environment so that he is able to realize that he is capable of building trustworthy

relationships.
CBT focuses on helping clients identify and modify their distorted cognitions (Hubert et al., 2015). Being able to identify the client’s faulty interpretations allows for them to be corrected and replaced with more realistic and rational interpretations. The therapist and the client work together to identify the client’s dysfunctional cognitions through a variety of treatment techniques (CITE). With Chuck, CBT will allow him to become aware of his negative thinking patterns and will help him learn how to respond to a challenging situation in a more effective and responsible way.
Initially, the therapist should allow Chuck to lead and determine how much information he feels confortable talking about. Approaching Chuck in this manner will allow him to feel more comfortable and allow him to feel as if he has control over the situation. The therapist will then gather information about Chuck’s current and past emotional and physical histories to help them understand Chuck’s situation. It may take a few sessions for the therapist to gather the information, however, the first priority is having Chuck feel comfortable confiding in someone. Together, Chuck and his therapist will use a goal-oriented approach to determine what it is that Chuck seeks to accomplish through treatment.
Crooks, Goodall, Hughes, Jaffe and Baker (2007) acknowledge that males portraying antisocial and violent behavior often have difficulty identifying a large end goal. Instead, the CBT framework highlights the importance of identifying small goals that contribute to a larger outcome. For Chuck, one small goal may be that he wants to have a healthy relationship with Blair. Together with the therapist, the two can work together to help Chuck see outside of himself, minimizing his egocentric ways and allow him to develop a more stable relationship with Blair. Allowing Chuck to see the errors in his prior ways of thinking and will help him develop a sense of remorse for others. When setting small goals, it is important that Chuck is able to communicate his feelings and work through challenges in an appropriate, healthy way.
Throughout Chuck’s life, he has always seen his father as a powerful man that has always been in control. According to social learning theory, people are more likely to exhibit behaviors that are positively reinforced (Crooks et al., 2007). Bart’s actions may have provided Chuck with a false-interpretation of what masculinity is and may have been a factor in terms of how Chuck treated both Blair and prostitutes Chuck saw how his father achieved power and success through his own manipulative actions and therefore, influences how Chuck behaved. In order to be a successful, respectable business leader, it is important that Chuck alters his perceptions of power and control as well as his concepts of gender roles. Many males find it especially difficult to alter their perception of masculinity (Crooks et al., 2007). One approach may be to increase Chuck’s awareness of gender issues and challenge his beliefs.
Developing a healthy relationship with Blair and becoming a successful business leader are two external motivators that can be used to help Chuck identify his maladaptive thinking patterns. In order to help Chuck identify and confront his own core beliefs, it would be helpful for therapist to give Chuck homework assignments. This would also allow for a sense of structure during therapy. Requiring Chuck to keep a diary or journal of conflicts and how he handled them, would help both Chuck and the therapist identify his negative thoughts and work together to find alternative ways for Chuck to react.
Role-playing is another effective technique that a therapist can use when working with personality disorders (Treadwell, Kumar & Wright, 2002). Having Chuck react in challenging situations is another way to enhance self-reflection and develop problem-solving skills. Role-playing would allow Chuck to both confront his faulty perceptions and practice alternative ways to react when confronted with obstacle rather than resorting to scheming and manipulation.
It is clear that Chuck has lacked a strong support network throughout his past, however, CBT provides hope that Chuck will be able to develop strong interpersonal relationships while also becoming a respectable business leader. It is crucial that Chuck is able to modify his faulty perceptions and develop appropriate ways to react when faced with consequences. Through a strong therapeutic alliance, Chuck will be able to realize that he is capable of developing a trustworthy relationship with a therapist and will learn how to develop a strong, healthy relationship with Blair. Although Chuck has lacked a respectable role model through his father, through CBT, Chuck will be able to alter his maladaptive thoughts and his newly acquired perceptions will help him become successful and powerful without the use of manipulation and scheming to do so.