Running With Scissors Psychology

In this paper I analyze a character’s mental disorder from the film Running With Scissors. This character is named Deirdre Burroughs. Deirdre suffers from narcissistic personality disorder. The paper touches on various symptoms that Deirdre displays because of her disorder. Also, I provide two ethological theories that I believe may have caused Deirdre to develop narcissistic personality disorder. I was able to find evidence from the Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach to support my theories. I was also able to obtain further information from an article that discusses on the disorder. Lastly, this paper provides a negative message that the film has on narcissistic personality disorder.

Have you ever come a cross an individual

and your first impression you got from them was that they are self-absorbed? In some cases, people do not realize that this behavior is attribute to narcissistic personality disorder. “A person with narcissistic personality disorder thinks highly of themselves beyond their real abilities. They consider themselves somehow different from others and deserving of special treatment” (Barlow, Durand 472). Running with Scissors is a film that touches on the psychological disorders of individual characters. The film demonstrates the life of Deirdre Burroughs. Deirdre is the mother of Augusten and the wife of Norman Burroughs. Deirdre is a middle-aged woman with an alcoholic and abusive husband. Throughout the movie, Deirdre displays behavior that represents narcissistic personality disorder. I believe her upbringing could play a role in her mental disorder.
To begin with, a loving mother usually puts her children before them. Except for Deirdre in which that was not the case. In Running with Scissors, Deirdre appears to be suffering from narcissistic personality disorder. For example, there are times that she did not send her son to school because he did not want to. She blatantly did not care about her child’s education. Deirdre would let him stay home without thinking how it would affect him in the long run. Deirdre was too busy writing her poetry and not playing her role as a mother. Another example is when she brags about her ability to write poetry and at the same time puts people from her poetry club down with her harsh criticism. In the scene where Fern, a member of Deirdre’s poetry club, is reading a poem she wrote to everyone, she asks Deirdre on her thoughts about the poem. She responds by telling her the poem is “shit” and “sentimental” ( Murphy, 2006).
Deirdre’s narcissistic disorder is also displayed in her marriage with Norman. For example, in the scene when Norman gets home late from work, Deirdre lashes out and accuses him of trying to sabotage her because she was supposed to be at her book signing. Norman was in the process of explaining his tardiness but she ignores him and calls him a liar. Deirdre did not bother asking him if everything was all right. As I see it, Deirdre’s disorder does not let her have compassion for others. Also, her marriage was collapsing and she undoubtedly believed it was Normans fault. It was evident that Deirdre could not see her own wrong doings. Deirdre did not fulfill her role as a mother nor as a wife. She did not cook, clean, or even take any interest in her son’s life. Deirdre’s focus was only towards her writing and her aspiration to be famous.
Furthermore, Deirdre’s obsession with becoming famous has taken control of her life. According to the abnormal psychology book, people who suffer from narcissistic personality disorder have a need for admiration (443). In the film, Deirdre had told Agusten as a child that she was meant to be a famous woman. Fast forward years later and she still believes she will be successful in writing. Deirdre is oblivious when she is at her book signing. Only one person was present in the audience. It was obvious that she had yet to establish a real following in her writing. Augusten revealed that she paid to get her book published. Even after her numerous rejection letters, and writing setbacks, Deirdre never faced reality.
The film does an excellent job of providing evidence to support how Deirdre has narcissistic personality disorder but what could be the causes?

As stated in the textbook, when we are infants, we are subject to our surroundings, thusly, we are born demanding. During this time, it is a parent’s responsibility to teach their child empathy and selflessness (466). As stated in It’s All about All of Us “narcissistic personality disorder is caused by early childhood trauma”. This article states the different types of traumas that could have caused a person to become narcissistic. For example, sexual, physical, or emotional abuse are causes to narcissistic personality disorder. According to the article these horrible experiences at a young age can cause children to feel shame, emptiness and sled-blame, which cause a desire to seek attention, admiration and external validation. In the film, Deirdre tells Augusten that she can’t imagine what her mother would say if she was to see her poem published in The New York Times but that she could not let her mother’s opinion stop her. I believe that Deirdre faced harsh criticism as a child from her mother. Deirdre repeatedly says throughout the film how she’s been oppressed all her life and that her mother is a contributor to her oppression. Another probable cause for Deirdre developing narcissistic personality disorder is that she could have been sexually abused. Deirdre’s hate towards men could stem from being sexually abused. In running

with scissors, Deirdre open up to her psychiatrist about how she does not enjoy having sex with her husband and that she has thoughts of suicide after they’re finished. Later on, Deirdre is romantically involved with two different women, Fern and Dorothy.
Running with scissors provides insight on how a person with narcissistic personality disorder can function, however, it is a film, which means characters, or situations can be over dramatized.

With that being said, narcissistic personality disorder is negatively portrayed. For example, the film makes it seem that people who suffer from narcissistic personality disorder are dangerous people who cannot be treated. In reality, people with this disorder can seek real therapy. Deirdre’s psychiatrist only made her worse by encouraging her behavior and giving her random medication. According to the textbook, therapy for people with narcissistic personality disorder focuses on the individual’s grandiosity, their hypersensitivity to evaluation, and their lack of empathy towards others. Relaxation training is also used to help people with this disorder cope with criticism. In my opinion, I was not able to view any positive message from the film because it only demonstrates how people with Narcissistic personality disorder have their lives falling

apart.
In conclusion, after watching the film and conducting further research, I have learned that people with narcissistic personality disorder do not only hurt themselves but their loved ones. Due to her disorder, Deirdre did a lot of damage to her son’s life. Augusten was not raised like a normal child and in the long run it affected it him immensely. Augusten’s life could have had a different outcome if his mom would have put him first. Deirdre’s marriage was also affected by her narcissistic disorder. Deirdre always blamed her husband for their marriage falling apart and never took responsibility for her own mistakes. Lastly she hurt self by not moving forward and accepting she was not the best writer.