Darth Vader: So tell me about your mother…

You would be hard pressed to find anyone in this galaxy not familiar with the movie saga turned empire that is Star Wars. These two trilogies (not going to start the which is better argument, because I really don’t care) have permeated into modern society that even children are familiar with phrases like “use the force” and “Luke, I am your father” before ever laying eyes on the films. This film saga also gave birth to iconic characters like Chewbacca, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Obi Wan, R2D2, (Luke Skywalker was a whiny punk so exclude him), but none held a candle to perhaps the most iconic movie villain of all time, Darth Vader.

Commander of the Galatic Empire’s military forces, he was a no-nonsense, ruthless warrior, but did he get hugs from his mother? Apparently, Darth Vader’s diagnosis has been a point of debate within the mental health community for quite some time, for me further evidence of the impact Star Wars has had on the world. French researchers have just declared that Vader suffered from borderline personality disorder. Now to me this just sounds like psychologist speak for crazy, but borderline personality disorder is defined as:

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a personality disorder defined in DSM-IV and described as a prolonged disturbance of personality function in a person (generally over the age of eighteen years, although it is also found in adolescents), characterized by depth and variability of moods. The disorder typically involves unusual levels of instability in mood; black and white thinking, or splitting; chaotic and unstable interpersonal relationships, self-image, identity, and behavior; as well as a disturbance in the individual’s sense of self. In extreme cases, this disturbance in the sense of self can lead to periods of dissociation.  Wikipeida

I still believe I just read the definition of emo, but these french researchers are adamant that Vader suffers from 6 out of 9 diagnosing criteria.  Other psychologists point to the fact that Anakin (the young Vader) suffered from being separated from his mother at such a young age and never having known his father.  This debate still rages on with a variety of opinions.  Regardless of your take on this you can now watch Star Wars and claim its a documentary on the progression into borderline personality disorder from adolescence to adulthood.  If that doesn’t fly you can just say its a hell of a lot more entertaining than Sybil.

Don’t believe this to be true? I was hoping it wasn’t, but sadly it is.  What is Darth Vader’s diagnosis? Well at least he can dance.

Thriller

Can’t Touch This

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