Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn returns to the
big screen in DC's Birds of Prey, after she
impressed in 2016's Suicide Squad as one of
the standout characters.
In this video, I wanted to focus on some of
Harley Quinn's psychological character traits,
and specifically what we can take away from
them to help us lead more enriching lives.
I'm not using her as an example to follow
as I normally do with characters or people
I cover on the channel, but rather taking
elements from each trait to better understand
what we can apply in our lives based on that
specific area.
I will be discussing some mental health issues
and don't want to make light of them, so if
you do suffer from any mental health issues,
I can't recommend enough that you take necessary
action to help you cope with them.
It is a serious issue and while this video
focuses on a fictional character, it is something
many of us struggle with in our day to day
lives.
Right, for those wondering who Harley Quinn
is, she's a villain from the Batman universe
who first appeared in Batman: The Animated
Series back in September 1992.
She's gone on to become one of the most popular
characters in the DC library, which has lead
to her prominence on the big screen today.
The character started out as Dr Harleen Frances
Quinzel, a psychologist in Arkham Asylum who
fell in love with the Joker while she was
treating him.
This lead her to becoming his accomplice when
escaping from the asylum.
Eventually, she chose to don a court jester
outfit as she takes on the role of Harley
Quinn, Joker's greatest and most loyal ally,
in what is an abusive relationship that she's
in denial about.
This makes her a particularly interesting
character, as she delves into psychological
character traits such as...
Histrionic Personality Disorder
Quite possibly the most evident mental health
issue that Harley struggles with is Histrionic
Personality Disorder, whereby the individual
is often seen to be seeking attention, often
through some very telltale signs.
This can range from overtly seductive behaviour,
wearing highly provocative clothing, seeking
to be the center of attention, being impressionable,
or even gullible, and misunderstanding the
intimacy of social relationships.
Simply put, this describes Harley in a nutshell,
especially when you consider her relationship
to the Joker, one which he often takes advantage
of while showing some of his darkest character
traits, being both emotionally and potentially
even physically abusive.
Now while most of us won't suffer from this
in our own lives, we can learn a little about
how to avoid behaviour that might share some
similarities.
While histrionic personality disorder can
be difficult for therapists to treat, they
often do so by identifying the sources of
a patient's insecurities and working on which
priorities they need to focus on in life.
That's a pretty short summary of possible
treatment of what is a challenging psychological
condition, but you can take an important lesson
from this, which is that we often exhibit
extraversian behaviours to mask personal insecurities.
If this is the case, then we need to learn
to identify these and consider how to deal
with them, learning techniques to help us
develop a greater sense of self worth.
By doing this, we can make progression towards
a more satisfying life that's less likely
to impact our relationships with others.
Psychological Threats
Harley Quinn is incredibly smart, and it's
something that many casual fans underestimate
about her given her relationship to the Joker,
as well as her general behaviour or demeanor.
Having a history as a psychologist means she
understands the psyche of those she encounters
in life, being able to use this to be extremely
destructive if she wishes to do so, elements
of which are often seen as she is characterised
as playing psychological games when in conflict,
and sometimes even friendly situations, with
other characters.
So assuming most of you don't intend try and
harm people psychologically, how can this
be something that you can utilise in your
own life?
Well, the thing is it's useful to try and
develop an understanding about psychology
and how we think as individuals in life, as
this can go a long way in understanding our
behaviour, or the behaviour of those around
us.
The benefits of doing so helps us better understand
how and why people react the way they do,
and what we can do in those circumstances
to help deal with situations in a way that's
productive and beneficial, rather than destructive
as Harley would do.
Manipulation
In part related to the point made about psychology
previously, Harley uses her knowledge and
skill to often manipulate people, usually
those who are in conflict with her and the
Joker, but also those she's in collusion with,
including the Joker himself.
This allows her to control situations in a
masterful way, which is incredibly useful
and important for her, as she's rarely facing
off against opponents weaker than her.
The fact is it's not really difficult to understand
that manipulating people in life isn't a value
many people want to be known for.
However, that doesn't mean it's to be completely
ignored either.
You see there are times in life where such
knowledge and skills are not only needed,
but of vital importance, just that they're
known in different ways, such as being persuasive.
It may not seem attractive, but these skills
are necessary, as you need to try and apply
them, at least to an acceptable degree, in
situations such as when interviewing for a
job or when trying to make a sale.
The fact is, while I don't recommend manipulation,
I do recommend understanding techniques that
help you get ahead in life in a way that's
not to the detriment of others.
Actually, I don't think it's just recommended,
but absolutely necessary.
Environmental Effects
Simply put, it's because of the Joker that
Harleen Quinzel became Harley Quinn, from
someone who was a promising therapist to becoming
one of the most iconic villains in the DC
pantheon.
And this is a key lesson to take away with
you, your environment influences who you are
as an individual.
In the case of Harley Quinn, she was susceptible
to the influence of her patients, meaning
she placed herself in an environment that
she wasn't ready to cope with.
This is critical to understand in your life,
who you spend time with and where you are
is going to influence you and who you are.
So take precaution and be careful about the
environment you spend time in.
Try, where possible, to make it as positive
as possible and one which will help your growth
and development in life, as it's vital to
your wellbeing and potential future success.
Need For Focus
It's fair to say that Harley Quinn exhibits
traits of a sufferer of Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder, better known as ADHD.
She shows this in her interpersonal relationships,
where she's often inattentive and impulsive.
The one question I'd have in Harley's case
is whether she actually has ADHD, or whether
the symptoms she shows are actually more about
the previous personality traits where she
uses them for personal advantage.
If we go with the assumption that it she is
hyper and actually unable to focus, this is
something many of us face today, especially
with the stimulation we get in our day to
day lives.
Obviously, we don't all suffer from ADHD,
but it's easy to get distracted and not maintain
focus, instead giving in to impulses for immediate
gratification from distractions around us.
Here, I'd say to avoid the pitfalls Harley
often seemingly falls in and develop the skills
to maintain concentration and focus, as doing
so will take you a long way in life, especially
in the modern world.
Are you a fan of Harley Quinn and planning
to watch her in Birds of Prey?
Let me know in the comments.
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