Is Starlight Glimmer bipolar?

[pnylvr 185]

If she is, a switch from mania to depression at the end of TCRM would be a good explanation for why she decided to stop being evil in the course of a conversation, as well as her personality changes post-reformation.

[The_Gobo 36,257]

Pretty sure she doesn't fit enough of the symptoms to be bipolar...

[cmarston1 5,959]

I don't really think her character would be a good representation of Bipolar people.

[Kaneki 1,073]

Pretty sure she doesn't fit enough of the symptoms to be bipolar...

 

That could be the case, but I wonder if there's enough to be considered mildly bipolar.

 

I dunno, I suck at medical stuff on that end.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,730]

Not bipolar, but probably lacking self confidences at times. Having extreme doubt in oneself can cause outbursts of anger if the conditions are there for it. Starlight seems like the type to suffer from hardcore self-doubt, as we have seen.

[Prospekt 11,020]

Ehhh... I wouldn't say Starlight is bipolar. More like she has a troubled past. The extreme mood swing actually seemed fairly appropriate for the situation anyway.

[TBD 17,256]

I think she just a antisocial type. 

[Jeric 46,860]

That could be the case, but I wonder if there's enough to be considered mildly bipolar.

 

I dunno, I suck at medical stuff on that end.

No, you have to meet a specific number of the symptoms without a reasonable immediate explanation. The symptoms must be pervasive and recurring, and in general they must present a barrier to living life normally and acclimating to society and social norms (a definitive test of almost all personality disorders). Unless you pass that threshold you don't have it, mild or otherwise. Personality disorders are not a flu.

 

She doesn't have BPPD or BPDPD.

[Aurora Glimmer 494]

If I were diagnosing Starlight Glimmer based off her behavior in The Cutie Map alone, I'd lean more towards Narcissistic Personality Disorder than Bipolar Disorder. According to the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, individuals with NPD exhibit most or all of the following symptoms:

 

1. Grandiosity with expectations of superior treatment from others
2. Fixated on fantasies of power, success, intelligence, attractiveness, etc.
3. Self-perception of being unique, superior and associated with high-status people and institutions
4. Needing constant admiration from others
5. Sense of entitlement to special treatment and to obedience from others
6. Exploitative of others to achieve personal gain
7. Unwilling to empathize with others' feelings, wishes, or needs
8. Intensely envious of others and the belief that others are equally envious of them
9. Pompous and arrogant demeanor

 

Starlight also exhibited a number of these symptoms in The Cutie Re-Mark, but I think definitively diagnosing Starlight Glimmer with any sort of psychological illness or personality disorder is a fools errand in light of the substantial differences in personality between pre-reformation and post-reformation Starlight Glimmer.

Edited February 24, 2017 by Aurora Glimmer

[man dude man 555]

I believe Starlight experiences anxiety and or other stress disorders and I know her feeling I believe. You see this in No Second Prances, You see this to Where and Back Again, you see this theme with Starlight time and time again. She gets overwhelmed by responsibilities, outcomes, and pretty much any leadership or independent responsibility she is given socially. She is an organizer, and a team leader, anxiety actually helps those who may be destined for a managing position believe this or not, these people just need the balance of being able to fast ball a solution and trying to fast ball it so fast that they become overwhelmed with the task at hand. Starlight is great, I do not believe she is some narcissist, and when she was holding the town from their cutie marks she just hadnt understood, from her perspective cutie marks destroy friendships, and for her already have.... I dont even believe until her total vengence she had peaked villain levels. She did lie to the town without a second thought and hid her powers and resources from them, but she has come a VERY LONG way. I think Starlight just has to "STOP STRESSING!" haha you know

[Cleverclover 1,526]

 

 

Starlight also exhibited a number of these symptoms in The Cutie Re-Mark, but I think definitively diagnosing Starlight Glimmer with any sort of psychological illness or personality disorder is a fools errand in light of the substantial differences in personality between pre-reformation and post-reformation Starlight Glimmer.

 

 

She still has plenty of those symptoms post-reformation, though. 

[Goat-kun 2,528]

I see we're in the third stage of woobie fan denial. From left to right: smugness, dindu nuffin, plead insanity, badmouth the competition, choose another woobie.

[man dude man 555]

I see we're in the third stage of woobie fan denial. From left to right: smugness, dindu nuffin, plead insanity, badmouth the competition, choose another woobie.

I cant decipher this, I am not sure what you are attempting to say?

[Jeric 46,860]

If I were diagnosing Starlight Glimmer based off her behavior in The Cutie Map alone, I'd lean more towards Narcissistic Personality Disorder than Bipolar Disorder. According to the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, individuals with NPD exhibit most or all of the following symptoms:

 

• Grandiosity with expectations of superior treatment from others
• Fixated on fantasies of power, success, intelligence, attractiveness, etc.
• Self-perception of being unique, superior and associated with high-status people and institutions
• Needing constant admiration from others
• Sense of entitlement to special treatment and to obedience from others
• Exploitative of others to achieve personal gain
• Unwilling to empathize with others' feelings, wishes, or needs
• Intensely envious of others and the belief that others are equally envious of them
• Pompous and arrogant demeanor

Starlight also exhibited a number of these symptoms in The Cutie Re-Mark, but I think definitively diagnosing Starlight Glimmer with any sort of psychological illness or personality disorder is a fools errand in light of the substantial differences in personality between pre-reformation and post-reformation Starlight Glimmer.

 

Good points and much closer to what weve seen in Season Five. Curiously, while a NPD Dx is possible, her rather passive Tx and quick turnaround would be an indication that it wasn't pervasive enough to be a genuine cluster disorder, but it is definitely a hell of a lot closer and fits better than either Bipolar or Bipolar Depression. Then again, Friendship tends to be a legit Tx for ponies, so who knows.

 

People with legitimate NPD are rare, though the number of candidates are much higher.

[Aurora Glimmer 494]

She still has plenty of those symptoms post-reformation, though. 

Any particular examples you wish to share?

 

Good points and much closer to what weve seen in Season Five. Curiously, while a NPD Dx is possible, her rather passive Tx and quick turnaround would be an indication that it wasn't pervasive enough to be a genuine cluster disorder, but it is definitely a hell of a lot closer and fits better than either Bipolar or Bipolar Depression. Then again, Friendship tends to be a legit Tx for ponies, so who knows.

 

People with legitimate NPD are rare, though the number of candidates are much higher.

 

This is why I think definitively diagnosing Starlight Glimmer with any sort of personality disorder or psychological illness is difficult, if not impossible. It's also one of the reasons I think Discord's reformation was handled better than Starlight's: sometimes it feels as though post-reformation Starlight and pre-reformation Starlight are entirely different characters, whereas Discord's post-reformation character seems consistent with pre-reformation Discord.

Edited February 24, 2017 by Aurora Glimmer

[Goat-kun 2,528]

I cant decipher this, I am not sure what you are attempting to say?

Behold! The pony zero!

Luna fans, stage one: Look at my horse, my horse is amazing!

Luna fans, stage two: What are you saying?! Luna dindu nuffin! She a good princess!

Luna fans, stage three: Well, she only did it because she has insert mental illness.

Luna fans, stage four: IT'S ALL CELESTIA'S FAULT!!!

Luna fans, stage five: Excuse me, sir. Do you have a moment to talk about our waifu and best pony Sunset Shimmer?

[man dude man 555]

Behold! The pony zero!

Luna fans, stage one: Look at my horse, my horse is amazing!

Luna fans, stage two: What are you saying?! Luna dindu nuffin! She a good princess!

Luna fans, stage three: Well, she only did it because she has insert mental illness.

Luna fans, stage four: IT'S ALL CELESTIA'S FAULT!!!

Luna fans, stage five: Excuse me, sir. Do you have a moment to talk about our waifu and best pony Sunset Shimmer?

I never said that Starlight was completely innocent, nor that she didnt do anything wrong, I am just saying you are measuring two COMPLETELY different characters if you think comparing season 5 Starlight to season 6. As far as the introduction to her character, I mean, really think about it, she thought she was righteous in what she was doing. Really was this just second nature to being hurt and friendless? Or did she have some malicious cruel intent to hurt ponies and take things from them. She kept shit from them, and she tried to run off after lying, she was by no means innocent. But she does have problems with stress and anxiety, it seems evident, and it seems like s6 is her coping with this while also learning how to create genuine friendships.

[Goat-kun 2,528]

I never said that Starlight was completely innocent, nor that she didnt do anything wrong, I am just saying you are measuring two COMPLETELY different characters if you think comparing season 5 Starlight to season 6. As far as the introduction to her character, I mean, really think about it, she thought she was righteous in what she was doing. Really was this just second nature to being hurt and friendless? Or did she have some malicious cruel intent to hurt ponies and take things from them. She kept shit from them, and she tried to run off after lying, she was by no means innocent. But she does have problems with stress and anxiety, it seems evident, and it seems like s6 is her coping with this while also learning how to create genuine friendships.

And why should any cartoon watcher care about this? Does a reasonable explanation automatically make a story good? Or a character? No, no it doesn't.

 

You can play doctors all you want, however, I do hope you won't go ahead and use this in arguments for Starlight. That would be quite an unfortunate demonstration of shortsightedness.

[They call me Loyalty 1,948]

Emotional trauma often causes excessive thought process, in order to prevent the repetition of said subconscious conflict, which results in a fabricated personality.

A mentally conflicted ego.

While pinkie pie does show bipolar symptoms, but only the manic side most of the time.

[man dude man 555]

And why should any cartoon watcher care about this? Does a reasonable explanation automatically make a story good? Or a character? No, no it doesn't.

 

You can play doctors all you want, however, I do hope you won't go ahead and use this in arguments for Starlight. That would be quite an unfortunate demonstration of shortsightedness.

No? nobody ever said it automatically made a story good? Second the only one here with short sightedness is you, if you think that people are just supposed to wallow about how bad someone was forever while the person is making an honest effort  to better themselves, why dont you start from the beginning of the show and start some play back? This isnt about playing doctor, its about respecting a well developed character in an animation I like and just trying to not be so short sighted and maybe understand what we know about their past, the things they have been through, and their perspective, and applying that to their actions, and realy trying to decide where they screwed up, and where they made developments.

[Violet_S 785]

I wouldnt say she's bipolar ...more like an emotionally troubled mare maybe? She did have a pretty sad past so she was just asking for help in a very weird way, I like to believe that deep down she knew that what she was doing was wrong and that at one point she was going to be stopped. For me, that explains a few things... of course, I could be wrong 0.0 

[Shadowtune 22]

I don't think Bipolar is an adequate descriptor of Starlight. I agree quite a bit with what others have already stated about her experience with emotional trauma. She may have a bit of a superiority complex that she uses as a defense mechanism for low self-esteem, and for anxiety when it comes to under performing. Pre-reformation Starlight was so obsessed with equality, seeing this as the answer to her fears of inferiority. Like Syndrome from The Incredibles, if everyone is super, no one is. 

 

Then, once Twilight started to teach Starlight to value others for what was different instead of what was alike, we notice her social skills aren't as smooth as her skills in magic. So at the very most (if we're diagnosing this character,) I'd say a bit of anxiety and antisocial behavior. But not a concrete disorder like bipolar. 

[Goat-kun 2,528]

No? nobody ever said it automatically made a story good? Second the only one here with short sightedness is you, if you think that people are just supposed to wallow about how bad someone was forever while the person is making an honest effort  to better themselves, why dont you start from the beginning of the show and start some play back? This isnt about playing doctor, its about respecting a well developed character in an animation I like and just trying to not be so short sighted and maybe understand what we know about their past, the things they have been through, and their perspective, and applying that to their actions, and realy trying to decide where they screwed up, and where they made developments.

It's not how bad someone was, it's not how bad someone is, of course, we're talking about bad = villainous. It's about how bad someone was/is as a badly constructed character who fails to stand on its own, fills a niche that doesn't exist, and can only perform humorous acts and heroism at the cost of other characters.

 

Once the general sentiment sinks in your waifu will be devoured by oblivion and substituted by somepony else with a tragic past and villainous predisposition. Hopefully, they will also be a better character that won't need quack shrinks like you to justify their existence.

[man dude man 555]

It's not how bad someone was, it's not how bad someone is, of course, we're talking about bad = villainous. It's about how bad someone was/is as a badly constructed character who fails to stand on its own, fills a niche that doesn't exist, and can only perform humorous acts and heroism at the cost of other characters.

 

Once the general sentiment sinks in your waifu will be devoured by oblivion and substituted by somepony else with a tragic past and villainous predisposition. Hopefully, they will also be a better character that won't need quack shrinks like you to justify their existence.

I think you are being bordeline to hostile to be on these forums, jbh, I mean, I am not going to complain because someone has some sour grapes because a pony they didnt like is now along for the "meta story" haha. She isnt going anywhere, most love her, and they recognize the individuality of her character. As far as being a "quack shrink" I mean, probably, definitley not my in my list of skills in talents, but I believe I am deductive enough to point of personal character quirks. Here is the deal I am not "justifying" her characters existence, that does itself. She plugged right into the sixth season, and she was awesome as a return antagonist, Starlight glimmer is just a good character, I am sorry you do not see it this way.

[Goat-kun 2,528]

I think you are being bordeline to hostile to be on these forums, jbh, I mean, I am not going to complain because someone has some sour grapes because a pony they didnt like is now along for the "meta story" haha. She isnt going anywhere, most love her, and they recognize the individuality of her character. As far as being a "quack shrink" I mean, probably, definitley not my in my list of skills in talents, but I believe I am deductive enough to point of personal character quirks. Here is the deal I am not "justifying" her characters existence, that does itself. She plugged right into the sixth season, and she was awesome as a return antagonist, Starlight glimmer is just a good character, I am sorry you do not see it this way.

Oh, don't mind the menace. Many characters get plugged, many get unplugged. This is the never-ending circle. The important part is the separation of wheat from the chaff. Some shows do it by grace of talent, others by grace of trial and error. MLP is in the latter category. Then again, Starlight is more of a symptom that goes away once you fix the primary problem.