Interdisciplinary Studies in Media and Culture

Psychological analysis of the representation of personality disorders in cinema: A Systematic review

Document Type : .

Authors

Seyfollah Aghajani 1
sima Rasouli 2

1 2. Prof, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Mohaghegh Ardabili University, Ardabil, Iran

2 Ph.D. Student, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Mohaghegh Ardabili University, Ardabil, Iran

10.30465/ismc.2025.52583.2975
Abstract
Introduction
Cinema, as a key medium of mass communication, not only depicts social and cultural realities but also offers a powerful space for exploring psychological conflicts, human anxieties, and the complexities of everyday experience. Through its dramatic structures—built upon tension, contradiction, and character struggle—film provides a unique opportunity to visualize internal states and recreate lived experiences. This capacity has made cinema an effective tool for analyzing the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions of characters, and for understanding the deeper layers of human psychology. Psychology, in turn, provides theoretical and clinical frameworks—such as the DSM-5 classification of personality disorders—that help explain maladaptive patterns of thinking, feeling, and behavior and offer a structured approach to identifying personality pathology.
Recent therapeutic approaches, including cinema therapy and film therapy, highlight the psychological potential of film by emphasizing its role in fostering self-awareness, emotional regulation, and reflective engagement. Through identification with characters and observation of narrative crises, viewers can better recognize their own emotional conflicts and behavioral tendencies, making cinema a valuable medium for both therapeutic and educational purposes. Despite this significance, research on the portrayal of personality disorders in cinema remains limited and uneven. Many studies rely on descriptive or interpretive analyses without grounding their evaluations in established clinical criteria such as the DSM-5. Consequently, the existing body of literature lacks theoretical coherence, methodological rigor, and systematic comparability—issues that are particularly evident in Persian-language scholarship.
To address these shortcomings, the present study conducts a systematic review of cinematic representations of personality disorders, using the DSM-5 framework as its analytical foundation. By integrating clinical concepts with cinematic analysis, the study seeks to offer a more comprehensive and scientifically grounded understanding of how personality disorders are portrayed in film. Ultimately, this work aims to bridge the gap between psychology and film studies and to contribute to the development of more rigorous interdisciplinary research in this field.
Materials & Methods
This study conducted a systematic review of research on personality disorders in cinema, using keywords such as personality disorders, psychological representation, film psychology, and cinema and character. It included national studies from 2016 to 2025 and international studies from 2009 to 2025, searched across major national and international databases. Following PRISMA guidelines, 68 studies were initially identified; after removing duplicates, inaccessible texts, and studies with thematic overlap or focus on other disorders, 22 studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed
Discussion & Result
Findings indicate that cinematic portrayals, especially in feature films, go beyond entertainment to provide a nuanced platform for psychological reflection. Through narrative techniques, acting, and visual elements, films can depict complex psychological structures in alignment with clinical criteria. Representations across clusters A, B, and C reveal different dimensions of psychopathology shaped by cultural, social, and historical contexts.
In cluster A, studies of films such as The Remains of the Day and Lars and the Real Girl show how schizoid traits—emotional detachment, social withdrawal, and fear of contact—can be rendered in clinically accurate yet empathetic ways. Schizotypal characters, exemplified by Kabir in Kabir Singh or Riley in Inside Out, highlight magical thinking, interpersonal sensitivity, and detachment from reality, illustrating the tension between personal suffering and social interaction.
Cluster B disorders—including antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic personalities—are frequently represented due to their dramatic potential. Analyses of characters such as Mavis (Young Adult), Kevin (Split), Joker, and Patrick Bateman reveal that while these portrayals often meet diagnostic criteria, narrative exaggeration and romanticization can blur the line between clinical reality and cinematic dramatization, sometimes conflating pathology with charisma.
Cluster C representations focus on internalized anxiety rather than external dramatization. Characters like Bob Wiley (What About Bob?) and those with avoidant traits illustrate chronic fear of rejection, social hesitation, and pervasive insecurity. Films use inner monologues, close-ups, body language, pacing, and silence to translate these internal experiences to the audience, fostering empathy and psychological understanding.
Despite these insights, domestic research on cinematic personality disorders remains limited, and international studies tend to focus on cluster B disorders. Other types, such as paranoid, schizotypal, and avoidant disorders, are underrepresented. This highlights a significant theoretical gap in interdisciplinary psychology and film studies and underscores the need for systematic, clinically grounded frameworks—such as DSM-5—to analyze cinematic characters comprehensively.
Conclusion
In conclusion, cinema not only serves as a powerful medium capable of depicting personality disorders with nuance and accuracy but also provides an effective platform for psychiatric education, narrative-based therapy, and promoting mental health literacy. However, risks such as oversimplification, stereotyping, or romanticization of mental disorders must be acknowledged. Therefore, the involvement of mental health professionals in film analysis or content creation is essential to ensure responsible and clinically informed portrayals. Future interdisciplinary research combining cinema, psychology, psychiatry, and cultural studies has the potential to create new perspectives on the psychological representation of human experience in art.

Keywords

Cinema
Character
Film Psychology
Mental Disorders in Cinema
Personality Disorders
Psychological Representation
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Interdisciplinary Studies in Media and Culture
Volume 16, Issue 1 - Serial Number 31
1 (Spring& Summer)2026
September 2026
Pages 177-206

  • Receive Date 26 July 2025
  • Revise Date 09 December 2025
  • Accept Date 09 December 2025
  • Publish Date 23 August 2026

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