Jan's movie reviews - Single White Female - discussion: E2 histrionic or E4 borderline character?

Posted by Jan den Breejen on June 30, 2000 at 04:55:26:

Plot summary:

When a 'Single White Female' places an ad in the press for a similar woman to rent a room (to replace the boyfriend she's just left), all the applicants seem weird. Then along comes a level headed woman who seems to be just right. The new lodger has a secret past which haunts her.

+++ Jan's analysis:

In ennea-land this movie is sometimes used as an example of the violent side of the E2 character style ('I am not to be ignored'). However I don't think that's true. It's a story about a young woman with an identity problem; who feels intense and endless admiration for her roommate (taking on her color of hair, her way of dressing) a extreme loving mood which suddenly flips into the other extreme - caused by fear of abandonment - of intense hate and lack of control of anger starting a gruelling physical fight. This pattern fits perfectly into the Mercurial/Borderline character. Compare the Single White Female dramatized plot with this real-life case:

Emily is a 24-year-old woman who recently arrived in a new city to begin graduate studies at a large university. She moved intb an apartment with three other women graduate students who had been living together for the past 2 years. The relationship between Emily and her roommates appeared to go wel initially. She became very attached to one of the Women and IDEALIZED HER to the point that she began DRESSING LIKE THE ROOMMATE. The woman started to feel uncomfortable when Emily confided that she felt so much like the roommate that they could be twins. The other roommates also began feeliNg uneasy about her behavior. She demanded more and more of their time, frequently BECOMING ANGRY if one of the roommates decided not to eat dinner in the apartment with the other women. Emily seemed to need constant attention and complained of fee1ing bored and empty most of the time. She had mood swings, feeling elated at one moment and depressed, angry, or empty the next.

Emily was attractive and dated several men. She described each man in glowing terms initially and usually had sex with them soon after the first date. The relationships with her boyfriends were brief and INTENSE. They usually ended after a few weeks when the boyfriend left. One of the men confided to a roommate, "I feel like she's eating me alive. I can't walk out of the apartment withouther asking me where I'm going and accusing me of not caring for her." Emily felt depressed and empty when the relationships ended. One night,
following the TUMULTOUS END OF another RELATIONSHIP, a roommate walked into the bathroom and found Emily cutting her thigh with a razor blade. The thigh was scarred from multiple past cuts. The roommate screamed and Emily stopped and
said, "Cutting helps make me feel better when I'm upset." Two days later the roommates met and decided that Emily had to move out of the apartment. She was ENRAGED but agreed to go after telling them that they were all worthless and would be sorry.

She moved out the next day. Subsequent1y, a1l three roommates found that several of their dresses had been SLASHED WITH A RAZOR BALDE AND RUINED.

Jan

• Jan'z Business Culture Club

Follow Ups:

• Re: Jan's movie reviews - Single White Female - discussion: E2 histrionic or E4 borderline character? Andy 05:14:36 06/30/00 (3)
  • Re: Jan's movie reviews - Single White Female - discussion: E2 histrionic or E4 borderline character? Jan den Breejen 06:16:14 06/30/00 (2)
    • Re: Jan's movie reviews - Single White Female - discussion: E2 histrionic or E4 borderline character? Andy 07:55:57 06/30/00 (0)
    • Re: Jan's movie reviews - Single White Female - discussion: E2 histrionic or E4 borderline character? Andy 07:47:11 06/30/00 (0)

Post a Followup