Franki Levenson-CampanaleAP Psychology

Walker 6-7 B1/3/11

The Grinch

Axis 1 Clinical Syndromes

Obsession: The Grinch primarily displays this when he is obsessing over the Whos and

obsessing over causing them pain. He obsesses over different ways to make them

unhappy and this takes up a majority of his time.

Bipolar Disorder: This is classified as a disorder in which a person experiences

depression and mania. The Grinch demonstrates his first depressive bout when he first

runs away and finds his cave on Mt. Crumpit. The first maniacal bout we see is when the

Grinch gets the idea of stealing the Who’s Christmas tree in the center of town. The

majority of the time in the movie, he is depressed, however, the Grinch does have is

maniacal moments. This is what classifies him as a Manic-Depressive or as having

Bipolar Disorder.

Panic Disorder: The Grinch demonstrates this when he has his panic attacks associated

with going down to Whoville and seeing the Whos for the first time in a long time. He

has several panic attacks about different things that are unrelated to each other.

Kleptomania: Everywhere the Grinch goes, he seems to want to take something. This

doesn’t classify him as a kleptomaniac. What does is that he follows through on it and

DOES steal things really with out thinking about it.

Pyromania: Pyromania is a fixation with creating and watching fire. The Grinch displays

this mostly when, after the Whos have given him an award, he sets the tree on fire and

enjoys it. He cackles and maniacally laughs as he flees to his cave on Mt. Crumpit.

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Axis 2 Personality Disorders and Mental Retardations

Schizophrenia: The Grinch demonstrates this disorder, mostly, I believe, by Max, his

dog. Throughout the movie, no one really acknowledges Max and typically in

Schizophrenia, the personalities are different, some drastically different than others. Max

is a polar opposite to the Grinch’s “normal” personality. Another sign of this disease is

that the Grinch has abrupt personality shifts. He has a somewhat sensitive side, the one

that was nice to Cindy Lou Who, an overly dramatic side, like when he’s debating about

going to Whoville to accept the award and an anxious side, the one that does all of the

worrying. Another sign that he has this is when he’s talking in his cave and waiting for

what he says to bounce off of the walls and something different than what he says is

heard. This would also have to mean that the entirety of the movie is based on the

Grinch’s perspective, which I believe it is.

Dissociative Personality Disorder (DID): This goes further into the Grinch’s different

personalities. In order to have DID one must: have multiple personalities, mannerisms

and beliefs that often conflict, unexplainable headaches and body pains, comorbidity

(multiple disorders and diseases), memory loss, paranoia, lack of intimacy and personal

connections, depression, flashbacks of abuse and trauma, unexplainable phobias, hears

the voices in their mind, and distortion or loss of subjective time. All of these things the

Grinch displays at one time or another.

Sadomasochist: A “sadomasochist” is one who enjoys inflicting on oneself and upon

others. The Grinch demonstrates this when he tries to take away Christmas and takes

pleasure from the sadness of the Whos and when he self medicates to try to make himself

pass out. This may only be a part of a bigger problem of being a sociopath.

Axis 3 General Medical Conditions

Cyanotic Congenital Heart Disease: Cyanotic having to do with an oxygen deficiency

and congenital meaning had at birth. The Grinch demonstrates this first and foremost

because his heart is “3 sizes too small”, demonstrated all through out the movie. He also

probably has the Cyanotic variety because he lives on Mt. Crumpit, where altitudes have

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thinner air and therefore less oxygen. Another affect of this disease is that it gives human

skin a bluish tint, which, because the Grinch isn’t human, could be the cause of his green

skin/fur/hair. The Grinch’s prolonged stay in Whoville allows him to get the oxygen that

his brain needs and somewhat clears up this disease.

Axis 4 Psychosocial and Environmental Problems

As a child, the Grinch was raised by two middle aged women. This gives his

upbringing a slightly different flare than all of the other Whos in Whoville. Upon first

entering Whoville on Christmas Eve, the Grinch as a baby was left out in the cold for

hours before the two middle aged women who assumed a care taking position, found him

and decided to care for him. This already gives the Grinch abandonment issues

(according to Freud) and will affect him for the rest of his life. As he started school, he

was teased for being “the weird one” and for his looks. In grade school, he developed a

crush on Martha Mae and because he knew that socially he was awkward looking and

acting, he attempted to change himself for her. This manifested itself in shaving, to

become less hairy, dressing nicely, to fit in and being nicer. His final transforming act

was making a present for Martha Mae, and when he presented his transformation to his

classmates, they laughed at and scorned him. He then ran away and took solace in a cave

on Mount Crumpit. This was a severe change in his environment from a low to high

altitude (lacking oxygen) and from light to almost complete darkness.

Axis 5 Global Assessment of Functioning

I would in the beginning of the movie, give the Grinch about a 7, which on the

Global Assessment means “Persistent danger of severely hurting self or others (e.g.,

recurrent violence) OR persistent inability to maintain minimal personal hygiene OR

serious suicidal act with clear expectation of death,” because I have rated him 1 through

10. Towards the end of the movie, I would rate him about an 11 or 12, because he can

have interactions, however we don’t really see the extent to which he is interacting with

others. It would be VERY wise to put the Grinch into at very least, counseling, if not,

then hospitalization for a time.

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