Gone Girl Case Study

Gone Girl Case Study

Qandeel Malik

Psy 312 Personality Psychology

Shenandoah University

Abstract

Amy Dunne is a very confusing person due to the dominance her parents and husband had on her. For this study, I have used Erik Erikson’s approach in order to better explain Amy’s personality. After reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn I have been able to analyze from my reading, that it is clear that Amy Elliot Dunne has Borderline personality disorders. The best way to define BPD it is a severe mental disorder that is characterized by a pervasive pattern of instability in affect regulation, impulse control, interpersonal relationships, and self-image (Davis, 2013, p. 661).  Which is why we can better understand why she undergoes an extraordinary life because of her actions. These actions have been developing in different stages of her life, which is why she acted the way she did in Gone Girl. Dominated oppression from her parents in childhood and continued with her husband in her marital life was the main cause of her reactions throughout the book.

Gone Girl Case Study

            Amy Dunne at first expression is a nice, cool, stylish female who would be an ideal daughter and wife. She is her parents’ inspiration for a children’s book series called “Amazing Amy”, which was about a perfect girl who overcomes all obstacles that come her way. To her husband Nick Dunne, she is a dedicated wife, who loves him dearly, and struggles to make her marriage work. Okay now let’s give you the real Amy, analyzing her throughout the book it seems she should be diagnosed with Borderline personality disorders.

The real Amy she is actually a narcissistic person who has many different personalities and pretenses. While analyzing her throughout “Gone Girl”, she has maintained an image that was described above. In order to better understand Amy Dunne I am using Erik Erikson’s approach.

In the beginning of Gone Girl, Amy has written a diary in which we have seen her personality as an image she developed of herself as Fake Amy. In Erik Erikson's approach, Amy seems to be stuck in the stages between five to twelve years old of her psychosocial development. During these stages normally children focus on being good or doing things right, they show early signs of industry and diligence. (Erikson, 1950, p. 247)

Normally parents withhold encouragement during these phases. But Amy was rather than being praised by her parents felt constantly compared to a perfect, fictional image of herself in “Amazing Amy”. Which resulted to a complex while she was growing up. She feels naturally lacking and so she tried to succeed, perfectly, at everything.

Which leads to her story of framing her husband for murder and faking her own disappearance, to get revenge for her him for being unfaithful towards her.  During her quest for revenge, Amy ends up killing a man after manipulating him in part of the book. In addition, she doesn’t care for her family’s feelings while she has disappeared. Also in her past, Amy has a history of manipulating people to do her bidding without thinking about them. It seems like she has no conscience.

Now if I was to analyze Amy’s personality from stage one Erikson’s approach where it all begins, the oral stage where the infant is between the ages of 0-2 years old. A little background on Amy’s family, her parents Rand and Marybeth Elliott had been trying to have a baby for many years. Her mother Marybeth had five miscarriages and two stillbirths all named Hope, Amy was the eighth born, so she would have been Hope 8 if she had not survived (Flynn, 2014, p.220).

During this stage of Erikson’s approach, the infant must form a first loving, trusting relationship with the caregiver, or develop a sense of mistrust. (Erikson, 1950, p. 248) Now, because Amy would have been Hope 8 if something had gone badly her parents hadn’t discussed a name for her, the real child. So more clearly Amy was not named until the second day of her birth. Her mother would ask every morning her the nurse came in,  “Is she still alive?” This was how Amy’s life started she was the special child, better than the Hopes, the one who made it (Flynn, 2014, p.221).  During this stage, a child builds a sense of identity, which will later combine a sense of being all right of oneself (Erikson, 1950, p.248). Now that Amy was not Hope 8 and her mother couldn’t have any more children she was the girl who battles oblivion and won. To her, it was just me and no one else (Flynn, 2014, p.221).  

As Amy grew up she was always feeling special and proud of herself. She had become a needful child, on the days of Hopes’ birth-deaths her mother wanted to that some time for herself, but Amy wouldn’t allow it.  In her mind “I’ve always been better than the Hopes, I was the one who made it” (Flynn, 2014, p.221).  After reviewing Amy in this part of her chapter I feel she if going through the third stage of Erikson’s approach. During this stage if a child becomes strong-minded for in relations to love and hate, cooperation and willfulness, freedom of self-expression and its suppression. In addition, the child begins to feel guilt, they concentrate on keeping potential rivals out which could lead to jealousy (Erikson, 1950, 255-257). During this stage Amy was showing just this, she had developed jealousy towards the seven dead Hopes, which is why she would leave her mother's side for even a minute (Flynn, 2014, p.222).  

To Amy the Hopes were the perfect child without even trying, without even facing one moment of existence. Which is why she had started being Fake Amy, she had to out past these Hopes who didn’t get the chance she had. In her mind, because she is stuck on this earth, she must be perfect at all times. She had to keep up with a pretend Amy who had an amazing personality. For her day today was a different Amy. That is why it seems she may have borderline personality disorder.

As Amy got older she started to become more psychotic. While she was in high school she had made friends with Hilary Handy. Hilary was the new girl from Memphis in a school full of East Coast preppies. Amy took Hilary under her wing and befriended her. For a few months, things were good between the two of them until Hilary surpassed Amy in a few ways. Amy did not like this, so she started putting Hilary in some strange situations, which lead to Hilary looking like a totally insane. To make things worse of Hilary, Amy threw herself down the stairs, breaking her own ribs, and claiming Hilary pushed her. (Flynn, 2014, p.290-295).  The way Amy manipulated Hilary to the part she changed schools showed how bipolar she is.