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Character Discussion / Mental Disorders/Disabilites in the Characters?
« on: April 04, 2018, 09:54:53 PM »
I can actually relate. I happen to have Asperger's. Also, my youngest brother has Asperger's, and another one of my younger brothers can't talk due to mental retardation, so I would most certainly agree with the theory that Spike being nonverbal is because of some form of autism.
However, one character whom I think has autism is Petrie. I can think of a possible reason for his timidity and nervousness, and maybe even his broken English. He probably has Asperger's as well. My Asperger's basically just causes me to be a more quiet and not very social person, and autism obviously delays mental development. My guess is that Petrie has Asperger's Syndrome, and that's why he speaks in broken English (he might have suffered from delays in speech development), why he used to be afraid of flying, and why he's not as brave as his friends are. From my perspective, I can easily relate.
I'm not sure if maybe the "disappearance" of his father might also have played a part in it. Ironically, my parents divorced when I was about three or four, and I've since remained living with my mother, so for Petrie to have his father suddenly out of his life at about the same age (my theory being that he tried to do what Bron tried to do, and got eaten by a Sharptooth) could also have effected his personality in the slightest. As mentioned in "E.T: The Extra Terrestrial," family problems can effect a child badly.
And, of course, his uncle Pterano's mental issues. I'm with you all that Pterano has got some sort of mental disorder that influenced his behavior in the seventh movie. Now, I doubt that Petrie inherited any of his uncle's mental problems, but this once again proves my point on family problems greatly affecting children. Although nearly all of the Gang's families have had rough histories, Petrie's has definitely been the roughest. Littlefoot lost his mother so tragically, Cera lost her mother and siblings, Spike has no known biological family, and Chomper and Ruby were separated from their families by Red Claw, but Petrie? His is the worst: his father is gone and he hardly ever knew him at all (since we've never heard him being mentioned by anyone throughout the series), he is the occasional laughing stock of his siblings (Asperger's may also have been why he initially did poorly and kept screwing up while practicing for the Day of the Flyers, because some individuals with Asperger's prefer to do certain things alone rather than with others), and his possibly-mental uncle has committed multiple crimes and was subsequently exiled. Again, Petrie's family issues probably affected him badly and even left some side effects to his possible Asperger's Syndrome that seems to have influenced his timid behavior (and, if I may say so, his sensitivity throughout the seventh movie).
Now, I may be making it sound as if Petrie is a mess compared to the rest of the Gang, but I know that deep down he really isn't. Sure, he's nervous and has speech problems, and his family has a black mark, thanks to Pterano, but he's gradually gotten braver and more adventurous as the series has progressed, and he's gotten along very well with his friends, for the most part. The truth is, he shares many traits that I have: nervousness, often afraid to try something new, and possible signs of delays in his mental development, and because of that, I can greatly relate to him. That's why he's always been my favorite LBT character, and I'll always have a soft spot for him, especially with his very notable character flaws.
However, one character whom I think has autism is Petrie. I can think of a possible reason for his timidity and nervousness, and maybe even his broken English. He probably has Asperger's as well. My Asperger's basically just causes me to be a more quiet and not very social person, and autism obviously delays mental development. My guess is that Petrie has Asperger's Syndrome, and that's why he speaks in broken English (he might have suffered from delays in speech development), why he used to be afraid of flying, and why he's not as brave as his friends are. From my perspective, I can easily relate.
I'm not sure if maybe the "disappearance" of his father might also have played a part in it. Ironically, my parents divorced when I was about three or four, and I've since remained living with my mother, so for Petrie to have his father suddenly out of his life at about the same age (my theory being that he tried to do what Bron tried to do, and got eaten by a Sharptooth) could also have effected his personality in the slightest. As mentioned in "E.T: The Extra Terrestrial," family problems can effect a child badly.
And, of course, his uncle Pterano's mental issues. I'm with you all that Pterano has got some sort of mental disorder that influenced his behavior in the seventh movie. Now, I doubt that Petrie inherited any of his uncle's mental problems, but this once again proves my point on family problems greatly affecting children. Although nearly all of the Gang's families have had rough histories, Petrie's has definitely been the roughest. Littlefoot lost his mother so tragically, Cera lost her mother and siblings, Spike has no known biological family, and Chomper and Ruby were separated from their families by Red Claw, but Petrie? His is the worst: his father is gone and he hardly ever knew him at all (since we've never heard him being mentioned by anyone throughout the series), he is the occasional laughing stock of his siblings (Asperger's may also have been why he initially did poorly and kept screwing up while practicing for the Day of the Flyers, because some individuals with Asperger's prefer to do certain things alone rather than with others), and his possibly-mental uncle has committed multiple crimes and was subsequently exiled. Again, Petrie's family issues probably affected him badly and even left some side effects to his possible Asperger's Syndrome that seems to have influenced his timid behavior (and, if I may say so, his sensitivity throughout the seventh movie).
Now, I may be making it sound as if Petrie is a mess compared to the rest of the Gang, but I know that deep down he really isn't. Sure, he's nervous and has speech problems, and his family has a black mark, thanks to Pterano, but he's gradually gotten braver and more adventurous as the series has progressed, and he's gotten along very well with his friends, for the most part. The truth is, he shares many traits that I have: nervousness, often afraid to try something new, and possible signs of delays in his mental development, and because of that, I can greatly relate to him. That's why he's always been my favorite LBT character, and I'll always have a soft spot for him, especially with his very notable character flaws.
Great job!
