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Proceeds from these pages go to support the work of the ERIICA Project and
the student creators, including the publication of future editions of
The Workday Comic.
For more information, contact Dr. Travis Langley (email: langlet at hsu.edu). |
Running head: CATWOMAN
This Cat Has Two
Lives – That’s All She Needs:
A Psychological
Analysis of Catwoman
Ann T. Leach
Henderson State
University
Abstract
A psychological analysis of the
comic book character Catwoman delves into what has driven her to become the
feline femme fatale of Gotham City. Selina Kyle had a difficult childhood
resulting in eventual incarceration in Gotham’s juvenile detention center. In
adulthood Selina develops an alter ego- Catwoman. This alter ego meets
many of the criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder: 1) Failure to conform
to social laws demonstrated by repeated illegal acts, 2) Deceitfulness;
repeated lying or use of aliases, 3) Aggressiveness indicated by repeated acts
of violence, 4) Reckless disregard for safety of others or self and 5) Lack of
remorse. But there is another side, Selina Kyle is often seen helping those who
she feels have been trampled by society. She also does not feel remorse for her
cat-burglary because she only steals from those whose wealth has been acquired
through the exploitation of the less fortunate. All this leads to the
question: Does Catwoman have Antisocial Personality Disorder or is she
simply misunderstood?
This Cat Has Two
Lives – That’s All She Needs:
A Psychological
Analysis of Catwoman
She was born Selena Kyle to Brian and
Maria Kyle. According to Catwoman, #0, Maria Kyle suffered severe depression and preferred
to spend her time with her cats rather than her children. "Irony's wasted on me I guess.." (Catwoman #36). She committed suicide when Selina was very young. Brian Kyle
was a lazy alcoholic. He expressed his anger at his wife for killing herself by
turning his abuse on Selina because of her physical resemblance to her mother. "What's one more monster on the
streets of Gotham?" (Catwoman
#37). Brian soon died from complications of alcohol
abuse.
The death of their parents left Selina and her younger sister
Maggie at the mercy of the Gotham City child welfare system. At first Selina
tried living on the streets but eventually ended up at the Seagate Juvenile Home
for Girls. "I'm
always glad to accept an upgrade in accommodations" (Catwoman #4). It was here "Selina began to see how
hard the world could really be" (Brubaker
& Johns, 2002).
When Selina was 13 years old she discovered that the administrator of Seagate
was embezzling money. Selina confronted her. "I'm warning you...don't back me into a corner!" (Catwoman #0). In
an attempt to cover up the crime, the administrator put Selina in a bag and
dropped her in the river to try to kill her. This act was reminiscent of the
way someone might kill unwanted kittens. "...so
the more you threaten me, the stronger I get." (Catwoman #59). Selina escaped from the bag and then
snuck into the offices of the Seagate home. She stole files which she then sent
to the authorities to expose the administrator’s treachery. While she was
stealing the files she also stole some money to provide for herself for a
while. This was her first taste of cat burglary (Catwoman,
#0).
At this point Selina developed her alter-ego, Catwoman. "A long time ago, before I put on this
mask I was afraid of everything" (Catwoman
#59). She then goes on to become quite proficient at
her chosen craft. "Evidently,
crime does pay..." (Catwoman
#48). This is one version how
Catwoman began her career, there are others but this is the background most
fitting for the purposes of this analysis. "I mean, what do you think created me . . . ? What do you
think I really am? What do you think makes me strong?" (Catwoman #59).
One disorder, Anti-Social
Personality Disorder, seems to come close to fitting Catwoman. The Diagnostic
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR)
list the requirements for Anti-Social Personality Disorder as having three or
more of the following criteria: (1.) Failure to conform to social norms with
respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are
grounds for arrest, (2.) Deceitfulness, as indicated by repeatedly lying, use
of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure, (3.) Impulsivity
or failure to plan ahead, (4.) Irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by
repeated physical fights or assaults, ( 5.) Reckless disregard for safety of
self or others, (6.) Consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated
failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations, (7.)
Lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having
hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another. On the surface Catwoman does seem to
meet several of these criteria, namely #1, #2, #4, #5, and #7. However, closer
examination of these criteria may cast doubt on this diagnosis.
Catwoman definitely does
not conform to social norms. She does not respect lawful behaviors and makes
her living by performing acts that are grounds for arrest. This would seemingly
be an inarguable fact. Closer inspection, however, may give a slightly
different perspective. Selina learned survival as a young person on the streets
where there were only a limited number of ways a person could make a living.
One could eat out of dumpsters, become a prostitute at the mercy of a pimp, or
one could become a thief. She chose the latter. “Petty theft put food in her
belly and clothes on her back” (Beatty, 2004). So, the question is, “if she
steals as a learned survival technique, does this then qualify as meeting the
criteria for Anti-Social Personality? "And
me. Just a hard-working girl trying to make it in a man's world" (Catwoman #31).
The second criteria that Catwoman displays is the use of
deceitfulness, as indicated by repeatedly lying, use of aliases, or conning others
for personal profit or pleasure. Obviously when dressed as Catwoman she is
using an alias and she definitely lies about her true identity. Very few people
are aware that Catwoman and Selina Kyle are one and the same person. But, this
deception is necessary to protect herself from incarceration. "They may suspect me, but they'll
never see me. They may chase me, but they'll never catch me. Never, never, ever
catch me." (Catwoman #19). When the debutant, Selina Kyle, goes out in the world authorities
would arrest her on the spot if they knew she was really Catwoman. The use of
an alias could be interpreted as meeting the deception criteria, "The claws and the costume
get 'em every time" (Catwoman #11). But,
the fact that it is a survival method might contraindicate it as a personality
disorder trait.
Criteria number four
should also be considered: Irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by
repeated physical fights or assaults. Okay, okay all cats have a nasty side.
They all get a bit grouchy and out come the claws. And yes, sometimes Catwoman
does have to use her considerable martial arts skills against her foes, and she
does carry a whip. But she only uses violence when it’s unavoidable. "I
don't kill when it can possibly be helped" (Catwoman #61). However, doesn’t everybody get up on the wrong side of the bed
occasionally? Besides, when she must beat up some guy, he usually deserves it.
Sometimes she is simply defending herself. As Catwoman herself said, “Little
birds should stay away from big bad kitty cats”(Catwoman
#25). Obviously, this trait can be interpreted in
more than one way.
Now we come to: Reckless
disregard for safety of self or others. Catwoman does find it necessary to put
herself in danger at times, but this is an unfortunate consequence of her
chosen profession. It is not a “reckless disregard” for her personal safety; it
is simply part of the job. "Makes
me feel almost virtuous" (Catwoman
#52). At times she does put
others in danger, but again, it is not reckless
endangerment, it is quite purposeful endangerment. In
addition, the person in danger from Catwoman is usually in dire need of a
little behavior modification therapy – and she’s just the cat to give it to
them. "God help me. I'm a
glorified civil servant!" (Catwoman
#17).
Now we’ll discuss the last
criteria that might apply: Lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent
to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another. On the
surface the fact that Catwoman does not feel sorry for her actions might seem
to fit this criteria purrrfectly.
However,Catwoman chooses her “victims” carefully from among those who have
gotten their wealth through the exploitation of the less fortunate. The people
she steals from are drug dealers, mobsters, and other villains. "Revere women and babies--not withered
old men who run drug cartels." (Catwoman
#22). Also, as Selina Kyle, she
donates part of the stolen money back to the community to help those who are
disadvantaged. “That streak of good in Selina runs deep, especially when she
robs the deep-pocketed rich and give a goodly portion to the needy” (Beatty,
2004). This Robin Hood mentality
allows Selina/Catwoman to feel that she is doing nothing wrong, only dispensing
justice. Therefore, if she is actually doing good, why should she feel remorse? "Life
would be so much easier if I didn't have this conscience!" (Catwoman #9).
The DSM-IV-TR states “The
essential feature on Antisocial Personality Disorder is a pervasive pattern of
disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood
or early adolescence and continues into adulthood.” This being the case, it is
obvious that Catwoman does not have Antisocial Personality Disorder. She does
not disregard the rights of others, unless of course they deserve it. She is
actually a very caring person, but because of her childhood she only allows
that side of herself to emerge at a safe distance. Selina’s fear of being hurt
again does manifest in a fear of intimacy, but that doesn’t mean she has no
feelings for others. "That's
me all right...the bleeding heart humanitarian." (Catwoman #12). Most
of her actions are born of a desire to help the less fortunate, but others can
be attributed to the need for self-preservation. In fact, all things
considered, Catwoman could be said to be quite well adjusted … Or is she? "So I'm certifiable" (Catwoman #33).
References
American
Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision.
Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 2000
Brubaker, Ed, &
Johns, Geoff (2002). Catwoman Secret Files and Origins, DC Comics, New York, NY, 2002
Beatty, Scott (2004). Catwoman, The Visual Guide
to the Feline Fatale, DK Publishing, Inc, New York, NY, 2004
Catwoman Comic
Book Series (1994-2008). DC Comics, New
York, NY, 1994-2008. Catwoman #0,
Catwoman #4, Catwoman #9, Catwoman #11, Catwoman #12, Catwoman #17, Catwoman
#19, Catwoman #22. Catwoman #25, Catwoman #31, Catwoman 33, Catwoman #36,
Catwoman #37, Catwoman #48, Catwoman
#52, Catwoman #59, Catwoman #61
