1

Franki Levenson-Campanale
AP Psychology
Walker 6-7 B
1/3/11
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.
 2

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
 3

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.