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A CASE REPORT OF Gru's Psychological Development in "Despicable Me"

Presented to:
Elton Edward Baranaskas, MPsy

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

PSY 202: Social Psychology

Submitted by:

Delos Santos, Shayne

DECEMBER 2023
Case Overview
The film Despicable Me explores the themes of love and family. The film's protagonist, Gru,
assumes the role of an adversary whose primary objective is to become the greatest supervillain
in history and rob civilization of its greatest monuments. Gru is introduced as a supervillain who
is constantly seeking attention and validation for his evil deeds. He learns about a new villain
named Vector who has stolen the Great Pyramid of Giza, causing Gru to feel threatened and
determined to outdo him. Gru plans to steal the moon and seeks funding from the Bank of Evil,
but they refuse to support his project due to its high cost. He devises a scheme to kidnap Edith,
Margo, and Agnes and utilize them as pawns in his scheme to take the Moon. Gru also exhibits
conceit and haughtiness, thinking he is deserving of people's fear and respect. Gru also exhibits a
lack of empathy toward other people. To use Margo, Edith, and Agnes—three orphan girls—for
his selfish ends, he first adopts them.

He doesn't care about their sentiments or well-being; he views them as nothing more than
puppets in his scheme to steal the shrink ray. During the whole movie, Gru, the lead character, he
is driven by an obsession with being the greatest villain and is always looking for approval and
acknowledgment for his accomplishments. He steals the moon, for example, to demonstrate his
superiority—not because he truly needs it, but only to feed his ego. His character is put to the
test, though, when the girls are abducted by Vector, his arch-enemy, and he is driven by an
obsession with being the greatest villain and is always looking for approval and acknowledgment
for his accomplishments. Additionally, it keeps him from ever truly being happy or fulfilled
because he is always looking for material success and approval from others. Gru changes during
the film as he discovers how to put other people's needs ahead of his self-serving ones. This
character development emphasizes how crucial empathy and sincere relationships with others are
to one's happiness.

Gru finds himself in a terrible state because his experience is on the failure end of the spectrum.
His mother Marlena Gru frequently draws comparisons between him and another successful
villain named Vector. But as the narrative goes on, Gru shows true care for the girls and
ultimately transforms into a devoted and understanding father figure. Gru's personality is
challenged by the girls' genuine love and affection for him. Despite his initial reluctance, Gru
starts to develop a bond with the girls and begins to prioritize their happiness over his own goals.
Gru feels a kind of parental love for the three girls he adopts, but he is reluctant to express it
because of his Machiavellian tendencies, which make him emotionally cold. All of Gru's ideas
related to villainous deeds stem from his psychological need to gain his mother's approval and
prove his competency against Vector. Since Gru observed these emotions from his mother and
Vector, this influenced his actions, which shaped his personality throughout his lifetime. In the
end, Gru realizes the importance of love and family, ultimately renouncing his villainous ways.
His journey from an arrogant supervillain to a loving father figure showcases the potential for
personal growth and change.
Case Integration
I may conclude the following integrations from the case overview analysis that might lead to the
patient's ultimate diagnosis at this time:
• The film Despicable Me explores the themes of love and family.
• Gru is a supervillain seeking attention and validation for his evil deeds.
• Gru learns about a new villain named Vector who stole the Great Pyramid of Giza.
• Gru plans to steal the moon but is refused funding from the Bank of Evil.
•Gru kidnaps three orphan girls to use them in his scheme.
• Gru exhibits conceit, haughtiness, and a lack of empathy.
•Gru is driven by an obsession with being the greatest villain.
•The girls are abducted by Vector, testing Gru's character.
• Gru changes as he prioritizes others' needs over his own.
• Gru becomes a devoted and understanding father figure.
• Gru's ideas stem from his need for approval from his mother and to compete with Vector.
• Gru realizes the importance of love and family, renouncing his villainous ways.
Diagnostic Features
It is important to note that diagnosing a fictional character with a mental disorder is not a
substitute for a professional evaluation. However, based on the description provided, we can
explore some potential diagnostic features of the subject's character that align with the DSM-V
criteria for narcissistic personality disorder (NPD):

1. Grandiosity: The subject often exhibits an exaggerated sense of self-importance and

superiority. He believes he is the greatest villain and constantly seeks recognition for his
accomplishments. (Criteria 1)
2. Need for admiration: The subject craves attention, admiration, and praise from others. He
desires to be seen as exceptional and seeks validation for his achievements. (Criteria 4)
3. Lack of empathy: The subject frequently demonstrates a lack of empathy towards others. He
initially views others as mere tools to achieve his goals, disregarding their feelings or well-being.
(Criteria 7)
4. Sense of entitlement: The subject expects special treatment and feels entitled to privileges that
other may not have. He often acts as if rules and social norms do not apply to him. (Criteria 5)
5. Exploitative behavior: The subject may exploit others for personal gain, such as using his
minions to carry out his plans without considering their safety or well-being. (Criteria 6)
6. Envious or arrogant attitudes: While the subject may not explicitly show envy, he exhibits
arrogance and a belief that he is superior to others. He often dismisses or belittles those whom he
perceives as inferior. (Criteria 8)
It's important to remember that these observations are based on a fictional character and should
not be used to diagnose real individuals. A proper diagnosis requires a comprehensive evaluation
by a qualified mental health professional.

Theoretical Grounding
The story follows Gru, a supervillain with a narcissistic personality disorder, as he attempts to
steal the moon and prove himself as the greatest villain in the world. Gru is obsessed with his
own image and desires constant admiration and recognition. Gru's lack of empathy and arrogant
personality make it difficult for him to build lasting connections and emotionally connect with
people, which causes them psychological. The theoretical grounding of Gru's personality,
specifically his narcissistic traits, can be connected to the psychodynamic theory. This theory
suggests that personality is shaped by unconscious conflicts and desires, which influence
behavior and emotions. According to psychodynamic theory, NPD develops due to unresolved
conflicts during early childhood, particularly related to issues of self-worth and attachment. Gru's
grandiosity and need for admiration may stem from early experiences of feeling inadequate or
unloved, leading him to develop a defensive mechanism of overcompensation. His adult
behavior stems from an unfulfilled childhood, Heider (1958) asserts that people are driven to
learn because they have an internal urge to acquire new attributions. The lack of empathy can be
attributed to difficulties in forming healthy attachments and emotional connections with others.
By exploring these underlying conflicts and working through them, Gru can potentially develop
a healthier sense of self and improve his interpersonal relationships.

The cognitive distortions theory is one cognitive paradigm that might be pertinent to
comprehending NPD. According to this idea, narcissistic behaviors may be a result of malformed
and disordered thought patterns in people with NPD. Gru might, for instance, exhibit cognitive
distortions such dichotomous thinking, which sees him as either perfect or a failure, or grandiose
thinking, which believes he is superior to others. Cognitive theories acknowledge the close
relationship that exists between feelings, ideas, and actions. People can experience changes in
their emotions and behaviors, which improves functioning and reduces symptoms, by focusing
on and changing unfavorable thought patterns. Barlow DH, Harris BA, Eustis EH, et al. (2020)
state that the ultimate goal of cognitive therapies is to improve patients' ability to think more
freely about the world, themselves, and other people.
Intervention Plan
Intervention plans for individuals with narcissistic personality disorder typically involve a
combination of therapy, support, and education. While Gru is a fictional character, we can
provide a hypothetical intervention plan for him based on the symptoms you described:

Examining inner conflicts, early experiences, and unsolved issues that support the emergence
and maintenance of personality disorders are the core goals of psychodynamic therapy.
Psychoanalysis is a crucial therapy method under psychodynamic theory, and it can be used to
create a psychodynamic intervention plan for Gru's narcissistic personality disorder. In order to
comprehend the underlying causes of Gru personality disorders, it entails investigating the
unconscious mind, early experiences, and defensive systems. The goal of schema-focused
therapy is to help individuals grow and change by bringing these unconscious conflicts into
conscious awareness. The goals of schema therapy to Gru narcissistic personality disorder
include recognizing and treating early maladaptive schemas, fostering trust and reestablishing a
connection with the inner child, personalizing and modifying various modes, unlearning
destructive coping mechanisms, establishing boundaries and demands, and utilizing pictures to
comprehend vulnerability and past experiences. Early childhood experiences are memorized
non-verbally through a combination of sensory impressions, experienced emotions and actions,
and the meaning attributed to them (Young et al., 2005; Arntz, van Genderen and Wijts, 2006;
Rijkeboer et al., 2007).

Instead of depending on narcissistic behaviors, Gru would learn other coping mechanisms in
cognitive therapy to address his frustrations and inadequacies. He would discover more positive
and harmonious interpersonal interactions as well as healthier methods to handle stress and
emotions. The fundamental tenet of this therapeutic strategy, which was developed by Beck
(1970) and Ellis (1962), is that emotional distress and behavioral issues are maintained in part by
maladaptive cognitions. Gru's narcissistic beliefs, such as the notion that he is better than others
or deserving of special treatment, would also be made more conscious with the aid of CBT. He
can learn to recognize these ideas and confront them with more sensible, well-rounded ideas.
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