Does Edward Cullen have BPD? (+9 Toxic behaviors)
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OptimistMinds
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The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.
This detailed article will be explaining if Edward Cullen has BPD. We will also be checking out some of the toxic behaviors and red flags that Edward Cullen depicts in the Twilight movies, which have raised many eye-brows.
Does Edward Cullen have BPD?
No, Edward Cullen does not have BPD. The vampire character that appears in the Twilight series as the main love interest of Bella Swan does not depict many of the characteristic signs and symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder.
According to the creator of the character, Stephanie Meyer who wrote the Twilight books on which the movies are based, vampires like Edward Cullen do not suffer from mental health disorders.
At the same time, this has not stopped fans of the movies and psychology experts from giving arm-chair diagnosis for Edward Cullen, based on his actions and behaviors throughout Twilight.
While Edward truly shows very toxic behaviors, especially in his relationship with Bella Swan, he does not portray the diagnostic criteria of any particular mental health disorder for a full-fledged diagnosis.
One such diagnosis which might fit the delusions and paranoid thoughts of Edward Cullen is Cotard’s Delusion. Cotard’s Delusion or Syndrome refers to a mental health disorder where a person feels that they are dead or have no soul.
Since Edward Cullen feels that he is a vampire without a soul, he might fit this syndrome. But, the syndrome surely does not explain his super-powers, his longevity and his aversion to sunlight.
Edward Cullen’s Red Flag Behaviors
While Edward Cullen’s behaviors may not constitute the actual diagnostic criteria of any particular mental health disorder, he still demonstrates many red flags and toxic behaviors. Some of Edward Cullen’s Red Flag behaviors as shown in Twilight have been discussed as follows.
His grooming of Bella Swan
When Twilight was released, Edward Cullen instantly became a teenage heart-throb, and many people started looking up to Edward and Bella Swan as ultimate relationship goals. In taking a closer look at their relationship, it can actually be understood that it is the definition of ‘toxic.’
Edward Cullen is a 104 year old vampire who instantly develops a romantic interest in Bella Swan, a 14 year old teenager who just moved into town. He craves her blood and is very curious about her since he cannot read her thoughts.
The high age-difference between the two goes to show how lop-sided the control in the relationship can be. Edward being way older than Bella and knowing more about the world and having so many experiences, of course, gives him the upper hand in the relationship.
This is nothing other than ‘grooming’ and is often seen in relationships where one person is much older than the other. Edward slowly grooms Bella, to become his partner, then his wife, ultimately turning her into a vampire along with the rest of his family.
His mansplaining
Right from the first instant, Edward throws up many red flags that he is in fact not that great of a person, and that his intentions are not so pure. For example, when they first meet, Edward grasps his nostrils to avoid breathing in Bella’s scent, which makes her think that she smells.
When he finally introduces himself to her during another Biology class, Edward decides to mansplain the slides to her. When she decides the answer, he asks her if she was sure, even when her choice was correct.
This mansplaining behavior of Edward is a sign of infantilizing her. He belittles her opinions throughout the movies, never giving her straight answers and responses that she deserves. This is again a red-flag that has been acutely observed by many fans.
His constant staring at Bella
Edward Cullen may look cool and suave with his pale skin and brooding face. But, his actions come off as very stalky, especially when it comes to Bella Swan. At more than one instance, Edward can be seen constantly staring at her, and making her uncomfortable.
He also stalks her, without making it known to her. This can be seen in the way he saves her from the rowdy thugs who try to harass Bella. These behaviors of Edward Cullen have also been flagged down by many fans to be abusive and controlling in nature.
Him breaking into Bella’s room
Another red-flag that Edward Cullen shows is when he actually breaks into her room a number of times. Bella does not realize it, but she finds him watching her sleep at one point, when he admits that this is not the first time he has broken into her room.
This behavior of Edward has been wrongly called romantic and swoon-worthy by many fans. But, it actually glorifies stalkers. Edward even calls himself a lion stalking his prey at one point, which mirrors his toxic actions.
His scare tactics
Edward knows too well that the fact that he is a vampire might not be well-liked by Bella. In fact, he is quite taken aback when she confesses that she is not scared of him. Edward’s response to this is not positive.
He actively tries to scare her, when they are in the forest all alone, just to see if she will abandon him then. This is truly a red-flag and can be seen in many abusive relationship patterns and cycles.
His lonely life
Edward Cullen is quite the popular boy in Forks, but he lives a very lonely life. He only hangs out with his family members and does not interact with anyone else from the school. In fact, the only outsider that he interacts with is Bella.
This lonely life of Edward Cullen, with his complete avoidance of social interaction with others, is a red flag as seen in many psychopaths. At the same time, this loner behavior of Edward is often misinterpreted to be positively mysterious in nature.
His control of Bella’s life and friends
Once he gets close to Bella and confesses how much he likes her, Edward slowly starts showing his true colors as a groomer. He takes complete control of her life and even restricts whom she hangs out with and whom she talks to.
He even gets very jealous of Bella’s relationship with Jacob, her childhood friend. Bella’s relationship with Jacob is another toxic topic up for debate. At one point, Edward even breaks Bella’s truck so that she cannot go to see Jacob.
Him taking Bella home
In a short while after he starts dating Bella, he takes her home to meet his family. This is very early in the relationship; one might say even too early. This again shows how fast things were moving for Edward and Bella, mostly propelled by Edward himself.
His sudden abandonment of her
The most toxic of all behaviors is perhaps when Edward decides to completely abandon Bella for a crude reason. This abandonment of Bella slowly destroys her, and sends her into a spiral of depression for months together.
Despite knowing that his abandonment will hurt her immensely, Edward decides to stick to his idea and only crops up when she recklessly tries to hurt herself. This behavior was called out to be very psychopathic and controlling in nature, since Edward seems to have the reins always.
Right from the start, Edward was the one who initiated the relationship, made Bella believe that he is incredibly sincere and when she is too deep in it, he decides to abandon her without a clue. This type of behavior can be seen in narcissists and even certain disorders like BPD.
Conclusion
This detailed article has explained if Edward Cullen has BPD. We have also checked out some of the toxic behaviors and red flags that Edward Cullen depicts in the Twilight movies, which have raised many eye-brows.
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