Written by Abdullah Qureshi

Have you ever felt that you are the hero/heroine of your story? Do you feel as if everything in your world has an effect on your ‘story’?

Or, let me put it this way: have you ever felt that you are completely different from everyone around you?

If you have felt this, then chances are that you have ‘main character syndrome’. The main character syndrome is an unofficial term used for the belief that one is the main character of life.

Right there, as a clinical psychologist I am reminded about the concept of fantastical thinking. However, rather than approach the main character syndrome as a disorder of cognition, I will be more nuanced.

By the method of psychoanalysis, I will attempt to show the features and progression of the main character syndrome.

Symptoms of Main Character Syndrome

People at large understand that they are in some ways the main character of their life.

However, a person with main character syndrome tends to go further than that. To be specific, the main character syndrome is the belief that one is the main character of not only their own life, but of the lives of the people around them as well.

There are many parallels between this syndrome and various personality disorders. In particular, there appear to be 6 symptoms.

• Impairment in empathy
• Intense relationships
• A tendency to enjoy attention
• Self-related fantasies
• A feeling of superiority
• Dramatic thinking

Oddly, all of these 6 symptoms can be found in Cluster B personality disorders of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders (DSM) V (APA, 2022). These disorders are related to antisocial, narcissistic, emotionally unstable and histrionic traits.

However, I argue in this essay that the symptoms of the main character syndrome are at a sub-clinical level. This means that these symptoms can be found in individuals who do not have major psychological disorders.

So, why isn’t the main character syndrome harmful in itself?

Psychoanalysis of the Main Character

Archetype and Personality

If you understand the archetype of ‘The Hero’, you understand the depth of the main character syndrome. According to Carl Jung (2012), the Swiss psychologist named the Hero as part of the ‘Self’ archetype. The Hero represents the struggles and trials of an individual character as he/she moves towards a grand goal. The Hero already has a view of the world that he is very important.

Moreover, there is a strong element of ‘fantasy.’

I hypothesize here that individuals with this syndrome are also high in openness to fantasy.

The main character fantasizes the life he would have dependently or independently of the goals that he might achieve eventually.

Motivation

If you analyze yourself, you will find that you have certain desires. Clark Hull (1937), an American psychologist, pointed out that we have a psychic drive to attain our desires. To reduce this drive, we attempt to move towards a certain goal. This, he said, was ‘motivation.’

Motivation underlies the story of the Hero. He has high ambitions to follow because he has goals which are idealistic. Since he also can fantasize and imagine very vividly, he can translate this fantasy to others around him. And thus, his goals become very attractive – not just to him, but to the people around him too.

Relationships

By focusing on himself, the Hero, in some ways, foregoes the deep emotional connection that he has with others.

But, to a main character, if he has a generally adaptive view of the world, the people around him also represent ‘worthy’ characters in his life.

So, while his empathy is impaired, the Hero maintains some emotional connections.

The relationships might be intense, since the main character takes many things personally and could have overly dramatic reactions. But this is not because the main character is inherently malicious (there is no such thing as inherently malicious). Rather it is because he ascribes a high value to his goals and beliefs.

This, obviously, has a darker side as well.

Conflicts

Suppose that an individual with the main character syndrome has had a tumultuous childhood, or early life. This individual could have distorted views about violence, aggression and morality in general. As a result, they might end up harming themselves, or the people around them

I argue here that this is the case in cluster B personality disorders.

In fact, even if the beliefs of an individual are not antisocial, he/she can still end up hurting others.

Death of the Hero

The ‘Hero complex’ does not carry on for the entirety of his life. According to Joseph Campbell (1987), at a certain point, the Hero experiences ‘ego death.’ This is the point where the Hero complex is resolved.

However, if an individual is reinforced for his/her main character syndrome, it does not die until the reinforcement ends. This could happen in the case of people who acquire affluence based on their drive.

In some cases, it could be that an individual never ceases to move out of the main character syndrome. This can be seen in individuals who just cannot seem to forget small bits of evidence of success they have attained.

It can be found in celebrities, public figures and even antisocial personalities.

A significant number of people who are successful have main character syndrome.

Examples of Main Character Syndrome

I offer no diagnosis here.

However, I can comment on features of the main character syndrome in certain people.

After all, many famous figures have reported feeling the same way. Take, for example, The Weeknd, who mostly sings about experiences of his own (whether real or imagined). If you haven’t heard The Weeknd, do check out his Dawn FM album. I believe that it is a great album to enjoy both musically and psychologically!

One can also find main character features in opinionated athletes. This is in the case of Mohammad Amir, a Pakistani cricketer. Amir espouses his opinions on cricketers as if these opinions are very insightful (even in cases they might not be). Moreover, he finds it easy to communicate with other cricketers as equals. He also appears charismatic but polarizing.

On the other hand, main character syndrome can also cause a person an undue amount of problems. For example, if you look at Charles Manson and his interviews, you will find his beliefs to be very idiosyncratic. This allowed him to manipulate his ‘followers’ into committing heinous crimes.

Conclusion

The main character syndrome can be, in some ways, used synonymously with the Hero syndrome, or Hero complex.

It is a useful syndrome. People who have it are usually charismatic and opinionated.

However, one must remain cognizant that they are not the only main character in the world. This insight is necessary if an individual wishes to not hurt others. If this insight is reached, the main character syndrome can be a powerful motivator.

It can also be looked at as an indicator of a dynamic personality.

References

• American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.).
• Campbell’s, J. (1987). The hero’s journey.
• Hull, C. L. (1937). Mind, mechanism, and adaptive behavior. Psychological Review, 44(1), 1.
• Jung, C. G. (2012). Four archetypes:(From vol. 9, part 1 of the collected works of CG Jung) (Vol. 29). Princeton University Press.