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The movie Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (1999), Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones (2002), Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith (2005) is about Anakin Skywalker played by Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen, who is learning to become a Jedi, but in time instead becomes a Sith known as Darth Vader. A Jedi is a person that has awareness of the “Force”, and can maintain order in the universe, is known as the “Good Guy”.
A Sith is the enemy of the Jedis, and they use the dark side of the force, and want to have control over the universe. Anakin Skywalker suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder (DSM IV-TR). Nevid (2008) “states that people with Narcissistic Personality Disorder have an inflated or grandiose sense of themselves and an extreme need for admiration” (p. 447). To be diagnosed with this disorder the person must meet five or more of the criteria. The criteria from the DSM that Anakin has is; a grandiose sense of self-importance (ex. xaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements), is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited power, believes that he is “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high status people, lacks empathy such as unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others, and is envious of other or believes that others are envious of him. In Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace where it shows Anakin, a slave, at the age of nine years old, living in Tatooine with his mother Shmi Skywalker.
Qui-Gon (Jedi), Obi-Wan Kenobi(Jedi), and Padme (Soon to be lover, and a Senator) arrive at Tatooine in desperate need of parts for their plane. To get parts for their ship, a bet was made with Watto. Anakin would race a podrace and if he wins Anakin would be free and the Jedis would get the parts they needed, but if he looses, Watto would get the ship. After a gruesome race, Anakin wins. During this scene he tells the Qui-Gon, Obi Wan, and Padme that he is a great pilot and he can build and repair anything, such as creating a droid named C-3PO.
This shows that he has a grandiose sense of self importance because of his achievements of building a droid and podracing. In Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones, it shows Anakin at the age of 19 being Obi Wan’s apprentice to fully become a Jedi. On is first assignment alone, Anakin is to protect Padme who he is starting to fall in love with. While protecting Padme, he has nightmares and senses that his mother is in pain. He goes home, and realizes that his mother is in a village of the Tusken Raiders.
Upon arriving he finds her on the verge of dying, and she died in his arms. Because of his mother dying and the pain he was feeling, he went on a murder spree and killed all the sandpeople. “I’m good at fixing things, always was, but I couldn’t. Why did she have to die? Why couldn’t I have saved her? I know I could have. “, said Anakin to Padme. “Sometimes there are things no one can fix, you’re not all powerful . “, said Padme to Anakin. “Well, I should be, someday I will be. I will be the most powerful Jedi ever. I promise you.
I will even learn to stop people from dying, its all Obi Wan’s fault he’s holding me back. “, said Anakin. Anakin then confesses to Padme that he killed them all, even the woman and the children. By Anakin saying that he will be the most powerful Jedi ever and that he will learn to stop people from dying shows that he is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited power. Johnson (1987) states that, “The narcissist’s object relations will consistently reflect his or her attempt to deny the rejected and suppressed reality and to achieve and present the false compensation”. p 42). Anakin’s way of thinking that he can stop people from dying presents a false compensation and he rejects what Padme said that sometimes there are things that nobody can fix. Also by him stating that its Obi Wan’s fault and that he is holding him back from more training and to be a higher rank Jedi and that’s not the case. Obi Wan and the Jedi Council is trying to help Anakin be the a well trained Jedi. Because Anakin believes that Obi Won is envious of him, it shows another criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
In Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, when Qui-Gon finds Anakin and learns he can pod race, ( pod racing is dangerous and only certain species and Jedis have the reflexes to drive a pod) has no biological father, and he discovers that Anakin has over 20 thousand midi-chlorians, which is more than the Jedi Master Yoda. Qui-Gon is convinced and so is the other Jedis that he is the “Chosen One”, a Jedi prophecy that is to bring balance to the force. Anakin is also enthusiastic that he is going to be trained as a Jedi.
In Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith, Chancellor Palpatine makes Anakin his representative on the Jedi Council, and Palpatine tells Anakin that he is a Sith Lord by the name of Darth Sidious and that the dark side can make him powerful and he can teach him the ways to prevent someone’s death. (Padme and Anakin get married and she becomes pregnant, and soon after Anakin starts having nightmares about Padme dying in childbirth, his senses are just like the ones from his mother) Anakin then reports his findings to a Mace Windu a Jedi Master.
A battle occurs when Mace Windu tries to arrest Palpatine. Near the end of the fight, Palpatine is laying on the floor and Windu is about to take the final blow to kill Palpatine, because he is too dangerous to be kept alive. Before Windu does, Anakin with a lightsaber cuts Windu’s hand, leaving Palpatine to kill Windu. Because of Anakins betrayal to the Jedi, he pledges himself to the dark side, and he becomes Darth Vader at that moment. This shows that he believes that he is “special” and unique because he was a Jedi and he was the “Chosen One”.
Because he thought the Chancellor Palpatine understood him by saving someone from death and because he was a Chancellor it shoes that he can only be understood by or should associate with, other special or high status people. In Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith, after becoming Darth Vader, his first assignment by Darth Sidious is to kill everyone inside the Jedi Temple, also including the younglings. Afterwards, Padme and Obi Wan, travels to Mustafar which consists of volcanoes and flowing lava to either help him or for Obi Wan to kill him.
Padme and Vader has an intense conversation of Vader turning to the dark side, and that he is powerful and he can rule anything. Padme then realizes that she cant be with Vader because he is going down a path she cant follow because of what he’s done and what he plans to do. Vader begins to start choke her and making her fall to the ground unconscious. Shortly after, Obi Wan and Vader has the most intensifying lightsaber battle, leaving Vaders legs and his left arm detached from his body. Obi Wan leaves him to die and his severed body catches on fire.
Palpatine then comes to Vader’s rescue, and he is then reconstructed into a black suit of armor. This shows that he lacks empathy, because he started to choke Padme, fighting with Obi Wan, killing everyone inside of the Jedi Temple and the sandpeople, and betraying the Jedis. According to Solomon (1989), “When the focus of life is on determining one’s own needs and finding another who can fill those needs and wishes, any relationship is in danger of being flawed by narcissistic expectations.
It is increasingly difficult for people to enter into loving relationships and to maintain them once they begin” (p. 4). For Anakin and Padme’s relationship it was set to Anakin’s own needs and wishes, to become powerful and to rule anything. Because of this, Padme left him due to the fact that he’s going down a path she cannot follow. References Johnson, S. (1987). Humanizing the Narcissistic Style (pp. 42). Canada: Penguin Books. Lucas, G. (1999). Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Motion Picture] United States: Lucasfilm Lucas, G. (2002). Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones. [Motion Picture] United States: Lucasfilm Lucas, G. (2005). Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith. [Motion Picture] United States: Lucasfilm Nevid, J. , & Rathus, S. , & Greene, B. (2008). Abnormal Psychology in a Changing World (pp. 446-448). New Jersey: Pearson Education. Solomon, M. (1989). Narcissism and Intimacy (p. 4). Canada: Penguin Books.