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An Analysis of Chandler Bing’s Personality Bailey Moulden University of Northern Iowa

An Analysis of Chandler Bing’s Personality Chandler Muriel Bing, one of the main characters from the hit TV series “ FRIENDS ,” was born April 8, 1968. His parents Nora Tyler Bing, an erotic novelist, and Charles "Helena Handbasket" Bing, a cross dressing, homosexual burlesque star, provided an unstable home for young Chandler they finally divorced on Thanksgiving of his ninth year. After college, Chandler moves to New York where he meets his best friend, Joey Tribbiani. Chandler and Joey live across the hall from Monica and Rachel Monica’s brother Ross, Chandler’s college roommate, and Phoebe, Monica’s previous roommate, are also a part of the gang. The show follows these six as they live their lives in New York City. Chandler is usually the comic relief of the show, with his inability to talk to women, frequent sarcastic comments, and general anxiety about everything. While his friends may accept his personality for what it is, the concepts and approaches of Freudian, Freudian, and Trait theorists can help us understand how Chandler’s personality was formed. First, let’s use the ideas of Sigmund Freud to analyze Chandler’s character. Freud believed that on our way to adulthood, we each went through certain Psychosexual stages of Development, if one were to struggle with a specific stage, they may develop a fixation or the tying up of psychic energy that leads to the inability to function normally. It is my belief that Chandler may have fixations in two of Freud's stages of Psychosexual development. Firstly, the oral stage. This stage is during the first 18 months of life, during this time, the primary erogenous zones are the mouth, lips, and tongue. Traumatic experiences during this stage have led Chandler to develop an oral personality, in that he is dependent on others and possesses an infantile need

to his friends and has relentless anxiety about not being good enough. This is most often shown in Chandler’s romantic relationships, he has trouble accepting that any woman could love him and, even after he and Monica are married, frequently brings up her past partners (“The One with the Secret Closet”). Another Neo Freudian perspective we can apply to this case study is that of Erik Erikson. Erikson, who believed that personality development occurred in stages similar to Freud, presents the eight stages of personality development. He believed that these stages span the entirety of our lives and that we continued to develop our personality throughout our existence. Akin to Freud’s idea of fixation during the psychosexual stages of development, Erikson understood that hardships during the early stages of your life could further affect your personality. Chandler most likely has difficulty in adolescence, during the stage of identity versus role confusion. Chandler had a troublesome relationship with his father during his teenage years, which lead him to lack a strong sense of identity. Though he is highly successful occupying the important role of executive specializing in statistical analysis and data reconfiguration along with other high grade positions He frequently complains about how much he dislikes his job. This being said, even though he often mentions his disdain for his career, he refuses to quit and move on to something he might enjoy. An additional Neo Freudians concept that can be applied the personality of Chandler Bing is the idea of Attachment styles. Attachment styles are formed when we are very young, but are also visible in our personalities as we age and develop. Chandler displays an anxious ambivalent attachment, this is formed when a child’s caregiver is inconsistent in their responses, often the effect of parents dealing with their own problems like divorce. Children

blame themselves for this inconsistency and develop self models of doubt, insecurity, and uncertainty. Chandler is rarely sure of himself and is often anxious about others ideas about him. He attempts to act like a loner but unconsciously craves social contact and love. Our last frame of analysis is that of Trait theorists. Trait theorists describe the basic dimensions of personality as the degree to which a person possesses five specific traits, these are neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Chandler would rank higher in neuroticism because he is anxious and unstable. Also high scores in this trait are due to the experiencing of frequent emotional distress, which appears in many Chandler centered episodes. Chandler is closer to introverted because he doesn't like to go out and meet new people, he always hangs out with the same friends, has difficulty talking to new people especially women. This is shown through his relationship with Janice. Chandler and Janice date on and off for several seasons, a trait theorist may say this is due to his anxiety about meeting new people. Chandler lacks openness, seeing as how he prefers the familiar over the new. He would rate lower on agreeableness. Due to his rocky childhood, Chandler is skeptical and untrusting, often requiring valid proof before believing something. Chandler is easily distracted and frequently careless, giving him a low conscientious score. For example, when his boss complains about the large pile of paperwork on his desk, Chandler suggests he simply throw it in the shredder and claim he never received it (“The One With Rachel’s Date”). His boss laughs, thinking this is some of Chandler’s sarcastic humor, but it is clear this is something he participates in regularly. While Chandler’s friends may question the development of his personality, we have many theories to help us understand how he came to be the way he is. From Freud’s

References Bright, K., Kauffmann, M., & Crane, D. (2000). The One With the Proposal: Part One [Television series episode]. In Friends. Burbank: NBC. Bright, K., Kauffmann, M., & Crane, D. (2001). The One With Rachel’s Date [Television series episode]. In Friends. Burbank: NBC. Bright, K., Kauffmann, M., & Crane, D. (2004). The One with Ross’s Teeth [Television series episode]. In Friends. Burbank: NBC.

Bright, K., Kauffmann, M., & Crane, D. (2004). The One with the Secret Closet [Television series episode]. In Friends. Burbank: NBC. Bright, K., Kauffmann, M., & Crane, D. (2003). The One with all the Thanksgivings [Television series episode]. In Friends. Burbank: NBC.