I'm just... kinda gushing over how amazing yhis Peter Pan is... I've never fancied Once Upon a Time, but ever since I saw Peter Pan in the show, I was like "I need to check this out", and like a lot of people, I didn't like an evil Pan, but he quickly became my favorite character
You know what intrigues me? *Several* Peter Pan-based clips from OUAT present a character who seems more BORDERLINE than narcissistic. You see, recruiting Lost Boys--and preventing their departure--seem to be the primary concerns for Peter here, while his ego and ideals look more like SIDE NOTES...
I should pause to mention that the OUAT incarnation of Peter Pan is *atypical* for people with borderline PD, whether female OR male; sufferers of NEITHER sex are particularly likely to have shadow syndroms of antisocial PD. All the same, these clips from OUAT bring to mind some research I've done on borderline and PD's. I remember reading a post on a clinical psychologist's website a year or two ago. Now this therapist's post lectured about her experiences trying to treat PARENTS (mainly mothers) with borderline PD... Her observations and explanations still seem applicable to many borderlines who are neither parents nor necessarily even in an established relationship.
Anyhow, the aforementioned therapist asserted that parents suffering from borderline PD typically fall into one of four subcategories: "waif", "hermit", "queen" [or "king"], and "witch" [or "wizard/warlock"]. The OUAT incarnation of Peter Pan seems to fit her description of that last subcategory... In *this* clip here, we see Peter do more than try to domineer others. Possibly more important, he also goes beyond drilling perceptions of his superiority into the minds of others while (sometimes) reinforcing such notions by inducing others to perceive themselves as inferior. These tactics of the "dictatorial" borderline {{I prefer to use adjective-based paraphrases of all four of the previously enumerated subcategories}} DON'T appear prominently in Peter's modus operandi... Meanwhile, we *do* observe Peter playing on others' insecurities, on fears and susceptobilities WITHOUT any noteworthy connection to his supposed superiority or the alleged inferiority of others. Peter exhibits a devious perceptiveness of others' vulnerability, let alone a given individual's unique vulnerabilities apart from those of other individuals. He exploits these vulnerabilities to change other people's perceptions of *external reality*; he goes beyond using others' insecurities to undermine their self-confidence, creating multiple far-reaching illusions that rewrite others' sensations of external reality. Peter couples these subversive ruses with a pronounced streak of sadism (as well as nightmarish amorality).
Finally, recent research on puer/puella aeternus also factors into my assessment of OUAT's Peter Pan. Rootlessness (particularly lack of precise long-term goals and clearly defined values) is a defining symptom of the puer or puella... Many sufferers of narcissist PD, meanwhile, have long- or mid-term goals that revolve around their lofty self-image. Why do I care about the distinction between puer/peels and (presumably more typical) narcissists? "Rootlessness" constitutes a blurry, highly malleable basis for aim and self-image. This unstable self-concept is among the hallmarks of borderline PD. Additionally, the puer/puella aeternus significantly resembles a histrionic variant of borderline PD called the "impulsive" subtype. The "impulsive borderline" exhibits rootlessness combined with spontaneity, fickleness, and elevated vitality of an uninhibited nature. All four of those traits are well-documented characteristics of the puer/puella!
He’s manipulative and twisted. He won’t reveal his real plans but he’ll twist other Peoples’ thoughts and lower the trust they have with others by mischief
There is no "original" Peter Pan where he is the villain. Whatever do you mean? "Peter Pan" is originally a play written by J. M. Barrie and the titular character there, while sometimes behaving rather selfish (like a child, actually), is definitely not a villain.
