The Psychology of Harley Quinn, and Domestic Violence | Gnoggin 

i hate how couples continue cosplaying them without any background knowledge. It looks badass if you know and you still do it, but people who just do it cause it looks cool without knowing anything is what bothers me :(

after having just gotten out of an abusive relationship, "you have all of our support" brought me to tears

This look into Harley Quin and her relationship with the Joker is amazing. Disturbing yes, but these kinds of relationships always are. My mother was in a heavily abusive relationship with my father. Much of what he did was the result of heavy drug and alcohol abuse but it didn't stop her from reacting on her survival instinct to protect her children and herself from further harm. However, much like Quin, she was in denial about it for years. It took me saying as a small child "Mommy, maybe you should be with someone who's nicer to you.". She told me that was the wake up call where she realized her kids were being affected by this, not just her. People who haven't lived it, or lived around it don't understand what it's like. So thank you for making this video.

Finally someone that knows things! So many people romanticize their "relationship", he used her to escape Arkham in first place. Congrats, subscribed right away ♡

As a man that was involved in an emotionally and always on the verge of physically abusive relationship I can tell you, that no matter what, no matter what your gender, you can get help and escape. I met her, we hit it off and got together. Then slowly it became I was never any good for anyone, why should I try to find anyone else to share my life, platonic friendship or romantic relationship, when I have her. Watching a show, if she thought the female characters were too hot I might leave her for them (no idea how, but abusive people are never logical.) She would break stuff, sometimes right next to my ear when I wasn't paying attention. If I showed a mind of my own, she told me she'd break my head open with a heavy cast iron pan one of these days and then I would get arrested because the police always blame the man in these situations. But I was lucky to have her because no one would ever want me but her. It took a combination of an epiphany while hearing a song, I will never be able to repay the guys at Repo: The Genetic Opera for Night Surgeon, along with threats of violence from me to back her down, getting friends and family helping me get out of the situation, even some people I would normally call my enemies helped me, and moving out of state for a few months so that she would get tired of it and move onto an easier target. Just a pure nightmare so again, if you are in this situation, do not allow yourself to be bulldozed. GET HELP!

It's weird how much I used to relate to Harley. Instead of physical violence, I was emotionally and mentally abused and I didn't have anybody. I had myself and I use my isolation to help me get away. Although this happened when I was a kid, I was in this similar relationship with my ex. He didn't throw out of a window or anything like that but he would ignore me and put his games and friends before me and I wasn't happy. When I finally broke up with him, he told me that I would be nothing without him. And now I'm in a new relationship with someone who puts me before himself sometimes, even though I tell him not to. And I'm happier than I've ever been. In my experience, sometimes relying on yourself is the only way to go

Literally if he doesn't work at a radio station he needs to bc he literally has the perfect voice for it. NPR, get on him

I walked away from my Joker after 1 year of planning and 1 year of trying to gain the courage to leave. He made sure that I was completely isolated and dependent on him. When I left I had 50 dollars because that was all I was able to hide from him as he took any money I got as a gift ... I didn't have a drivers license and I didn't have a job. I could go on but I think you got the picture. It's been almost 15 years since the divorce and I'm still dealing with overcoming the damage. If you see yourself in what I had gone through, please first know .... you are precious and wonderful and deserving of real love....not mental manipulation disguised as love. Get out....now...or start planning it if you can't just leave. That goes for guys too...there are as many cases of men being abused as women.... they just don't report it because of the stigma of not being the strong head of the house. Get out! Find love.....and learn to love and accept yourself.

I still don't get why people want a relationship like Harley Quinn and the Joker. It gets me mad when people post pictures of them and saying that they're goals.

I was actually in an abusive relationship for several years and comics are actually what helped me through it.

Don't be a Joker to your Harley Quinn be her poison ivy.

This video made me realize how toxic my relationship really was. I went through 2 and a half years of abuse.

Funny how "poison ivy" is the cure.

I love this. People always think Harley is just a female Deadpool these days, but she's so much more. I can relate to Harley so much because of her reliance on the Joker. She stays with him because she thinks she has nowhere else to go, and because deep down she really wants to believe he cares about her despite everything he does to her showing the opposite. Seeing her overcome her demons really touched me in a way that entertainment rarely does. By that point I had already overcome my own demons, but had I read this before doing so I think it definitely would have helped me even more.

I was in a "bad" relationship (perhaps not as bad as Harley's but still some times it was pretty bad). It took me a long time to get out and finally leave for good. I remember thinking to myself "This relationship is giving me anxiety. He makes me feel guilty for everything and I feel like I sometimes have to walk on eggshells around him. He's lying, making me cry and I'm not happy" As soon as I finished that though the first thing that popped in to my mind was this: "I don't want to be happy, I want to be with him" I was so disturbed by my own though that a short time after I ended it for good. I guess I can see a bit of myself in Harley. I think that when the heart is hungry we eat lies and accept any kind of love, even if we only get a minimal amount back. I loved the video! ❤

So deep I nearly drowned. Definitely a different type of video today.

oh I just love how he mentioned ivy as her new healthy relationship, not mason! visibility for bi girls❤

This video touched my heart deeply, as I suffer from psychological abuse and manipulation frequently. Not as bad as Harley and no serious physical abuse, but just as damaging emotionally. Harley Quinn is someone with whom I can strongly relate.

Just realising my ex is 80% Joker, which may explain why this relashionship almost destroyed me...

WHY IS WATER COMING OUT OF MY FACE?

This is so insane. My ex husband was just like the joker even his smile. I to was in the medical field until I met my ex. Harley and I have a lot in common. People always say they want Harley and Joker's relationship goals. Trust me you don't. I'm so glad that Harley got a good ending.

This is why I liked Joker and Harley's relationship better in suicide squad because it wasn't abusive. It pains me to see Harley just getting used.

Had a blast editing this for you, i shall be reading everyones comments on their thoughts

*dude your editing is goals*

I want to hug Harley so much right now :((

Harley and Ivy are the best relationship in any form of media.

Damn.. I never realized how bad Harley was abused and how bad she had it 0_0

I agree with 95% of this, but Poison Ivy is also Harley's abuser. In past comics it's been shown that Ivy does all of the same things that Joker does to her, just to a lesser degree. I saw Suicide Squad recently and they grossly romanticize their relationship. They made Joker seem loving and like he cares for her, and at the end of the movie he even comes back to break her out of jail. Which he would never actually do. I hope for the day that people stop romanticizing these kinds of toxic relationships.

He needs to do the joker next if he did Harley Quinn

You guys just ROCK!!! I'm a retired teacher who taught young adults and there were several over the years that suffered from abusive relationships. Most kept me as only the teacher, when I tried to talk to them and left the only option for me to help being reporting it to the administration and talked to fellow classmates about helping anyone who might be going through it. While I never singled out the individual who was having problems they were able to make friends with people who got them help. Those that I was able to get help for though counseling, and in some cases, the campus police resources, ended up getting out of those relationships resulting in being happier, grades improved, and developed close friendships with other students. The worst part is that domestic violence is more commonly seen as against females, but unfortunately this is a non-gender specific problem. Males are even more reluctant to get help as society dictates that males are somehow immune or should be able to handle it. Bottomline is that male or female, you should NEVER be with someone who physically, mentally, or emotionally abuses you!!! No matter how strong you are, remember that even concrete breaks when it's hit enough. It is never a weakness to ask for help!!! Look, I'm a just a guy that knows nothing about phycology, but I do know how to care. With all the troll comments RU-vid is famous for, I know that almost all those trolls behind the keyboards care as much as I do, if you know anyone going through this please use your talents at cutting people to the core to get these people help. Sorry for the long comment. Just seen too many wonderful people go through hell and this video was so well done that it brought all those memories back to the surface.

I never knew Harley Quinn's backstory, and it's too relatable. Hope I can find an Ivy. 😔

Sadly abusers are usually so broken that they want to break others. Joker being a good example

I've went through the exact cycle of abuse, and it took me 6 years to finally leave him with help from my friends I packed my stuff and left, he tried being a narcissist by telling them how a shitty person I was but they didn't believe him, I've been away from him for a month now, but there is still fear of cutting ties with him.

This was an amazing and emotional video. This is why Harley Quinn is by far my favorite DC villian

sorry but gotta shine light on the suicide squad movie, I really appreciate the new dynamic between the couple given. people are complaining scenes were cut but it was to demonstrate the couple as less one sidedly abusive (im trying to put it a way that makes sense). most the movie the joker is a support to harley and almost encourages her individual strength and power. the movie showed harley could function by herself though the joker still mattered to her, the fact that she was comforted by the fact the joker could "rescue her" throughout the movie and the fact she chose to go into the acid vat were reasons i really enjoyed the movie.

damn it, you made me cry like harley quinn when batman tells her that the joker is using her. Anyone else feel bad for harl?

I like the editing! good work cyberchimp

I know absolutely nothing about comics, but suddenly I a) ship Poison Ivy with Harley and b) hate the joker.

his voice is comforting c:

Ugh she has sooo much love to give and the Joker just throws it away like it's nothing )':

Being in an emotional abusive relationship, he laughed at me, he picked on me, he forced me to kiss him and would get mad at me whenever I decided I didn't want to go out. Though I got out of the situation quickly somehow, I still count it as abusive because even though I never got a mark on my body, alot of his words left one in my head. Harley growing as a character and as a person is the symbol of what alot of people go through or want to succeed in friendships and relationships. We want to be that confident person Harley has become and face our demons in a way we can truly look in the mirror and feel whole as ourselves. How long that takes is well, hard to tell. But whoever is reading this. You CAN get out. You WILL get out. I know you will.

I personally think that the Joker from Suicide Squad is different from the abusive Joker we usually see. So, think about it like this: You know how comics always have different dimensions? You can go on the Marvel or DC wikis, spend an hour trying to figure out the dimensions and who is in each one, and you might still not get it. Some people say certain movies take place in certain dimensions, blah blah blah. Anyways, as an example, some are still trying to figure out what dimension the Deadpool movie is in. (Most people say it's the Wolverine's dimension) But anyway, in the original Deadpool story, Wade was with Vanessa for a little bit, but they broke up and never got together again. he never went through all of the events of the movie to save her. So, Deadpool is in a different dimension. Similar to this, I've never heard about the Joker doing several operations to locate Harley, figure out how to get her back, likely fighting through Midway City just to get a helicopter to get her. Sounds like a lot of work for one of his many toys (See what I did there? "You Don't Own Me?" Eh! Eh!)

One of the main problems of the character of Harley Quinn is that she has no beginning without the Joker, she is a character that is so intensely linked to the joker that she loses something when she's not somewhat linked with the joker. So basically what I'm trying to say is, is there a happy ending for Harley? Well there probably never will be, there's no life to go back to before the Joker, none that she would want to anyway, and just running away from the joker isn't gonna fix anything. Staying with the joker is also bad because the cycle will just continue. The only way her character can have a happy ending is WITH the joker, but a changed joker, one that she managed to reform. But unfortunately the joker will never change, so unfortunately in a way, her popularity is her own downfall because now that she's a more important character and we want to see her achieve her aspirations, her aspirations are forever unattainable.

I'm not a victim of Domestic Abuse, but I feel similar symptoms of being one. I think it because almost everyone I've met IRL has brought me down more times then I can count. Saying anything I do is wrong or anything I want is/are "Fictional Beliefs." I've been compliant to everyone so that I don't get emotionally hurt even more, it's taken a toll on my mind, making a somewhat split personality, a version of me that's stronger, fights solo, but is loved by millions. *_Please don't respond to this._** I do not want sympathy, I just want to share my feelings.*

Harley is such an inspiration for people who've had abusive relationships. And yet again people are blindly calling there significant others their "Joker/Harley" like it's so gross. This video is so informative a very well edited.

the growth of Harley Quinn shows us that nobody cares about a really interesting woman until you start taking her clothes off.

Seeing Harley fall back in love with the joker soon after he nearly killed her from throwing her out a window is one of the saddest things from any cartoon.

I escaped domestic violence and am free

To be fair, the Joker does care for Harley to a certain extent. He tries to kill her many times because he doesn't know exactly how to deal with his feelings. It's something he wishes he couldn't feel. Their relationship is so interesting and complex. After all: "Everyone else sees the Joker laugh, only Harley has seen him cry."

I hate that Posion Ivy and Harley Quinn are in a sexual relationship. Just as bad as Batgirl X Batman

I always loved Harley since I was a little girl!!! After suicide squad people liked her cause they think she hot or baddass..They did not know the true past of her.What created her that way. I'm so happy poision Ivy helped her out and they make a more betyer couple!!

Excellent breakdown of their abusive dynamic. As a psychology student, it's frustrating for me to hear people say staying with an abusive person is "stupid," which is a gross oversimplification. Also because I've been in an abusive relationship myself. It's a very complex problem.

"My fault, I didn't get the joke" that will always give me chills down my spine.

Poor Harley, I hate the Joker. And it's funny. Ivy is my favorite Batman villain and now I wish I had someone like her in my life. Wasn't expecting that.

She started off as a childhood crush but now she's ur wet dream cmon I mean look at marko Robbies costume u would tap that

Great, now I can't make sex jokes about Harley without being berated for "attacking an abuse victim".

But what if the Joker never leaves her alone? I mean how can you escape the Joker? ask a Batman for help? or just kill him off yourself? PS. Guess Nolan with his The Dark Knight Movie was right about how every single person can be a Joker, they just don't know it yet. :(

Joker is a person who tries to love . In a story that most fake fans didn't see him and his pregnant wife needed money and his wife passed away with the baby. They are obviously both victims

I'm probably the only one that wishes Harley and Joker were still back together instead of the clusterfuck the comics became :/

Yeah... I tried being someones "poison Ivy" more than once. But she was Always returning to that psycho. Last time it happened and she had to run, I helped her again. Was going on with all we got. We had a plan. We'd get him locked Up and I'd be a witness at the trial. But due to her having spent most of her life in psycopathic relationships, one day she just screwed me over and just disappeared.... She didn't show up in court either, so they had to let him out. .. I found out later that she was back with him again. Why I found out was because he called me because they had a fight and she run away again and he wanted to know if she'd come to me, but she hadn't. That was like half a year ago. Now I've heard she's a drug addict, wanted by police for some reason but she's moved to another town. She don't wanna have any contact with me but I know most stuff cuz of the agreement we had with the police, since I was the only person they trusted having her stay at. Anyways .. I've got a new saying in life. That you can only save those who actually wanna be saved. You can't save someone who won't accept being saved. ... She's reduced to a shadow and it's sad.

Man... I've never had an analysis touch my heart so deep... I may never see Harley the same way again...

Thats why I was so surprised when Joker was so different towards her in Suicide Squad. Harley deserves to be loved back. 😞

This is the best video of Harley's past that I've seen. Her backstory and strength to get out are one thing that I relate to in her story, in addition to her personality. I was so glad with what they did with the New 52 where she grows strong enough to leave, and the relationship she finds with Ivy.

i hate when they romanticized their relationship in suicide squad. abuse is not ok at all i should know

I believe that harley and joker love each other. of course their relelationship isn't the healthiest but is harley truly innocent? SHE KILLS PEOPLE.

As a little girl growing up in an abusive home that tormented not only myself but also my mother. I used to watch Batman the animated series and the first that I saw HARLEY something clicked for me and there was finally a character I could relate to as an abused 12 year old girl. I have read some of the Harley comics where she has broken up with the Joker and those were a source of strength for me as a surviver of multiple types of abuse. I really thought that you did a great job with this video. I also cried and thought it was inspirational. I agree that you do have a calming voice. I thought that you did a good job of breaking down something as complicated as the cycle of abuse even though there is much more that happens in the dynamics of an abusive relationship. I also think you did a very accurate job of explaining Harley. Not only that but you talked about helping people going through this situation and added links for people to get help. That was especially impressive to me because in my opinion your video raised awareness about domestic violence and had links to sites people could look up for more help and added information. Thank you for making this video. I think that you really did it justice.

Dude I love the joker and harley together, but Bro... You make such good videos. It felt like I was watching an episode of 50/50 😭 kudos man!

i prefer the older Harley then the new 52 one

Damn dude, this made me well up with tears. Much love to anyone going through this.

Nice video lockstin

i love harley and the joker but i hate them as a couple. spoiler alert in the suicide squad movie the joker accually looked like her truely cared about her. not only did he deactivate the bomb in her neck but he broke her out of prison at the end.

This video brought me to tears, because I am still on the road to recovery and finding strength to combat my demons. From the bottom of my heart, thank you

3:00 LOLOL I don't ship Harley and Joker BECAUSE of this. I watched suicide squad and I was not having it! He uses her like an object! Hittin your boo makes bad boo boos

Domestic Violence effects men and women

I wish Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn would become cannon in a movie. They make me so happy. I also loved this video; Harley Quinn's story is so inspirational. Side note: If I hear one more person say "Joker and Harley Quinn are OTP"... I don't know man. It's just like... wtf is wrong with you.

Harley Quinn is a Precious Cinnamon Bun, and must be protected

I hate it when people point to the relationship between Harley and Joker as an example of love, when it is so clearly abusive it's almost a characture of abuse.

well at least all the abuse scenes in suicide squad were cut out

Hey Lockstin, great video! Can you make a video on the psychology of The Joker for the next part of this series? :)

I love this so much. I love Harley Quinn because of how strong she is. I mean I know she has extreme Stockholm Syndrome and her and the Joker are one of the many " relationship goals" but she's so beautiful and amazing. I'm honestly really glad she's dating Ivy now. At least Ivy isn't like Joker is.

Currently about to be a year free from my abuser, seeing this made me cry. I this whole time I've looking for something/someone I can compare my abuser to. He treated me exactly like the Joker. A narcissistic, abusive, psychopath.

Wait did Harley really kiss Ivy! That's sooooo cute~

Gnoggin in my opinion this is your best theory yet your video quality is rising so fast and making a theory about a real issue and talking about it in a serious way while successfully putting in a few jokes "in your style" this is great only because of that theory i think that you deserve more subscribers then most of the youtubers out there i personally think that you have made your best decision by deciding to move on and experiment with new formats instead of making easy to make top 10s i was a long follower of your channel and i've watch you (as a youtuber ) growing up and the fact that you are now making videos about problems with our society in a serious way is mind blowing to me i think that you have finally found your own style although if you dont feel that way try out new formats because so far you have made so many right decision regarding your youtube career p.s. sorry for the long comment but i had to give you at least a compliment for this awesome video

It kind of reminds me of my parents. My dad has BPD, and when he got mad, he would throw things, and break things. He would make comments about every little thing my mom did "wrong" in his eyes. The house was never clean enough for him. She eventually got the courage to leave him, after cheating on her for so long. Last summer I was his new scapegoat. He pushed me over the edge and I attempted suicide. I felt worthless. "Maybe I did deserve it, maybe I just don't deserve happiness." Things like that ran through my head constantly. I don't handle abuse well, especially someone who I had loved so much for years. It cut deep. My mom had warned me that he was manipulative, although I hadn't seen it until that moment that I saw his manipulation at play. Recently, my therapist told him about my suicide attempt. My dad has been extra nice to me, like that will change the fact that I no longer have a self esteem or can't trust people.

Harleen Quinzel is hotter than Harley Quinn...

Oh gawd, I was not expecting to be thrown back into my bad memories. Though for what its worth, I became my own Ivy

Damn....I'm unable to really keep up with comics but it makes me immensely happy to see that the writers have given her so much development over the years. Great to know she's become more of an example than she used to be :) Love you Harley!!

And on the part 2 of this we get-....... oh wait, there's no part 2 that we have to wait for? Noice!

I love your explanation on Harley's background. Not many people genuinely understand her. Thanks for all your work!

i watched this video when i was i a similar situation, my ex-fiancee was addicted to alcohol and i just broke up school to help him and i thought "but if i leave him, won't ever get clean, he will die" and now, 3 years later, he's clean, and guess who ended up being addicted👏🏼

that's how my mom and step father relationship is, and I'm my mom ivy,I'm a psychology in CSi a I still am helping my mom. although sometimes she throws him out and then brings him back ,I still have hope that she'll one day leave him for good.

This is exactly why i wanna take up psychology for college 😂😂😂 i love to read and understand the minds of people :3 and now i kinda feel bad cuz i actually shipped joker and harley 😅

I am a domestic violence abuse survivor. This is so spot on, and the reason it took me so long to leave. Thanks for doing this and spreading the word. I still have the scars but I am finally starting to feel like myself again. There is hope.

Then suicide squad comes out and throws all that development down the drain smh

I love Doctor Quin when she is doing her own thing, like decapitating Lobo and crushing on Power girl.

I just showed this video to my daughter. She’s 8 and loves Harley! Her middle name is Harlow so I’ve always called her Harley. Anyway, I’m a survivor of domestic abuse and she witnessed it. By the hands of her father... Were both free and have been for 5 years and this whole video was done beautifully! Thank you for this moment! I didn’t know it would get THAT deep but I’m glad it did... she liked the video as well and I think she loves Harley THAT MUCH MORE

i had a friend in a abusive relationship and she just got out of it around this time. life works in weird ways.

I liked how the Joker wasn't abusive towards Harley in Suicide Squad

The first time I saw this video, I had just gotten out of an abusive relationship. This video helped me alot to get over what had happened to me. Thank you so much Lockstin

When you were going over the list of traits of a domestic abuser, I just kept nodding to myself. My ex best friend's boyfriend fit almost every one of those characteristics and she kept saying he was the best boyfriend in the world and anyone who said otherwise wasn't needed in her life. Lowkey wishing she would see this because Harley is my favorite supervillian.