Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver) | Mental Health & Personality 

Should have left the porn movie to the third date, rookie mistake

Just a reminder, I’m not diagnosing anyone; I’m only speculating about what could be happening in a situation like this ...hey? Are you talking to me? ARE YOU talking to me?

Ok now he's just flexing on us w his knowledge of firearms

More than anything, Taxi Driver is about loneliness - "God's lonely man". One striking scene is while Travis is being put off and rejected by Betsy on the phone, the camera pans to an empty hallway.

“He’s somewhat assertive at times, like when he’s committing murder.” And that’s how Dr Grande killed me, cause now I’m ded.

If you wanted a side hustle, you could narrate books, I would listen.

I think Dr. Grande is overplaying personality traits and underplaying the trauma of his war experience in this one. Bickle is trying to transfer his sense of heroism as self-worth from the war front back to the home front.

Taxi Driver is a fantastic movie. I relate to Travis's inability to connect with others as I'm a introvert and autistic so it hard for me to be open about my feelings but unlike Travis I actually have friends and family that I care about. What makes Bickle a great character is we all on some level can relate his feeling of loneliness despite him being a messed up person.

I would be interested in your assessment of the main character of "Fight Club" :-) You really offer unique content. Many thanks and good night from Germany

I’ve been asking for this forever! I didn’t think you’d do it, thank you so much.

Awesome! That was great. Please, make one on "falling down" ft Michael Douglas.

You tryin' to assign the five-factor model of personality traits to me!? You diagnosin' me!? Then who the hell else are you diagnosin'!? Well, I'm the only one here...

I didn't know that you were such a gun nerd, Doctor.

Two-word idea for your next video: George Costanza. You can diagnose fictional characters in all their neurotic glory!

I’m so glad you made this video, taxi driver is such a great film!

Thank you so much for these videos lately, we really appreciate them!

“Days go on and on. They don’t end.”

As a 35 year old man I still really enjoy Taxi driver. The dreamy cinematography of 1970s New York, the jazz music playing is all very relaxing and unique to this film. I have been diagnosed with Social anxiety Disorder and can empathize with Travis in his loneliness, his inability to build close bonds with others, and his search for a purpose in his life. Enjoyed your analysis.

"The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer." ---D.H. Lawrence

One thing I find certain about Taxi Driver, it will be a movie remembered forever. Unique, well done, it leaves one wondering about life and it's many mysteries. I also feel that Travis is well worthy of Dr. Grande's analysis. Also, I do believe many murderers walked away free in NYC during that time period.

I finally kept up with o.c.e.a.n.! It became an Easter egg like activity. I’ll miss the challenge of breaking the Grande barrier, but look forward to having the occasion to say it many more times. Great well awaited video today. Thanks Dr. Grande

0:41 Summary of the movie 7:36 Travis's personality 14:34 Diagnose

I saw this film once when i was 17 and still remember it in detail. Can't say it was enjoyable but it made an amazing impact.

Great movie, great character evaluation. Sadly, there were thousands of Travis Bickles after the Vietnam War, and we starting creating even more in our Middle East misadventures.

I don't know if I'm impressed or nervous whenever I hear Dr. Grande speak so expertly on firearms.

The beginning of this video sounds like a movie review. "Hello this is Dr.Grande and welcome to my Ending-explained movies reviews." haha

Wow... I was hoping for this one. It's been a long time but I remember from the DVD commentary the writer was often disturbed by young men claiming to be another Travis Bickle. Since Bickle has features of a range of different mental illnesses maybe that gave him broad appeal to various disaffected people. I thought it was a phenomenal movie touching on the loneliness and conflicts of life in the city.

Bro I'm a new subscriber. Watched a ton already. You're channel is awesome and I'll tell you why. You're personality bro. You present your channel with no fluff no gaudy introduction no tacky videos just straight forward thoughts using your profession as you were trained to do. Also that dry humor I look forward to that every time That's it my dude. Thank you. Also could you please do a video on Andrei Chikatilo. I'm sorry that's my shameless plug for the video I really want to see lol.

I've found your reviews of fictional characters fascinating in deed. Keep it up. Always informative.

Can you do Patrick Bateman from American Psycho? Although it’s obvious from the title, an in depth analysis would be interesting.

Hey. Can you do tony soprano next. I'd love to see your take on him since you've a good job with the other ones of fictional characters

small inconsistencies in films, such as wrong slide position on a firearm, wrong holster, etc. these aren't mistakes, they're not errors, they don't lessen the film. Unless maybe its a documentary. a film is a story, you're supposed to be following the story, you're not supposed to be concerned by the wrong colored socks for the decade etc.

This was great! Can you do "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" some time?

Hello Dr. Grande! Thanks for always being so consistent.

Taxi Driver is one of my favorite movies, so hearing you do an analysis on Travis Bickle is defiantly interesting.

It's so refreshing to hear someone describe guns by name and in detail rather than the media's use of lazy and politically-loaded terms such as "firearms" and "assault rifles."

I think this movie does a great job of portraying a mentally unwell yet very relatable character. I feel like I can relate to Travis Bickle more so than others though because of my various predicaments I've been through. I'll just say that I'm very aware that I'm not of a normal sound mind and it is probably because of that, that he feels like a character I can connect with and understand. I especially understand seeing the ugly side of humanity and being so disgusted with it that you feel an urge to take matters into your own hands, as little as it may do in the moment

I love you Dr.Grande!! You always give such insight on so many people and characters, I always feel like I get so much more clarity after I see your videos!!!

It's nice to see someone who knows something about firearms Dr. Todd.

Good evening Dr Grande and everyone. Sending love 💙

Well Dr Grande you have us all mesmerized again. And thank you!

Martin Scorsese’s best film, imo.

It’s impressive how you were able to connect the guns used in this movie with the ones used by Robert DeNiro in other movie settings. Your analysis was very insightful and detailed, thank you!❤️

I really enjoy your highly educated and direct approaches to your topics. I watch the videos as they come out, and I think about what I’ve heard a great deal. Thankyou. Something rubbed me wrong this time. I sometimes find that experts in any field often think they have the correct (end of story) models for whatever they’re working on, be it airplanes, computers or medicine. In this case, psychiatry and psychology, and when something fails to fit the models it’s discounted as fallacious. That kind of thinking upsets me. You’re very intelligent with remarkable experience. I’ve watched all of your videos, believe it or not, dating back about 7 years. I wanted to get a good idea of who you were/are as an analyst, and it’s all very impressive. Because Bickle’s behavior doesn’t jibe with what you know doesn’t necessarily mean that his behavior vis a vie his mind is wrong. Discounting Taxi Driver on the basis of thinking the mental health thing was off here really annoyed me. Just being honest.

This was an amazing break down for one of my favourite characters in film! Your firearm knowledge was also very impressive. Maybe you could do Deniro’s character in “the king of comedy” Great video👏🏾

I'd have never noticed the mistakes with the firearms.

Doctor Grande certainly knows his firearms.

One of the greatest movies ever. One of the most iconic characters ever. And de Niro gave One of the greatest performances EVER. What an actor he was ...

I never watched Taxi Driver but now I want to. Really enjoyed this episode. Great job!!

The firearms trivia was impressive - I dig on the details - Bravo Good Doctor

Damn, Dr Grande really knows his guns

Doc, you have ruined me!! I cannot stop watching your videos. They are all so awesome, informative and insightful on several levels. All hail!🙌🏻

You could make a whole other range of merchandise with 'I remember the characteristics with the acronym canoes.'

I really appreciate your attention to detail, Dr. Grande. Sometimes that makes or breaks an authentic film. Although I was "old enough" at the time to watch Taxi Driver, I never have. But I feel like you've given me enough information that I could discuss it with the "best of 'em." Thanks again for another enlightening film character review!

I just think it's so hilarious that whenever it comes to the guns, Dr Grande is so thorough. He just spits straight gun stats

Robert DeNiro, back in the day...ahhhh 😙. I still love this guy. One of my favorite actors. Taxi Driver, one of my many favorite movies.

It's interesting how it seems that many disturbed characters in film are fictionally interesting but not necessarily realistic, as you've pointed out before. I liked both Taxi Driver and Joker anyways. I think they are both compelling portrayals of the potential effects and consequences of disillusionment. Anyways, not a gun fan at all myself but you keep track of gun models between scenes and also various movies ?? Just showing off now, aren't you??? 😄😄

I love when Dr.Grande subtly flexes his firearm expertise

I think Taxi Driver is a masterpiece and I also think Travis' character falls into the category of the antisocial paranoid who seeks justice and a better society in his own way. I am not a specialist, but in my opinion it can fit.

Would like to see patrick's bateman analisys

I would love DeNiro's character in Deer Hunter. Best to you Doc😀

Fantastic indepth analysis on Travis! Now that I have a deeper understanding of the character, I need to watch the movie again. Thank you, Dr. Grande!

I’ve seen this movie a few times. I enjoyed the character development and found myself rooting for Travis, hoping he finds a way out of his darkness, but I’ll have to watch it again with my acquired Dr. Grande discernment. Really enjoyed this video❣️❤️❣️

Hey Dr. Grande! Really cool that you did this analysis on Taxi Driver. Thanks and have a nice day! :)

I LOVE hearing a brilliant psychological analysis and summary of characters like this. The dark reality is that there really are people like Travis Bickle on this planet! Thank you, Dr. Grande, for another brilliant video, and for the extra firearm details, my husband thanks you!!!! 🧜‍♀️ 🧜‍♀️ 🧜‍♀️ 🧜‍♀️ ☠ 🏴‍☠️ 🦜 ☠ "YOU TALKIN' TO MEEEEEEE?????" LOL

I always thought that Travis was actually (and mainly) bipolar, with manic psychotic behavior striking over the course of the second half of the movie. It made sense to me when I thought about his insomnia, since sleep deprivation often goes heavily correlated with the occurence of manic behavior. Anyway, loved the video!

*Micheal Townley (AKA Micheal De Santa) | Mental Health & Personality*

What a vast and varied body of topics Todd Grande is able to talk about! I would not have pegged him for an expert on fire arms. I very much enjoy the videos. Thank you.

Great observations, just a couple thoughts, it would have been interesting to know Travis before going into the military, evidence suggests he had a caring family because he wrote to them and wanted them to be proud. He also used illicit stimulants to stay awake during long shifts. He is quite actively projecting in conversations with Sheppards character. The mowhawk, while not officially sanctioned by the Army or Marines, was not uncommon with troops assigned to forward bases who spent most of the time in the field, lastly, his neutral/casual demeanor in terms of both his abilities to remain in control and handle weapons can be ascribed to his training and field experience. I think a major driver is a subconscious desire to help Iris and is about his stolen adolescence by way of the draft, Iris obviously had hers stolen by adults, by helping her, he my find salvation on some level. Targeting Palatine was a macro level endictment o f hi stolen youth. There are some definite continuity errors but I try to look through the mental health and societal lens of the time.

Excellent analysis. How about an analysis of "Baby Jane' Hudson. She was the fictional character from the novel and movie (played by Bette Davis) 'What Ever Happened to Baby Jane'.

Psycho PTSD Veteran - go figure - the programming runs deep - no wonder I stay away from people in general - my service is not an honor/ it's a curse in 2020

Fascinating about the firearms. I enjoyed Taxi Driver. Probably because I'm don't have a strong knowledge of mental health issues. That would be like me watching a movie in which someone pretends to play a stringed instrument, but what they're doing has no relevance to the music on the soundtrack

My favorite film, thanks man 👌.. Travis makes himself lonely

Dr knows his guns, I've noticed on many of his videos, slight hints at his personal life and possible politics, refreshing

Awesome review, Dr. G! I think I read that Travis was created from a few "people" so that's why he's kind of all over the place psychologically. It is a great film to watch if you're a film student. Did you notice the music sounds like oncoming and passing traffic, and that the titles were like flashing tail lights of cars? Cool stuff and thanks again!! :)

Thank you for one more great video, Dr Grande. Like you, I didn't enjoy the experience of watching it, it's quite...unpleasant, though very well directed, acted and photographed. I was curious for your analysis of the personality disorders already, thinking if it were possible for a person to have such a collection of personality traits. I thought it would be possible at first. Great to hear your point of view as usual, though.☺

Since you did Travis Bickle you should consider The King of Comedy (also from Scorsese starring Robert De Niro).

Wow Dr.Grande you sure have a extensive knowledge of shooters, very impressive!

A very sad depressing film that I have never been able to stomach more than once. Have never been much of a Scorsese fan anyway but this film does a good job of demonstrating the difficulty many military veterans experience when they come home and try to reenter society. In the revenge genre, I would prefer "The Brave One", Foster does a good job playing the victim of a violent crime and the police detective character that Howard plays reminded me very much of the police officers I grew up interacting with. These were average blue collar American men (of all races) that worked their 10 to 12 hour shifts and tried their best to make a difference and protect the people that couldn't protect themselves 🇺🇸

What a pleasent suprise 💙

Thanks Dr G, I enjoyed this movie and the analysis. Wasn't it a very young Jodie Foster's breakout role? It makes me think of the movie The Professional (or Leon The Professional in some markets) - that was a great movie which featured a very young Natalie Portman in her breakout role. Leon or the Gary Oldman character or even Portman's character would be interesting subjects to analyse.

Dr.Grande . If possible Can you make a video on Spiritual narcissism. Thank you for your regular uploads. You enhance my knowledge every day.

Have you done a video on John Hinckley Jr.? If not then that would make a perfect follow up to this video.

Paul Schrader has said that Travis knew Betsy would be disgusted by the porno movie, he took her there to sabotage himself. I think this comes off ambiguously at best in the film, maybe because Scorcese chose not to direct it that way. In any case, that was the original idea. Schrader has said that the Bickle character represents something about how loneliness is a self-imposed condition. One can't have what they want, and what they want they can't have, yet they are choosing all of this. I think one thing that makes this movie so lasting is that Schrader and Scorcese reached deep within themselves to create the character, almost in an autobiographical sense. Schrader said that Bickle was "me without brains."

Dr. Grande I listen to you in the car and at home! Your fictional character studies are great, so I'd really like to see more females being discussed. Maybe Kate Winslet's character in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (BPD?) Natalie Portman's character in Black Swan (OCPD, psychosis?) Thank you, as always!

I'm very glad to have found your channel. It's very, very cool to see a clinician willing to give fiction genuine analytical consideration (to the extent that it can be, of course). I have some qoutes here from Paul Schrader, the scriptwriter of Taxi Driver, that I hope can provide a complementary look at what might be making the character resonate with so many people, and unfortunately inspiring some people in rotten mental situations themselves. It is also helpful to know that Paul Schrader was writing this partly autobiographically with a divergence before he followed through on what he saw as the logical conclusion of some of his darker temptations. "[on the character of Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver (1976)] When I set out to write the script I thought it was about loneliness. As I wrote it I realized it was about something a little different and more interesting: self-imposed loneliness, a syndrome of behavior that reinforces itself. And the touchstones of that kind of behavior are all kinds of contradictory impulses. Puristanism and pornography at the same time... "I've got to get healthy" while popping pills at the same time... That dreadful diet... It's full of these things that he does to make sure he'll never get to where he's going... so he can reinforce his own doomed condition." "After [Taxi Driver] came out, I had an office at Columbia, and I came back after lunch, and the pool secretary who was there said to me, “Don’t go into your office. There’s someone there.” I said, “Who is it?” She said, “I don’t know. He just came in. He wouldn’t say who he was.” So I went into my office, and there was a young man there, and he said to me, “I want to know how you found out about me.” I said, “What do you mean?” He said, “I’ve hitchhiked down from Seattle. I saw this movie - Taxi Driver. Who told you about me?” I said, “Well, let me get this straight. You probably were a taxi driver. You wrote about being a taxi driver, and you feel I have, somehow, stolen your idea?” He said, “No! No, I was never a taxi driver. I want to know who told you about me.” I realized, you know, he was, he was that thing, and I was sorta a little concerned that he might be armed. I said to him, I said, “You may think that the pain that you are going through is terribly unique, but it isn’t. I went through it, and the people who made this film know what it is, and hundreds of thousands of other young men out there know exactly what that pain is. When they see this movie, they recognize it. What you are recognizing is not something that is uniquely you. It is part of a pathology that we share. One of the beauties of recognizing it is that you can see that you are not alone and that you can see yourself in context.”

Ok, this is spooky. I just watched this movie Monday night. It was good, but he was koo-koo. 💅 Happy Wednesday!

One of my all-time favorite movies.

I grew up in nyc in the 70s a total shithole, too bad its going right back there again

This is not only an impressive breakdown of the mental illness side, but also an impressive breakdown of the film as a whole! Great video!

@Dr.ToddGrande have you every analyzed Holden Caufield from the J. D. Salinger's 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye?

Dr. Grande, you are an inspiration with how consistent you are in uploading a video every day! How do you stay consistent? I need to apply these principles to my life.

Wow....Taxi Driver. Talk about "Back in the day"! 🤣

i love taxi driver, it's in my top 10 favourite films, maybe top 5. i've seen it many times and never get bored.

I wouldn't call Travis's mental health characteristics unrealistic. Your thoughts on his diagnosis fit perfectly with my diagnoses I've received about a year ago. I have mixed personality disorders including narcissistic, antisocial, schizoid, schizotypal, OCD... I find him incredibly relatable. We are nearly the same person. I WANNA DIE SOMEBODY HELP ME

I liked your analysis more then I liked the movie!! Thank you Dr Grande🙏❤️ Sending you love from Vancouver 🇨🇦

Doctor/ gun expert Dr. Grande always over achieving

Thank you so much for making this! I really like this movie and watching your video helped me to appreciate it even more. If you have not already, could you please discuss Gilberto Valle, “The Cannibal Cop”?

The latter half of the film is simply Travis' pathetic hero-fantasy. That's why you see continuity 'errors': imagination is flexible and forgetful. Also, Travis does the forefinger-to-head gesture to show he's got a crazy interior monologue. At the last scene, his haircut is precisely the same as the opening scene. It's a mental fantasy.

Love the details great work