Wednesday is a Netflix original series released in November 2022. The main essence of the plot is that the eldest child of the Addams family, a girl named Wednesday, is gloomy and gloomy. In addition, she grew up in a rather extravagant family whose members showed extraordinary abilities (Gough & Millar, 2022). She goes to the academy, where instead of studying, she focuses on solving mysteries and finding a serial killer (Gough & Millar, 2022).
Wednesday has clear developmental and mental health issues that form the main picture of her character. The main problem is the violation of the socio-emotional attitude towards society. The main character does not like people and prefers the loneliness of the company; she does not express emotions and remains indifferent to different situations. In addition, Wednesday is content to deal with violence as she calmly investigates murders and assesses her readiness for physical violence.
Characteristics of the personage are extensive. However, it is important to focus on her physical and mental data. First of all, the physical condition of the girl is different from others. She is extremely thin, which indicates a lack of weight and possible problems with eating behavior. In addition, Wednesday is distinguished by a pale complexion, uncharacteristic of a healthy growing organism. In some episodes, one can notice severe bags under the eyes and prominent bruising (Gough & Millar, 2022). The norm for teenagers her age is a body without signs of anorexia, a healthy, ruddy complexion and a fresh look. Wednesday does not fall under these criteria, which indicates a lack of physical growth.
However, what stands out in Wednesday’s abilities is her high cognitive development. The main character is smart and analyzes what is happening, looking at things from different angles and applying them to different events. She successfully uncovers the secrets of the academy, drawing conclusions about a secret society and possibly a serial killer. People are able to strategically plan their actions in relation to an investigation and draw conclusions based on the information gathered (Andrews et al., 2021). Nevertheless, there are problems with decentration when communicating with other people, in particular with peers (Andrews et al., 2021). She points out to people the things she does not like about them and sometimes does it rudely, not caring about the feelings of others.
Wednesday and her family have a rather specific relationship with each other. Parents respect the girl’s choice and in general, they all live according to the standards they set. However, Wednesday often does not respond to the speech and conversations of parents, not listening to them and not showing interest (Gough & Millar, 2022). In some cases, this is reminiscent of a complete lack of respect for some family members for others. In adolescence, the child’s psyche is mobile and conditioned by hormones. Thus, Wednesday’s behavior is, on the one hand, normal and may be a relic of age-related changes.
Wednesday has several mental problems, but Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) stands out most clearly among them. Wednesday shows little interest in the feelings of others, which indicates a lack of empathy. She is cruel and promises her friend to shoot her boyfriend if he offends her (Gough & Millar, 2022). In addition, she has difficulty understanding other people’s condition and understanding their feelings. This aggression is manifested towards ill-wishers who can offend her. In addition, Wednesday shows sadistic tendencies towards his brother, whom he can tie up and close in a closet.
Critical social theory can be applied to Wednesday’s behavior. The main character opposes society and its established culture, thereby criticizing its foundations and the power that determines them (Azevedo et al., 2020). She does not trust teachers and does not respect their opinions. Her attitude can be seen as a rebuff to the foundations of the society in which she exists. In this way, Wednesday expresses its position and individuality without accepting banal norms.
Among the theories of development, cognitive theory can be applied to it. Wednesday tries to understand and interpret future events related to the murders. Accordingly, such a social environment affects her and makes her perform within the framework of a closed and joyless teenager. In addition, her parents are gloomy and their entire mansion resembles a gothic structure from scary stories (Gough & Millar, 2022). Interacting for the most part with the family, Wednesday developed a certain social construct aimed at branding and negativity.
As mentioned above, Wednesday may have a problem such as ASPD. She has outbreaks of aggression and a rude attitude towards others. Azevedo et al. confirm this by saying that people with such diseases are impulsive in nature (2020). This is the main type of aggression seen in patients with ASPD (Azevedo et al., 2020). Wednesday’s behavior approves this, as her aggressive actions are circumstantial. In addition, the authors talk about emotional sensitivity as an accompanying symptom of the disease. At the same time, people may not feel empathy and not understand the feelings of others.
In conclusion, it should be said that Wednesday is a teenager with certain problems. She is pale and extremely thin, which does not correspond to the normal development of adolescents at her age. In addition, the main character suffers from a lack of empathy and shows a clear negative attitude towards both family members and the surrounding society. At the same time, she is not aware of the incorrectness or abnormality of behavior, insisting on her opinion and views.
References
Andrews, J. L., Ahmed, S. P., & Blakemore, S. J. (2021). Navigating the social environment in adolescence: The role of social brain development. Biological Psychiatry, 89(2), 109-118. Web.
Azevedo, J., Vieira-Coelho, M., Castelo-Branco, M., Coelho, R., & Figueiredo-Braga, M. (2020). Impulsive and premeditated aggression in male offenders with antisocial personality disorder. PLoS One, 15(3), 1-18. Web.
Gough, A. & Millar, M. (Executive Producers). (2022). Wednesday [TV series]. Netflix.