On The Paranoid Delusions of Travis Bickle

Trisha Malhotra

Paranoia keeps its sufferers in-check. Convinced of being under the presence of a constant threat, people paranoid personality disorder are extremely mistrustful, experience high anxiety and have far-reaching delusions. On the other hand, people with schizotypal personality disorder, in addition to being paranoid, are eccentric, isolated and experience delusions and periods of psychosis. Travis Bickle from Martin Scorcese's Taxi Driver (1976) is an embodiment of the onset and development of schizotypal symptoms.

Travis, an ex-marine, now works as a taxi driver in New York. He lives an isolated life and struggles with insomnia. Although shy in the company of his loud-mouthed acquaintances, he has strong opinions about what is right and wrong for improving the lives of those around him. He grows frustrated with the world he inhabits "wishing a real rain will come and wash all the scum of the streets." His night-shifts around the streets of New York lead him to delinquents and felons who only add to his paranoia and irritation.

People with schizotypal personality disorder experience "magical thinking" where they believe that unrelated events are somehow linked to them; these events are perceived as calls to action. In line with this, the previously paranoia-inducing situations morph into mission-statements for Travis. He feels personally involved when witnessing situations of tension or drama among strangers. He believes he must become the saviour of those he assumes to be in danger. This happens when he sees a young girl, Iris, trying to catch his cab but being pulled away by an older man. She reluctantly follows the man back into an inn.

Travis was disturbed by this event and thought about it often. He drove to the same place the next night and eventually ran into Iris again. By befriending her, he believed he was protecting her from her harsh reality as a prostitute. Learning fully-well later in the film that Iris ran away from home and chose this life for herself, Travis chooses to ignore this information and continues to view Iris as a victim of the cruel regime that runs the world.

The cruel regime has its crux in the political leaders whom Travis is deluded to believe harbour evil intentions. To some extent, this belief is motivated by the fact that his one-sided love-interest Betsy, who rejected him, is campaigning for one of the electoral candidates. Travis, finding himself powerless and responsible, buys handguns and prepares to assassinate the Senator whom Betsy is campaigning for. He feels compelled by a force telling him that this will change the state of the world. His actions also give him a sense of control over the chaos he has been witnessing.

Schizotypal Personality Disorder is often confused with schizophrenia. Both disorders involve periods of psychosis in which people lose contact with reality. However, the duration, frequency and intensity of psychosis in schizotypal individuals are lesser. Another key difference is that while schizotypal individuals can be made aware of their distorted ideas about reality, schizophrenics cannot. This shift in perception is seen in the film when Travis, fully prepared to commit murder, does not kill the Senator. He is able to reflect on his actions and chooses not to risk publicly committing an act of terror. Instead, he shakes hands with the Senator and wishes him well.

However, the opposite outcome is the climax of the film where Travis cathartically kills the man managing Iris and other prostitutes. Travis is let off because he committed the act when Iris was being pushed around by the men. He was able to act out his saviour-complex and this ended up diffusing his anxiety. After this, Travis stops scribbling incessantly in his diary, is a more relaxed taxi-driver, is elevated in the eyes of his acquaintances and becomes a hero in the media. He even gets Iris back to her parents in Pittsburgh.

In conclusion, while Travis demonstrated multiple symptoms of a schizotypal personality (isolation, inappropriate emotional responses, eccentricity, paranoia), he was able to express his behaviour in a way that- by a stroke of luck- was not as damaging to his future. His actions are rendered by other characters of the film as heroic instead of psychotic. However, as viewers, we know the darker side propelling Travis to act. Schizotypal Personality Disorder is less well-understood and less popular in comparison to other more prevalent mental disorders. However, it finds an iconic representation in the character of Travis Bickle.