The Portrayal of Helplessness and Rumination in BoJack Horseman

Tishara Rajagopal

I made the rather unhealthy decision of binge-watching BoJack Horseman at a considerably low point in my life; a state I would see reflected in the animated Netflix TV series. This show is accredited with its truth in holistically depicting mental illness. No character is defined by their demons, and none are a tokenistic addition to the cast. Development throughout the show is rich, multidirectional, and not always in the desired direction. The titular character himself can be discussed in terms of his narcissism, drug and alcohol addiction, and childhood neglect and abuse — a well-rounded representation of causal factors, and comorbidity in an individual (Beck, 1967; Swendsen, 2000). How exactly does a satirical, pun-filled cartoon about a washed up, ex-TV star horse-man capture the essence of struggling with mental illnesses so authentically? In this article, I dissect the portrayal of BoJack Horseman’s depression with respect to theories of helplessness, and rumination.

An overarching theme in BoJack’s life is a sense of inadequacy and helplessness. Initially proposed as an animal model, the learned helplessness model explains this depressive tendency. When animals and humans learn that they have no control of negative events in their lives, they are unmotivated to respond to them in the future (Overmier & Seligman, 1967). BoJack’s experiences can be paralleled to such a model: a career on the decline, his problems with addiction, the death of his friends (producer Herb Kazzaz and child-figure Sarah-Lynn), and strangling his co-star on set to name a few. Abramson (1978) developed the helplessness theory to account for how humans attribute the causes of such adverse events. A pessimistic attribution would conclude that it is internal, global, and stable (Abramson, 1978). This is exemplified when Sarah-Lynn passes away after excessive partying with BoJack; he says, "it doesn’t get better and it doesn’t get easier. I can’t keep lying to myself thinking I’m gonna change, I’m poison. I come from poison and I have poison inside me and I destroy everything I touch… I have nobody in my life who’s better off for having known me" (Aron et al., 2014).

Another aspect of depression the show captures vividly is that of rumination. Theorized as a particular response style to sad or distressing feelings, ruminative response styles cause the individual to engage in repetitive thoughts about why they are experiencing these symptoms (Nolen-Hoeksema & Hilt, 2009). It is contrasted with efforts to solve the problem or distract oneself from it; during rumination, one is stuck in a cycle of heightening their negative emotions with being able to easily recall negative memories and perceptions of oneself (Butcher et al., 2013). A particularly relevant episode to this theme, ‘Stupid Piece of Sh*t’, narrates BoJack’s inner monologue. Consistent with the title, he continually refers to himself as worthless, and undeserving in a barrage of self-loathing thoughts. Along this line of thinking, he goes on to accept the fact that his mother never loved him, and that he will never be forgiven for his mistakes. It is an exhausting, and raw insight into someone caught in a downward spiral of rumination.

More can be said towards how the vulnerable writing of the show delivers characters who are as close representations of the human experience as anthropomorphic animals can get. Perhaps it is the medium of animation that allows for such realism in its surreal, pop-culture laden direction. While much of this discussion has focused on the show’s understanding of suffering with depression, it pays attention to redemption and treatment. The show is interspersed with instances of support from his friends, achievements in his career, and the genuine urge BoJack has to get and be better. A poignant moment is when BoJack, while on a tiring run, is approached by a baboon who delivers an especially motivation quote that can be applied to dealing with depression — "It gets easier. Everyday, it gets a little easier. But you gotta do it everyday. That's the hard part. But it does get easier" (Aron et al., 2014).

  

References

Abramson, L. Y., Seligman, M. E., & Teasdale, J. D. (1978). Learned helplessness in humans: Critique and reformulation. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 87(1), 49-74.

Aron, E., Young, J., & Hollingsworth, M. (2014). In R. Bob-Waksberg, BoJack Horseman. Retrieved from http://www.netflix.com.

Beck, A. T. (1967). Depression: Clinical, experimental and theoretical aspects. New York: Harper and Row.

Butcher, J. N., Mineka, S., & Hooley, J. M. (2013). Abnormal psychology. Boston: Pearson.

Nolen-Hoeksema, S & Hilt, L. M. (2009). The emergence of gender differences in depression in adolescence. In S. Nolen-Hoeksema & L. M. Hilt (Eds.), Handbook of depression in adolescents (pp. 111-135). New York, NY, US: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.

Overmier, J. B., & Seligman, M. E. (1967). Effects of inescapable shock upon subsequent escape and avoidance responding. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 63(1), 28-33.

Swendsen, J. (2000). The comorbidity of depression and substance use disorders. Clinical Psychology Review, 20(2), 173–189.doi:10.1016/s0272-7358(99)00026-4.