Pankhudi Narayan
Blogpost 2
TW: Mentions disordered eating.
Monica Geller is a character from the sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S. that depicts the lives of five adults- Monica, Ross, Rachel, Chandler, and Phoebe whose daily lives and course of their friendships are narrated by the series. Through this blogpost, I aim to investigate if Monica meets the defined diagnostic criteria laid out by DSM-5 by the APA for Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) by using instances from the series (Crane et al., 2004) and explore the relationship between disordered eating and OCPD, as portrayed through Monica Geller’s character.
Monica was the younger sister of Ross Geller who had some non-shared environmental influences with her sibling in the critical outlook taken by her mother when towards her which is contrasted with the warmth and comfort that is given to her brother. The judgemental stance taken by Monica’s own mother leads her to overcompensate in an attempt to receive affection and admiration and the lack of this made her feel worthless and inadequate and she described her relationship with her mother as ‘distant’ and ‘critical’ (Crane et al., 2004).
Monica is seen and associated with her preoccupation with maintaining order to the extent that she doesn't realise her behaviour was inappropriate. This is seen when she shows visible distress when people describe dirty situations to her, suggesting an obsessive component as she is unable to handle the distress of even thinking about these scenarios (Crane et al., 2004). She was so preoccupied with organising her friend, Phoebe and Mike’s wedding that she did not realise that it was starting to get in the way of their friendship and the wedding was not what her friends seemed to wish for either but Monica seemed adamant for everything to be ‘perfect’(2004). Monica seemingly meets the first diagnostic criteria of OCPD in the DSM-5 that states for a diagnosis the individual may show such a preoccupation when it comes to details, rules, lists, order, organisation, or schedules, that is to a point that the purpose of the activity itself becomes lost (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
Monica in one instance is seen requiring a smaller vacuum cleaner to clean the main vacuum cleaner and wishes she had another even smaller vacuum cleaner to clean her smaller vacuum cleaner (Crane et al., 2004). This takes the focus away from the main objective of cleaning and her perfectionism interferes with the completion cleaning as she becomes concerned with cleaning the object that cleans. Monica’s behaviour in the aforementioned instance may be consistent with second diagnostic criteria given in the DSM-5 states that the individual’s perfectionism may interfere with the finishing of tasks (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). For example, when an individual, due to self imposed standards not being met,is unable to complete projects (2013).
In the episode ‘one with the secret closet,’ Monica is seen getting upset and distrbed with the idea of getting rid of the objects in her closet (Crane et al., 2004). This shows her inability to let go of objects and she may meet the fifth diagnostic criteria in the DSM 5 according to which, even worn-out or worthless objects with no sentimental value are not discarded by an individual (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
Monica is seen being unwilling to allow other people to clean her apartment because she is afraid they will not be able to do it correctly (Crane et al., 2004). She had prompted Rachel to learn to get on her own two feet and start to become self reliant however had a problem with how her friend was carrying out chores in the apartment (2004). She is then seen moving around the apartment making changes in the way Rachel puts objects down, including slightly moving a mug, getting slightly frustrated when Rachel moves an ottoman to the side and Monica is seen trying to shift it back to the place it initially was (2004). Monica showed reluctance in letting the cleaning take over cleaning the apartment and showed a clear indication of not wanting to delegate the cleaning of her apartment onto other people (2004). Her boyfriend Chandler is also seen being afraid to clean the apartment wrong, thinking about Monica getting angry with him- she therefore fits the criteria (2004). These instances may indicate that she meets the sixth diagnostic criteria according to which the individual, due to them wishing to adhere to their way of performing things, may be reluctant to delegate tasks or work with others unless they comply exactly with their methods and processes (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
Monica is seen leaving her shoes outside in an attempt to prove a point that resulted in her being unable to sleep (Crane et al., 2004). She also felt the need to be right about the cleaning lady stealing from her to the extent that she takes a peak between the cleaning lady’s legs in an attempt to prove her point (2004). She asks her boyfriend, Chandler, to make a list of reasons why she is actually not high maintenance when her friend Phoebe called her ‘high maintenance' (2004). Monica is seen becoming obsessed with a light switch that, according to Joey, does “nothing.” Monica, convinced that it must control something in the apartment (“They wouldn't have put it there if it didn't do something!”)starts a fanatical hunt to uncover the purpose of the switch which lasted an extended period of time (2004). This pattern of behaviour is in line with the seventh diagnostic criteria of the DSM5 according to which the individual ‘Shows rigidity and stubbornness’ (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). For a diagnosis, Monica would be required to meet 4 or more criteria specified in the DSM-5. She meets 5 and can hence, may potentially be diagnosed with 301.4, Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder.
Monica’s childhood and adolescence related experiences have been portrayed to centre around her body and stature as a young girl struggling with her weight and self esteem and was portrayed to be a stereotypical bookworm who was overweight. Monica’s unhealthy relationship with food is also seen as she is portrayed to find comfort in food that she uses as a coping mechanism when she encounters distressing situations. Monica is seen engaging with disordered eating. It is also interesting to note that OCPD is found at higher rates among those with eating disorders that has been suspected to be due to the two being associated with a need for control and perfectionism leading to vulnerability (Lilenfeld & Gaydusek, 2017). Monica’s personality disorder related attributes seem to become far more prevalent after she loses weight. This may be due to her becoming over controlling and perfectionistic in order to have self control while she was on her journey to lose weight. Studies have indicated that OCPD is the most prominent personality disorder found in restricting type anorexia nervosa (Sanson et al., 2007).
Monica Geller is a character known for her urge for maintaining cleanliness, her stubbornness, and need to remain in control of situations around her. These traits make her an endearing character on the show. However, the endearment may stem from her having OCPD as this blog post explores through the several instances depicted on the show. It would take a licensed professional to be able to gauge this diagnosis with certainty but there is evidence alluding to a possibility that Monica may have OCPD.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596
Crane, D., Kauffman, M., Bright, K. S., Borkow, M., Curtis, M., Chase, A., Malins, G., Calhoun, W., Silveri, S., Goldberg-Meehan, S., Reich, A., & Cohen, T. (Executive Producers). (2004). F.R.I.E.N.D.S [TV series]. Warner Bros. Studios.
Lilenfeld, L., & Gaydusek, D. L. (2017). Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder as a Risk Factor for Eating Disorders. Springer. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-104-6_24
Sanson, R. A., Levitt, J. L., & Sansone, L. A. (2007). The Prevalence of Personality Disorders Among Those with Eating Disorders. The Journal of Treatment & Prevention, 13(1), 7-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/10640260590893593
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