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Visual novel «The Last Wish»: psychological analysis of the main characters.

The plot of the novel revolves around the characters and their relationships. We asked practicing psychologist Sofya Samoilova to comment on the personality and behavior of our heroes. What came of it - read the article.
I would like to immediately make a reservation that for a deep analysis you still need to get to know the characters a little better, their history and behavior in various situations. The formation of habits, behavioral patterns and attitudes is influenced by a huge number of factors. And this is a very individual story. Especially when it comes to the reasons for behavior.

Therefore, it is possible that after a couple of new episodes the picture of each of the characters and the assessment of their psychological state may change. But if we base ourselves on one episode and reason, the picture is something like this:

First about Kristina.

Student, 20 years old. Works in a webcam. She dropped out of music school a year before graduation. Lives alone, rents an apartment. Has a younger brother, her parents are apparently divorced. Kristina Studied at the university (dropped out or just gave up). She is dating a young man - Nikita.

At first vision, you can see that Kris has serious problems with self-esteem and self-worth. Most likely she was traumatized in childhood. It can be assumed that at an early age she was subjected to violence from her father (variably - the father behaved aggressively towards his wife and children). There was also something in the mother’s behavior that left a mark on the teenager’s personality. However, there was definitely some kind of traumatic situation that left its mark on the girl (divorce alone is not enough for such a degree of trauma). I would imagine that for most of her childhood, Kris felt lost, abandoned, lonely, and fearful about the future.
In this connection, adult Kristina:

- doesn't know how to express one’s emotions and dissatisfaction constructively;

- cannot build trusting, close relationships with people;

- not confident in self;

In general, Kris is not satisfied with her life, her relationships with others, she is dissatisfied with herself (she is self-critical, perhaps she despises herself). There are a lot of repressed feelings and emotions, there are signs of suppressed aggression, which is periodically directed at others, and sometimes at oneself. This manifests itself in the desire to harm oneself (quit music a year before graduation; went on a webcam; went alone at night and got into an unfamiliar car, although it was obvious that it was dangerous).

Kristina often provokes conflicts herself in order to receive the expected punishment and thereby experience relief, reduce anxiety and the level of demands on herself. At the same time, low self-esteem and a desire for self-destruction forces her to be in a codependent and unhealthy relationship with Nick, who is obviously the Aggressor in their relationship.

Nikita is 19-20 years old. Beginner blogger.

It is obvious that he is quite ambitious and depends on the opinions of others and their assessment. Little concerned about the consequences of his actions, he is ready for adventures for the sake of money or fame.
Most likely, Nick’s history includes difficult relationships with his family. Perhaps physical or psychological aggression from parents or significant adults (threats, intimidation, blackmail, rejection, exploitation, cold and indifferent parents who do not provide support, etc.) Most likely, the boy could not change the situation or even express his dissatisfaction. Narcissistic injury has formed, which causes the need to feel superior to others. The same trauma causes hostility in relations with Maya - Nikita is not able to build trusting and warm close relationships. He regularly acts as an Aggressor.

Maya is 19 years old.

Student, Kris's best friend. An easy-going, sociable girl with a sense of humor. She is interested in drawing, doesn't miss university, and sometimes keeps Kris company at parties.

Maya can be described as a fairly mature (for her age) girl, perhaps prone to neurotic behavior, but overall mentally healthy. Creative, empathetic, prone to a healthy type of attachment. Most likely, she grew up in a supportive family.

Unlike Kris, Maya isn't afraid to express her opinion, doesn't avoid direct conversations and clarifies the situation (in the situation when Kristina was angry with her and Nick - it was Maya who wanted to discuss what happened).
However, if such conflicts between friends are a regular occurrence, then Maya may have slightly low self-esteem or Rescuer syndrome (this would explain why she tolerates such behavior from Kris).

You can also note an episode from the past. The situation when Maya presented Kris's work as her own (essentially without showing her own work) may also indicate the formation of the Rescuer syndrome and the desire to help others even to the detriment of her own interests.

In fact, the episode with work can be assessed in another way - for example, to say that Maya has stable and strong self-esteem and such strong faith in her abilities that she doesn't need third-party assessment. However, the general outline of her relationship with Kristina still makes us talk about the Rescuer Syndrome. I can assume that self-sacrifice and the desire to help others are encouraged in Maya’s family.
In general, the relationship between the main characters can't be called healthy. Kris and Nick are in codependent and most likely abusive relationships, in which Kristina is the victim and Nikita is the aggressor.

In her relationship with Maya, Kristina alternates between being a victim who needs to be saved, and then an aggressor. Unfortunately, such problems are quite typical not only for young people, but also for society as a whole - the Karpman triangle is one of the most common social models.
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