Jeremy Renner as danger-addicted SFC William James in "The Hurt Locker"

In looking closer at some of the movies released this past year, another connection has revealed itself between two films that on the surface could not be more different. Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Hurt Locker might appear to have nothing in common, with one being an animated feature involving social relationships and animals and the other involving bomb disarming in the Iraq War, but a connection exists between the two films’ main male characters: Mr. Fox (George Clooney) and SFC William James (Jeremy Renner).

Both characters reveal that their personalities revel in danger, needing it’s presence to withhold a sense of fulfillment in their occupations (for Mr. Fox it’s stealing chickens and cider, for William it’s disarming bombs during wartime). Perhaps this need for danger is a modification of the Male Ideal offered by Charles Reich, about which he explains that a man’s value is “derived from the function he performs for society, and whose satisfaction lies in how well he performs his job. Men dominated by technique and training [take] seriously the meritocracy of ability and accomplishment, dedicated to work [towards] goals beyond the individual.” However, I would argue that both characters do not share the same sense of social pressure that Reich’s definition of the Male Ideal implies. So, the “need” for danger must be spawned internally – perhaps within the psyche?

I did some research to try and find a name for the personality trait that Mr. Fox and William share, and came up short. In looking at all of the psychological disorders that seemed even semi-relevant, I found none that matched the characters’ trait entirely. Some classifications had one or two elements that might explain their mindset, but nothing in full fit the bill. For instance, there is a condition called Borderline Personality Disorder, which reads, “The major symptoms of this disorder revolve around unstable relationships, poor or negative sense of self, inconsistent moods, and significant impulsivity.” These traits fit very well with the two characters in discussion. Both have unstable relationships with their spouses, arguably don’t think highly of themselves (at least at certain points in their films), and constantly succumb to their impulses (I would argue that William undergoes the occasional mood swing while Mr. Fox maintains a fairly mellow temperament, marking their one divergence on this short list). However the disorder proves unfitting in the end, as the explanation continues on to say that, “There is an intense fear of abandonment with this disorder that interferes with many aspects of the individual’s life. This fear often acts as a self-fulfilling prophecy as they cling to others, are very needy, feel helpless, and become overly involved and immediately attached. When the fear of abandonment becomes overwhelming, they will often push others out of their life as if trying to avoid getting rejected. The cycle most often continues as the individual will then try everything to get people back in his or her life and once again becomes clingy, needy, and helpless.” Neither character displays a clinginess, helplessness, or feeling of gross inferiority on screen (if anything they’re charismatic), however in the spirit of open-mindedness one could possibly fathom William possibly showing them when off-screen with his wife.

With no psychological disorder to explain Mr. Fox’s and William’s addiction to danger, the explanation must lie somewhere else in the field of psychology, or perhaps even spirituality. Or, could there be a social or cultural determinant? Which do you think it is? We welcome anyone’s explanation and accompanying citation where appropriate/possible. Something tells me that the answer, once we discover it, is extremely interesting. Let’s get to it!

List of Psychological Disorders