Exploring the "Madness" | Mad Father Psychological Analysis

[@Twlacy-p4d]

Maria is definitely the most interesting character for me! She follows whoever shows the most kindness to her. She's desperate for survival and acceptance. Another thing I wish to add is how she was taken in by Alfred as an orphan and practically groomed into this behavior. Alfred saw her capabilities to become his assistant when she helped the injured person trapped with her and groomed her to become his assistant. A disturbing fact I would also like to add is that Alfred's obsession with Aya's, and in general, innocence and youth could have also led to his attraction to Maria. She was a young orphan, innocent, and willing to obey him with undying loyalty. Alfred never loved Maria but it was clear he was attracted to her.

[@phatmidnight]

You have a good point about Maria’s tendencies to just attach herself to someone who shows her kindness. Also yeah the bit about the similarities between Aya and Maria to the father…creepy

[@tiandriajones5058]

I think the KZbinr Prince Insomniac explained in a video that Alfred groomed Monika, Aya, and Maria in different ways but at the end is still successful in getting them to be hopelessly devoted to him.

[@phatmidnight]

They did a great job focusing in on the grooming Alfred achieved with each of the other main characters, and how that resulted in Aya’s apathy towards the suffering of others. This game has so many levels to hone in on it’s crazy so I’m happy to see content covering different aspects!

[@Gold-kb1ws]

Thanks for a great play through and analysis! Gives me a lot to think about. One last thing: 15:36 That old man is literally bathing in blood. I don’t trust him. I don’t have much to go on, but the more I think about it - the more I find him unsettling. - Bathing in blood is murder symbolism - This dude is a killer Nothing left but questions: Didn’t Monkia write letters to killers? Why was he locked up? How does he know Monkia’s plan? Was he a servant? Can we trust him? Who knows. Looking forward to your next game.

[@phatmidnight]

Thank you so much as always for your comments! I always look forward to them

[@SilverScroll]

Gosh, what a throwback. Definitely enjoyed the thorough analysis of the extended version! The other game in this vein that stuck in my memory is The Witch's House - do you think there is interesting stuff to cover there? Other than that, the other game in this universe might be interesting, though I hadn't heard of it until you mentioned it.

[@phatmidnight]

There might be! I can look into it for a future analysis, thank you for the recommendation!!

[@vizzzyy190]

i loved this game when i was younger. glad to see you do a video on it!

[@phatmidnight]

Thank you for watching!!

[@handyboy4178]

Highly suggest trying "The Cat Lady" if you haven't already at some point Another cool horror game

[@phatmidnight]

Someone else also recommended that game, thank you for also recommending it! The other games in the series also seem interesting

[@gamzeilkeferyatl9352]

This kind of games was too popular.Thanks for the playing and analysis it.

[@phatmidnight]

Of course! I hope you liked it!

[@littlemissfangirl7986]

OMG I spent all this time as a fan of this game thinking that the boy's name was Dio! Am I crazy, someone please tell me that they thought this too!

[@phatmidnight]

You are not crazy, this was his unofficial name before the remaster. Below is from the Mad Father fandom website “Prior to the Steam release, as well as the 2020 remake, Robin did not have an official name, being referred to only as "The Blonde-Haired Boy" in Japan. Many Niconico fans began calling him "Dio" after a character in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure due to their similar appearances. When translating the original version of the game, VGPerson went with the fan nickname because she knew he would become a popular character within the fandom and had to call him something. That being said, in the first Steam announcement for the 2020 remake, Robin is referred to as "Dio" within the post.”

[@littlemissfangirl7986]

@@phatmidnight Thanks for telling me! Oh also in case it wasn't clear I loved the video :)

[@phatmidnight]

Thank you so much! Seeing comments like yours really motivates me, so I deeply appreciate it

[@catbassu]

Watched a playthrough of this game when I was younger and was literally never the same, this was a great analysis!

[@phatmidnight]

Thank you! This game is quite the throwback for many

[@tigermafia6251]

Now it all make sense when the old man npc says "she's even crazier than the doctor"

[@phatmidnight]

It’s all coming together!

[@pancake7203]

I really enjoyed watching this game years ago, but your analysis not only reminded me of it, it explained things that I had completely missed. I hope you continue doing this and more people find your videos ❤

[@phatmidnight]

I appreciate that ❤️ thank you for watching

[@anisecandy3108]

Hey, maybe we could talk about fictional vilains without bringing into it real life, super demonized and stigmatized mental illnesses? Maybe we could do that?

[@phatmidnight]

The goal of this video and the channel is to explore these characters and imagine why they might act the way they do. It’s definitely not to compare them to real people who experience these mental health challenges, or to reinforce any negative stereotypes. That’s why I try to use words like ‘maybe’ and ‘might’ when describing their behavior. I’m not a psychologist, so these are just personal, unprofessional thoughts. If this video comes across in a way that feels stigmatizing, I’m truly sorry-that’s absolutely not my intention and I’m definitely not perfect at conveying my thoughts sometimes! I’d love to hear any feedback on how I can better express these ideas, so please feel free to share your thoughts.

[@anisecandy3108]

@@phatmidnight I believe it would do well to add such a disclaimer into the videos themselves, then. As well as perhaps pair it with some compassion - I'm not as well informed on ASPD as I am on NPD, but people dealing with NPD are at higher risk of developing depression, anxiety disorder, addictions and have considerably higher suicide rate compared to the general population. I don't want to be impolite, but I believe that presenting it in exclusively in tandem with such attrocious actions, using it as an reason behind some of them and leaving it at that is rather unkind, and indeed intentionally or not demonizing.

[@phatmidnight]

I appreciate you taking the time to respond, I’ll work to include disclaimers and share some credible resources so viewers can better understand these mental health topics. Hopefully, that’ll make it clearer on the distinction between real-life experiences and these fictional characters. Again I’m really sorry if the video came across as unkind or sent the wrong message; that was never my intention. I hope you’ll stick around and keep sharing your thoughts to help me make a more inclusive community.

[@LissyAvenita]

Even if these illneses are very demonized i really don't think speculating about if they took place in videogame characters based on their in-game actions and personality display is harmful, honestly. These games are not for children and outside of them; discernment is responsability of the users. More than discussing if real life people behave like game characters, this is just an interpretation open to discussion, and discussion is not a bad thing in regards to these topics, specially given the context and purpose of it. I find this comment kind of patronizing.

[@anisecandy3108]

@@LissyAvenita Okay, would you say the same if the video instead of assigning characters personality disorders based on stereotypes did it with... let's say, autism? Let's say we have a video about a game in which there's a character displaying traits that matches the most dehumanizing stereotypes about autism and the creator of some video essay says that they interpret the character as autistic because of that, no further caviots or comments about this kind of portrayal. Would you then also think that bringing that up as harmful would be wrong?

[@Bjuren]

it's not trauma bonding.. you have the wrong definition of trauma bonding... you're describing Stockholm Syndrome not trauma bonding.. trauma bonding usually happens between victims and isn't related to an abuser at all. you can trauma bond with anyone in any kind of trauma. two people who have both been through earthquakes can bond in that moment or over sharing their experiences most of the time it happens between two or more people experiencing the same trauma and it not all trauma is caused by people and not all trauma bonding is to an abuser. I sure as shit never bonded with the person who tried to kill me but I absolutely did with the others that person hurt.... same thing with a car accident.. or going through a medical emergency all of which is traumatic...not all traumas are caused by people and not all trauma bonding is caused with an abuser again that's just Stockholm Syndrome. other than that i loved the video. great analysis.

[@phatmidnight]

I totally get where you’re coming from, I actually thought the same thing about the term ‘trauma bonding’ at first. But when I was doing some research, I found that a lot of sources, like VeryWell Mind, describe it as the attachment an abused person feels towards their abuser. I’ve linked that article in the description, and I’ve seen similar explanations on Psychology Today, Healthline, and a few other places. While trauma bonding and Stockholm syndrome have some similarities, they’re a bit different. I think the term ‘bonding’ can be misleading because we usually use it to describe people who connect over shared experiences. But in this context, it has a different meaning. That said, I’m not a psychology expert, so my understanding is just based on what I’ve read when putting this video together. If you have resources that define ‘trauma bond’ differently, please share them! I’m always eager to learn more, especially if I’ve missed something. And thank you so much for watching the video, I’m really glad you enjoyed it!

[@phatmidnight]

Also I’m sorry to hear that happened to you, that sounds really scary. I hope you’ve had the time to process 🙏🏼 and I hope you’re taking time caring for yourself.

[@Bjuren]

@@phatmidnight I guarantee your sources are wrong hon. as a Doctor I will tell you that we hate patients googling their symptoms and finding the wrong thing and running with it. sorry to tell you but there are websites that will tell you the correct information but it will take being a doctor and having an active medical license and knowing if that is the correct diagnoses for your patient as many many conditions have the same symptoms.. like a fever hon. your body will start a fever for anything from a common cold to detoxing off of heroin and some fevers are so bad that they make you feel like you're burning alive while freezing to death. these fevers are caused by anything from parasites to full blown cancers and the more symptoms you add on the worse it gets and you'll find many wrong answers before you find the correct one. even Doctors can misdiagnose people with the wrong understanding of symptoms or a patient not understanding that something is a symptom. Like Drs who misdiagnose Autism and refuse to send them to a Neurologist for a second opinion and confirmation because Autism isn't what you think. A Neutrally normal person will start deleting synapses at the age of 5 leaving them unable to remember things they aren't focused on. while a person with real Autism is unable to Delete those synapses and this causes extreme memory which can easily be misdiagnosed as CPTSD or Child Post Traumatic Syndrome. A normal person CAN FORGET they are capable of forgetting while a true Autistic is not capable of forgetting anything without severe trauma and a true Autistic can bury or lock memories down because of trauma but because they remember much more much more seems traumatic which is why most people with Autism do suffer from CPTSD as well. Autism is a physiological difference between 2 people one of them literally has 2 times the amount of synapses as the other one. Narcissists are physiologically incapable of acknowledging they did something wrong which is like the mother in this story. forcing this treatment on her daughter proves it while the father knew he was doing something wrong and even if he couldn't stop himself from these actions he knew he didn't want his daughter to suffer the same the father has Narcissistic traits but the fathers aren't physiologic they are psychologic in nature. When we say bonding we mean bonding hon. whether forming a friend ship over fights or ever common things that is bonding. not all abuse victims or tauma bonds are to the abuser and I guarantee that. the adult victim in this tale has Stockholm Syndrome which is where a victims falls in love with their abuser in order to stay alive, these feelings are false and the victim will eventually learn this even if that takes a long time but even after knowing this they will sometimes still feel that love and yes I mean love most of the tine more romantic in nature but can sometimes come off as a parent child relationship which often leads the victim to begin acting in the abusers actions taking part. Not all trauma bonds are to the Abuser in cases where there are multiple victims it's more common for victims to band together against their abuser. If you're trying to say they spent time together and therefore had no choice but to have moments of interactions this is not bonding in medical terms. bonding is bonding. it takes both people paying attention to each other and forming an attachment occasionally and very rarely in fact a victim will get closer to their abuser in order to study them and learn the abusers weakness this at first seems like a bonding but it is not as not both parties have the same feelings. bonding when you bond over bad things you're still bonding over what you have in common even with those bad things however there are some that do not bond with their abuser their are some who become so locked down emotionally and psychologically they cannot bond with their abuser. When I say that googling medical things will not result in correct answers I mean that even if you have some information correct You don't know everything about it without medical school. so next time please check with a Doctor before posting as it can be very misleading. I don't mean to chew you out or be defensive but when I see someone post something that could cause someone else a problem I do have to say something. I promise that after hours of googling you don't have the entire information on the subject and you definitely are lacking in understanding. if anything I'd change the word bonding. They all have different conditions but not one of them is standard attachment trauma bonds. The Mother is a Narcissistic Psychopath with an attachment style of forming bonds with abusers. The Father is only a Psychopath with Narcissistic tendencies but him knowing something is wrong for his daughter proves that he does know the difference between right and wrong while the mother cannot tell that pushing this on her daughter is wrong. the nurse or victim turned helper has an aggressive bonding attachment and Stockholm Syndrome as she does fall romantically for her abuser but even after learning that her abuser is wrong she continues his abuse however this is different than someone learning to copy their abuser to hurt the abuser this is someone who is processing their own trauma is a now safe environment which leads her to copy the abuser in efforts to understand how they could do something so cruel to them, there are 4 stages of flight of fight not 2 like you know. there are freeze fight, flight and faun. freeze is simple as you cannot control yourself to move or run away. fight is also easy in that you are fighting both mentally and physically to stay alive, flee is to run away which is not always possible but every single person does Faun aka asking why this has happened to them. faun is a never ending question of why me what did i do to deserve this what did i do to earn this why me why not someone else instead. the nurse wasn't able to flee so instead she later had to learn why the father did what he did including save her instead of killing her. she is trying to understand in a now safe environment which without proper guidance from a doctor can lead a victim to become worse than their own abuser in some cases. this is why the statement hurt people hurt people exists. they are trying to know why they were hurt. but not everyone that is hurt also ends up hurting people that is wrong... like when saying all octopus are aquatic but not everything Aquatic is an Octopus.. not every bonding is with the abuser... i hope that makes sense .. and I am doing alright after my ordeal which was over 10 years ago roughly but still as fresh as if it was 10 minutes ago. I promise the only bond i have with that monster of a human is the urge to kill them but I know that even if they were to die I'd feel no relief.. so part of me doesn't want them dead but to live a very long a painful existence which at the end of the day means they are no longer my business they cannot hurt anyone but themselves now and that is what matters that they aren't hurting anyone else. I did bond with the other victims and today we are all doing the best we can given the circumstances.

[@honeysteaa5169]

So..Alfred really loved maria? Or not?

[@phatmidnight]

Someone else in the comments made a really great point about Maria. They said that because Alfred was obsessed with Aya because of her youth and innocence, he saw the same traits in Maria since he brought her in as an orphan when she was young and innocent. And because he saw her as useful to him, he was attracted to her. So probably not love, but maybe it’s merely attraction stemming from his projection of Aya onto Maria.

[@ChristianGothic]

Wao Wao very nice

[@phatmidnight]

Yayy

[@PurpleHairFlower]

Helloo

[@phatmidnight]

Hi!!!!