Psychology of Tophiachu

I saw people asking for a discussion of Tophia's psychology and thought I'd get the ball rolling. I'm a bachelor's level Psyc scholar and I am not in a position to diagnose anyone, so this is just speculation on what I've seen and some of my life experiences.

IMHO, Tophia's behavior is best explained by infantile histrionic personality disorder and some manner of developmental disorder.

It should be obvious that Tophia has very low intelligence, struggles to care for herself, struggles to formulate speech, can't fulfill any responsibilities, and can't spell simple words. I can't say more than this because formal testing would be required to pinpoint exactly how dim she is, and there could be any number of causes for this.

A person with histrionic personality disorder seeks attention, talks dramatically with strong opinions, is easily influenced, has rapidly changing emotions, and thinks relationships are closer than they are. Associated features can include egocentrism, self-indulgence, continuous longing for appreciation, and persistent manipulative behavior to achieve their own wants. They often fail to see their own personal situation realistically, instead dramatizing and exaggerating their difficulties. They are highly vulnerable to social media attention and excessively sensitive to criticism.

A researcher named Thomas Millon proposed additional subtypes that aren't widely recognized but I thought worth mentioning. He described an "infantile" histrionic as easily aroused, high-strung, with volatile emotions, prone to childlike hysteria and pouting, demanding, and overwrought. This sounds exactly like Tophia to me.

Someone once described a histrionic personality as someone who will get a hundred dollars to buy food for her kids, squander that money at slots, and then blame the casino for not stopping her. Sounds about right.

I also considered narcissistic personality, schizotypal personality, or schizoaffective disorders. These disorders have a lot of overlap and I think Tophia has a high degree of narcissism. It's hard to identify where NPD ends and HPD begins.

I also don't believe she qualifies for any of the "schizo" disorders because she does not appear psychotic. She does not appear to hallucinating, and while she holds some strange ideas she does not appear delusional.

For example: Tophia believes she is an internet celebrity which is, to a degree, true. She also believes that TikTok is / should be her full time job and only source of income. This idea is stupid but not impossible. She does get paid (poorly) and people have become very wealthy by performing on YouTube, TikTok, etc. Tophia is not claiming that she is Jesus Christ, or that she gets phone calls from the President, or that people around her can read her mind. So her ideas are stupid but not bizarre or impossible, and therefore she is not experiencing delusions.

So what made her this way?

Fuck if I know.

Tophia's maladaptive behavior is a combination of bad genetics triggered or exacerbated by unstable home life, neglect, and childhood trauma. We know she was homeless at various points in her childhood, she lives in squalor, and her parents are... Holy shitballs, her parents are a mess.

If I had to speculate, I would say her histrionic behavior is an attempt to shield herself from the reality of her situation. Whenever she encounters any resistance, she deploys every defense mechanism in the book to avoid responsibility.

I'm going to paraphrase, but when I listen to Tophia it sounds like: "They didn't fire me because I don't shower. Ya'll don't shower. Ya'll can't take care of yourselves. I got fired because they didn't like my face. Because I'm so beautiful. I can pull any man I want, people are just racist." It's just a flood of cognitive distortions and defense mechanisms ranging from projection and denial to scapegoating and changing topics.

This is probably the result of her insecure situation, her unreliable parents, and her unpredictable environment. She HAS to tell herself these things because that's the only way she can cope: "I'm a great person, it's everyone else who is against me."

Or better yet: "Could I be so out of touch? No! It must be society, capitalism, and the internet who are wrong!"

So that's what I think about that. Feel free to discuss and tell me all the reasons I am wrong. I'm not going to pretend I have all the answers. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Edit: Additionally, Tophia almost definitely has Cantù Syndrome. She has the characteristic face, and we know she was hospitalized for pericardial effusion which very common in these patients. Cantù Syndrome is not related to mental disorders, but does explain her odd appearance and poor health.