A Master Post for anyone who wants to find specific/look at any of my Tom Riddle analyses/posts in general. ( in all honesty I made this so I can find posts I need to reference quickly )
Analyses
Tom Riddle : Narcissism, Heritage and Mental Breakdown
Tom Riddle : Views on Pure-Blood Supremacy
Tom Riddle : Significance of WWII
Tom Riddle : Psychopath or Sociopath?
Tom Riddle : Is he Aromantic?
Asks / General Posts
Tom Riddle : Opinion on Fanon Tom
Tom Riddle : What made him want to finally be a Dark Lord?
Thank you for the ask(??), Anon.
Clearly, the people have spoken. I'll do some work on looking through my old drives to find the fanfiction and post it for you all. (do be nice I wrote it when I was a teenager)
I'll update this post and link it whenever that happens!
thank you for your analysis of him!! it's very interesting. especially the part where you mentioned him being a romantic because he's objectively perceived as a cold, cruel, emotionally unavailable person (which he was) but he clearly found grandiose motivations and purposes to justify his crimes. how self-aware do you think he was? and if he was made aware of the outcome of his quest for power, would he do it nonetheless? realistically what would it take for him to have a moral crisis or question his values? was he aromantic and repulsed by human connection by nature or did he actively suppress whatever humanity was left...or maybe just try to be perceived as not needing it? sorry for asking so many questions. i could spend hours attempting to unravel tom's psyche.
thanks in advance
Hello Anon! Thank you for your questions. I want to address the first few in a different post, because I have a few different answers I want to discuss and don't want this post to run on forever.
Is Tom Riddle Aromantic?
Before we delve into the intricacies of Tom Riddle's capacity for Romantic love, it is important for me to mention that we'll be disregarding the plot point of his inability to love due to his parents' love potion thing. Instead, our focus will be purely on his psyche and the effect that has on his ability to love. ( Because that's what this blog is for, and the whole love potion thing is silly in my humble opinion)
To address whether Riddle's beliefs and upbringing contribute to an aromantic disposition, I think we first have to consider his own capacity for romantic love. I'll be discussing his capacity for romantic love through the fact of his narcissism, a topic I've explored before here.
Riddle's psychology can largely be understood through the lens of pathological narcissism. While all humans present a public façade, for a pathological narcissist, the gap between this façade and their concealed self is particularly stark. Riddle's charm was a strategic tool to attract admirers who could feed his sense of self. This façade protects the false self from exposure, maintaining his grandiose self-image and fuelling his delusions.
Emotional intimacy is typically outside a narcissist's comfort zone as they are disconnected from their true feelings, driven instead by the need to uphold their grandiose persona. Narcissists often idealise their partners' admirable qualities, using them as a mirror for their own grandiosity. In this context, love becomes a means to an end—a way to support their self-image, making romantic love a form of supply for a narcissist.
Narcissists possess many qualities such as social confidence, likability, and charm, which are optimal for initiating relationships. However, these are coupled with traits like low empathy, a tendency to use others to maintain their false self-image, and overall self-centeredness, which are destructive to functional relationships. A narcissist's partner is usually objectified, unable to retain their own autonomy within the relationship. If the partner shatters the narcissist's illusion, they may become the target of contempt for disrupting the narcissist's grandiose perception they created of their partner. Essentially, the goal of such a relationship is the complete obliteration of the partner's autonomy.
Despite these challenges, it is important to recognise that narcissists can and do love, although their love sometimes differs from a healthy, unconditional relationship. Following this logic, Riddle is capable of romantic love, but it would most likely be an unhealthy relationship where his partner is more objectified than valued as a person.
Having established Riddle's capacity for love, we return to the question of his potential aromanticism. Possible reasons include:
Repulsion by human connection by nature
Active suppression of any remaining humanity
Intentional portrayal of himself as above human needs
While I do not believe Riddle was innately repulsed by human connection from birth, he likely developed this repulsion through his upbringing. His identity and beliefs were deeply intertwined with his blood status. Discovering his ancestry to Salazar Slytherin inflated his ego and sense of self, fuelling his delusions about an "idealised parent image." However, learning about his Muggle father shattered these notions, inducing an identity crisis and internal conflict. This conflict manifested in his actions, such as punishing his father and changing his name.
Rejection by the family he sought further shattered his grandiose self-image, deepening his mental breakdown. This rejection likely made him feel repulsed by the human connection he sought, leading him to view himself as above such needs. Despite his heritage being a construct to fuel his false-self, the search for a parent and creation of an "idealised parent image" is common among children lacking parental figures. This behaviour signifies Riddle's inherent humanity and need for connection, which he suppressed following the shattering of his idealised image.
According to Freud, human behaviour is more influenced by the unconscious mind rather than the conscious one. The unconscious mind, filled with painful memories, tries to protect the conscious mind by hiding them, influences attitudes, behaviours, and character. For Riddle, the painful memories of his corrupted heritage resurfaced, despite his unconscious mind's attempts to hide them. He then attempted to eradicate his past self, exemplified by his transformation into Lord Voldemort and his agenda concerning blood status.
This brings us to the final point: in eradicating his past, Riddle attempted to portray himself as devoid of human needs through his new persona, Lord Voldemort. ( in all honesty he done the opposite by doing that, just really announced his fear of his own humanity and his disgust of it.)
These points, stemming from his past, suggest that Riddle is most likely aromantic. While he is capable of love, albeit in an unhealthy way, he sees himself above the need for it and suppresses any potential need under the guise of repulsion due to the rejection he faced.
TLDR : Tom Riddle is in fact Aromantic, and that was more or less caused by him getting his feelings hurt and choosing to suppress / act like he does not need humanity at all.
Just going back to Anon at the beginning talking about how Riddle was a romantic, (which he was, it's a universal fact at this point) I do think it's hilarious how he chose the most 'teenage girl' items for his horcruxes. Diary boy really wanted to go all out and I can respect it.
also about DTH, were ellwell and tom more romantic or platonic??? i know its left up to viewer interpretation, but i was feeling the romance at the end of the fic 😓
Thank you for your question, Anon. I always intended it to be up to viewer interpretation as you mentioned, so my view on the matter does not really count.
"i was feeling the romance at the end of the fic"
I do, however, feel inclined to mention that he chopped her arm off at the end of the fanfiction.
Arm-chopping is not a love language, Anon.
HELLO???? you were the author of DTH & (WHTM)? those two fics were my roman empire you can't drop something like that and then leave
are you ever planning on reuploading it or maybe rewriting it??
Dear lord, I fear I may have exposed myself there.
Thank you for your kind words about it though, Anon! I'm very flattered that my fanfic about Tom Riddle I wrote as a teenager wasn't as bad as I thought it was.
Regarding reuploading Don't Tell Him, I suppose I wouldn't be completely against it if that's something people may want. I'm not exactly sure where I would reupload it though, do people still use Wattpad? I've been told AO3 is another good site but I've personally never used it so I would have to look into that.
Fun fact: The name of the two fanfictions together is actually a song from the 1930s by Ruth Etting. I would strongly recommend giving it a listen to. strangely enough, the fanfic had multiple names at one point, going from New Money, to Don't Tell Him and who knows what else.
What's your opinion on the fanon Tom Riddle? (( the type thats in fanfics ))
I actually haven't delved into a Tom Riddle fanfiction since I was a teenager, so my knowledge and standpoint on this is based on what I remember from back then. ( Is getting back into Tom Riddle fanfics something I need to do?? Am I slowly going back to where I was as a teenager??)
Frankly, I don't actually have much of an opinion. I'm not going to sit here and judge how people choose to write a fictional character. I strongly believe the tendency to portray him out of character is one of the funniest and best parts of the experience. Unsurprisingly, I was one of those teenagers who wrote fanfiction about him, and the mischaracterisation was so bad I eventually deleted it out of embarrassment years later. ( We are not going to talk about my awful teenage fanfictions any longer; it's best to leave them in the past for the sake of my sanity. However, Ellwell and Riddle will always be in my heart.)
I do like to affectionately refer to the fanfic, Tumblr, and TikTok etc version of Tom Riddle as "Fanon Tom." Actually, looking back on those old fanfictions I feel like there are two main versions of Fanon Tom: the 'Booktok Dark Romance' Tom Riddle and the 'Sweeter than sugar' Tom Riddle. I love them both equally, and at the end of the day most of the people writing these are very young, and even if they aren't, it's only a bit of fun.
Speaking about Fanon Tom, I saw a video on my TikTok FYP about Riddle reacting to stories about him people wrote on TikTok(??), it made me laugh so I'm all for it.
I loved that analysis on Tom! I was wondering if you would say that Tom is more of a psychopath or a sociopath?
Hello Anon, thank you for your question!
(For anyone who has sent in asks, don't worry I'll get around to them eventually! There's quite a few I want to go in depth about and there's actually quite a lot of them. My spare time to answer them is limited but I will eventually get around to it!)
Honestly, labelling Tom Riddle as a psychopath is something I avoid entirely. In fact, I refrain from labelling anyone as a psychopath. These terms, though extremely popular in literature and media, are outdated. (I do, however, feel as if it's important to note these terms are valid and do exist in forensic and legal terms, but they aren't used in clinical settings anymore.)
The terms " psychopath" and "sociopath" are nowadays associated with Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD), particularly when discussing distorted or lacking moral understand and specific behaviour patterns. Using those terms as a diagnosis on its own has always been pretty controversial back to the 80s if I remember right. They judge individuals based on their behaviour rather than their symptoms, which is unsurprising based on their origins in forensic psychiatry. They were initially coined to describe criminally deviant behaviour.
Clinically, we use the term ASPD when diagnosing and treating individuals. This condition is listed in DSM, and approximately 2-3% of the population actually meet the diagnostic criteria for ASPD. Antisocial Personality Disorder shares many traits with what was traditionally termed for sociopathy and psychopathy, which is why we use them as more symptoms than a diagnosis.
This is why in one of my previous posts (this one), I refer to psychopathy as more of a trait when referring to Riddle rather than a diagnosis, but to answer your question, he absolutely has it as a trait. I actually think I go into it in the post I linked, if not, my apologies.
The day the media starts to use the correct terms is the day Voldemort gets his nose back. (unfortunately never.)
I would love to hear anything else you think about Tom!
I find it really intriguing how the significance of World War II during his formative years is often understated and its impact on his later views and psychological development. This is not to suggest that we should overlook the other influences throughout his life, but I am very much so convinced that the war played a pivotal role in shaping his fear of death.
( I wonder, however, if this perspective might be influenced by more cultural and geographical factors. We in the United Kingdom, for instance, have a very distinctive approach on how we deal with the aftermath of wars. We tend to embed the memories of such conflicts deeply into our national consciousness. While I am not suggesting that other nations lack a serious regard for the war, I am wondering if it's plausible that the opinion on this more controversial view is depending on how a country impacted by the war decided to move on in the aftermath.)
Anyways, I don't have too much time to write up a more thorough explanation of my opinions on this right now. Do let me know if you would want to know more as I'm very interested in this factor of his childhood and would love to talk more about it.
What's your opinion on his Pureblood views / views on muggles?
Oh boy, here we go. This is what I would like to think as a controversial thing, especially considering Riddle as many have different opinions about his views on pure-blood supremacy.
However, the way I am analysing Riddle is more looking at his psychological background and so that's how I'll answer this. ( I was quite literally clawing at the bars of my enclosure to not go into a spiel about the politics of it and stay purely psychological.)
Tom Riddle, as a student at Hogwarts, exhibited an attractive persona—talented, polite, charming, and intellectual. Despite his outward charisma and the group of 'friends' he had gathered, it is clear that Riddle harboured no genuine affection for them. Instead, he exploited these individuals, which no doubt shows his want for domination and control of others. This charismatic behaviour is simply a façade, a social mask he uses.
Riddle's public persona can be understood through the lens of pathological narcissism. All humans naturally present a public mask, but for a pathological narcissist, the discrepancy between this mask and the concealed self is honestly stark. Riddle's charming demeanour was used as a strategy to attracted admirers who no doubt fed his own narcissistic needs. This mask is also used to protect his false self from exposure, maintaining his grandiose self-image.
The narcissist's primary goal is to protect and sustain this concocted self-image. This can be visualised as a wheel, where the grandiose false-self is the hub, to which are affixed spokes. These have a specific purpose to protect and sustain the hub of false-self.
Freud's theory on the oral phase highlights the crucial role of the mother in a child's early development, fostering a sense of comfort and dependency to the mother. According to Minderop, parental influence can change the development of the human personality. Looking at these theories, who both stress the importance of parental involvement early in development and how detrimental the lack of it could be, we can attribute Riddle's lack of parental affection and the resulting emotional deprivation significantly contributing to his behaviour and attitudes. These theories support the idea of how Riddle had never seen anyone as an equal, clearly taking advantages of his followers and viewing them as below him.
Riddle's identity and beliefs were deeply intertwined with his blood status. Discovering his ancestry linked to Salazar Slytherin, which would boost his ego and sense of self incredibly, fuelling his delusions on his "idealised parent image." Then came along the revelation of his Muggle father, which shattered his preconceived notions of heritage. This discovery would obviously induce an identity crisis in the boy, igniting a war within him between the person he wants to be and the reality of who he really is. This internal conflict most likely manifested in his actions, such as punishing his father and changing his name.
(Riddle's mental breakdown and identity-crisis explained more here.)
Freud states that human behaviour is more influenced by the unconscious mind than the conscious one. The unconscious mind is filled by the human’s painful memories and then tries to protect the conscious mind by hiding them. This can influence someone’s attitude, behaviour and character. For Riddle, the painful memories of his heritage continually resurfaced, despite his unconscious minds attempt to hide them. This is something that is extremely relevant to his views on pure-blood supremacy. He attempts to eradicate his past, such as changing his name to Lord Voldemort and creating Horcruxes show his struggle with his own identity clearly.
(I’m sure we all know what Voldemort actually means. Ironically enough, Riddle was so grandiose ( what a romantic, no really, he was.) as to aim to transcend humanity, (changing his name, horcruxes etc.) that by refusing to accept the inevitably of death, he also practically announces his own humanity to the world.)
Riddle's descent into blood supremacy was fuelled by a combination of person and political factors. There is the abuse he suffered from Muggles, the war he had experienced, the prejudices he encountered in Slytherin, the group of followers he gathers, and his psychopathic tendencies that all contribute to his ideology. ( Riddle cravings of power and the feeling of being in control added onto everything else, honestly makes me think of only one thing; revolution. )
Riddle's appeal to pure-blood ideologies served his ambitions, allowing him to manipulate and control those who would've previously have looked down on him. This pursuit of power mirrors the actions of many world leaders and revolutionaries who sought to reshape the world according to their ideal image. The ideal image is fuelled by internal conflict between his own past and his preconceived ideas.
(This was most likely the intended purpose for his character, as he himself is a malignant narcissist, and many psychiatrists have identified a direct connection between malignant narcissists and evil. Many well-known malignant narcissists are also serial killers and mass murderers.)
Little note I also wanted to add on even if it delves more into Voldemort territory than Riddle; Voldemort seems to punish the Pure-bloods. What I mean by this is, is that Riddle seems to be taking out the fact these pure-bloods are not the ones to usually do this kind of 'dirty work' . He seems to enjoy making them do things that they would normally view as beneath them, it's a power trip. This seems to be more retribution on his end, considering the fact despite how hard he tries he will never be a pure-blood and will never be able to leave his past behind him.
(what a petty man )
TLDR : Looking into Riddle's views on Pureblood supremacy reveals a complex interplay of narcissism, early developmental influences, and political motivations.
omg i missed your tom riddle stuff! so glad you're uploading again
Thank you!
I missed posting about Riddle too in all honesty, it reminds me of when I was a teenager posting about him lol. Somethings never change. ( However, I am glad that I get a chance to redo my old takes on him. Working as a psychologist for a years has given me some insight into him that I'm very eager to share!)
I'll be uploading more stuff about him, got a load of old asks that I need to sort through and answer.
Tom Riddle: Narcissism, Heritage, and Mental Breakdown
This analysis will delve into Tom Riddle's narcissism, heritage, and my own hypothesis that a mental breakdown led to the ultimate murder of his family.
Before I begin, it's important to define some key psychological terms for anyone unfamiliar with the subject. I'll try to simplify things down, but if anything doesn't make sense don't worry too much.
Malignant Narcissism: This term describes individuals who exhibit all three traits from "The Dark Triad"— Machiavellianism, Psychopathy and Narcissism.
Machiavellianism : Commonly characterised by manipulation and exploitation of others, unemotional callousness, self-interest, and an overall lack of morality.
Psychopathy : Commonly characterised by continuous antisocial behaviour, selfishness, unemotional callousness, and an overall lack of remorse.
Narcissism : Marked by grandiosity, pride, egotism, and an overall lack of empathy.
In Psychoanalytic theory, primary narcissism is a normal part of child development, involving self-interest and object-love. Children often harbour notions of greatness and believe they are immune to any consequences. As they mature, they become disillusioned from these grand notions to integrate into mature society. pathological narcissism actually develops when this process is disrupted, resulting in defective narcissistic structures.
( Interestingly, a number of psychiatrists have established a direct link between malignant narcissism and evil— a perspective likely considered in the creation of Tom Riddle's character. However, it is important to note that while there is a connection, it does not necessarily define someone as evil.)
Tom Riddle's behaviour aligns perfectly with Heinz Kohut's theory of object-love. According to Kohut, a child requires a mother to affirm their grandiosity or, lacking this, seeks an adult to create an "idealised parent image." Tom, lacking a mother figure and grandiose figure to emulate, proceeded to construct his own powerful parental figure.
This is evident when we see Riddle question Dumbledore about his father's wizardry, as Tom assumes his mother could not have been a witch as if she was she wouldn't have died. This belief is shattered during his teenage years, which inevitably triggers his (narcissistic) rage of his idea being disillusioned. Tom Riddle has always been a character with an ongoing quest for identity and self-validation, which is seen in his prolonged search for the Chamber of Secrets to confirm his status as Heir of Slytherin.
Tom Riddle's obsession with power and control is a fundamental aspect of his character we can't ignore. The pursuit of control is a primary human motivation, gaining control is actually proved to enhance one's sense of well-being. For someone like Tom, when this control is threatened, they would resort to coping mechanisms to preserve their sense of self. For a narcissist like Tom, a threat to his control equates to a threat to his very self.
Now, to my entire point. The revelation of his true heritage and the truth about his parents triggered a mental breakdown, causing an identity crisis. Freud posits that human behaviour is influenced more by the unconscious mind than the conscious. The unconscious mind protects itself by concealing negative memories, which can affect behaviour and attitudes. In Tom’s case, his father's abandonment left a mark, which he could not reconcile. His only solution was to eradicate this source of shame and hatred.
Tom Riddle’s patricide and subsequent name change to Voldemort signify his profound self-loathing and rejection of his humanity. This action eradicates the evidence of his shameful heritage. According to Krech, hatred often correlates with anger, manifesting as a desire to destroy the source of hatred. Riddle’s murder of his father and paternal family was an attempt to reclaim control and restore his ego.
TLDR : Tom Riddle has a fragile sense of control and ego, loses the sense of control once he learns of his true heritage. Causing a mental breakdown and killing his family. In conclusion, he is miserable and hates everyone. ( even himself to a point.)
titsay
janainaart
baratheonpilled
vaporwave
blakekathryn
turnnoffyourmind
ellievsbear
stormborns