reading about identified schemas modes and:
child modes
vulnerable child - rei
she seems self-centered and distant. both asuka and shinji are a little surprised at her attitude at the begining, with asuka firmly believing she must hate her or have an immense ego. but rei actually hates herself and feels alone. she also believes that there's something wrong inside her. and, about her relationships, she understand others deeply and cares about them at some level. she presents depressive symptoms and, even though she doesn't want to be alone, she isolates herself most of the time because she has been abandoned and emotionally neglected all her life.
angry child - shinji
he damages others, especially asuka, because of his repressed rage. he screams "be nice to me!" and demands answers from others about himself and his feelings. he believes he has been wronged and betrayed but the world. that's quite the reason he initially choses instrumentality. he is bitter and feels like a victim. he always doubts himself and feels vulnerable, so he ends up reacting violently when he feels his needs are not being satisfied. but I would argue that he only displays his rage when he feels it's safe enough to do it. for example, again, with asuka. he wouldn't treat gendo that way. with misato, it's more a passive-aggressive response.
impulsive child (but also vulnerable child) - asuka
this is mainly because of her reactive formation, as she is also a vulnerable child, but she does present some impulsive qualities. her own battle with azrael is prove of that. she fights recklessly and ends up putting herself in danger because of her need to validate herself through piloting. she gets aggressive when she feels intimidated or surpassed in areas that give her self validation in general. she also adopts an entitled persona, as part of her vulnerable child schema, to hide her true insecure self from others. she won't admit how much she craves others affection, so she pushes them away.
I also want to talk about dysfunctional coping schemas and everything I just need a rest lol











