Thoughts about DSP's Psychology - Dr Fred Freud's Office

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In yesterday's Q&A stream, Phil did some commentary on the attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump. This turned into a schizophrenic rant about how he thinks the 'lies' told by people like Tevin and Doodystreams, and other detractors, embolden a more unhinged fringe of detractors who want to hurt him or kill. Phil is so paranoid from being a hermit for nearly a decade he quite literally believes there are people who want to assassinate him. I think this gives a pretty go insight into how detached from reality and mentally ill this man is.
 
Swiped from the Champions thread:
he let it slip on stream that (as a joke/sarcasm wink wink) that he gets a high from wasting people money on the game.
sounds like a way to release a lot of deep rooted anger and frustration.
That sounds more like another example of his out of control ego: Phil has always, always thought he was the smartest guy in the room going back to those old Usenet posts about Street Fighter. Conning his donors into giving him money for 'bills' when it's really all going to Champions lets him remind himself that he's still smarter than them & he got away with the lie. You might think this would get old after doing it for literally years, but Phil is so short-sighted that he still gets a boost out of it every single time.

Edit to Add: This might even extend to 'proving' he's smarter than his parents. They've been telling him for years their bailouts won't last forever and he needs to handle his money better, and what could be a better way to prove them wrong (again, in crazy narc logic) than blowing money that should be going to an IRA or 401-k on Champions? Tying back to him being such a short-sighted motherfucker, the fact that he doesn't end up on the street the morning after a Champions bender is all the proof he needs that he was right and the people telling him to invest were morahns.

Edit x2 to avoid double post: To take my first ETA a step further, wasting the money could be his way of reminding himself that going on Youtube instead of getting a real job was the right move despite what his parents (presumably) told him. If he stayed at the helicopter plant he'd never have this kind of money and would be too beaten down by his job to even think about playing games to have fun!

Yes this does mean he's using his decision to be a professional manchild to justify being a manchild in his personal life. It makes sense when you realize Phil is stupid.
 
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In yesterday's Q&A stream, Phil did some commentary on the attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump. This turned into a schizophrenic rant about how he thinks the 'lies' told by people like Tevin and Doodystreams, and other detractors, embolden a more unhinged fringe of detractors who want to hurt him or kill. Phil is so paranoid from being a hermit for nearly a decade he quite literally believes there are people who want to assassinate him. I think this gives a pretty go insight into how detached from reality and mentally ill this man is.
Phil’s greatest love isn’t even his greed. It’s his victim mentality.

He’s just in love in the thought of being Job. Everything bad, even the most minor of annoyances is always met with a “OF COURSE THIS HAS TO HAPPEN TO ME!”

He clings on to that almost as tightly as he clings on to the idea that he was kind of a big deal, and all of these psychopaths, while he did nothing wrong and did everuhh the big correct, just suddenly started picking on him for no reason whatsoever, and ruined his “career”.
 
Phil has been a source of endless fascination for me for some time now, if only because he serves as an interesting way for me to examine my own narcissistic tendencies; the on-going "Kino Arc" along with its complete 180s on drama & WWEC have really driven home for me just how pathological Phil's narcissism is. Like your average shit-tier covert narc, Phil is more than willing to admit faults relating to his past self: he was an alcoholic, he was a mobile game addict, he was a liar, etc., but none of these things apply to the "Phil-of-Right-Now" ("PoRN"), the false self he's constructed in his own mind. It is PoRN (not money, booze, or even sweaty men jpegs) that Phil loves the most, & he would sacrifice anything/anyone to defend it.

I believe this illustrates something often misunderstood about narcissism: narcs do care about their self-image (i.e. "how they look"), but only in relation to how they perceive their self-image. Like Narcissus, for the narc there really is nothing beyond him & his reflection; I really don't think Phil is dumb/autistic enough to think that anyone beyond the most dented of his paypigs actually buy his obvious lie about selling DFTR, but that's irrelevant to him. Like a true narc, Phil doesn't care what real flesh & blood ppl actually think about him ("They can suck terds outta my ayuss!" *SNORT*); what matters is how his own utterly empty husk of a self (the real him) perceives PoRN (the false self he constructed in his own mind). Like Narcissus's reflection, it doesn't matter that PoRN doesn't real & no one else sees it; what's important is that Phil sees it!

Nothing beyond this immaculate conception of himself in the ever-vanishing present moment holds any real value to him; I'm totally convinced that he would nut on Linda's Kools & piss on Dave's tackle box in order to protect it. Can there be a more perfect illustration of how delusional pathological narcissism is when it drives someone to sacrifice his wealth, health, dignity, & every meaningful relationship he ever had for something that doesn't even exist?

(Edited for formatting/readability)
 
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Phil’s greatest love isn’t even his greed. It’s his victim mentality.

He’s just in love in the thought of being Job. Everything bad, even the most minor of annoyances is always met with a “OF COURSE THIS HAS TO HAPPEN TO ME!”

He clings on to that almost as tightly as he clings on to the idea that he was kind of a big deal, and all of these psychopaths, while he did nothing wrong and did everuhh the big correct, just suddenly started picking on him for no reason whatsoever, and ruined his “career”.
Are we sure he isn’t Jewish?
 
This is random and probably meaningless, but Jimmy Savile's catchphrase was "Now Then, Now Then, Now Then!" He kind of bombards you with a cluster of contradictions... are we talking about past tense, present tense, or both at the same time? It's kind of disorienting, maybe on a subconscious level.

This made me think of how Burnell contradicts himself often in back to back sentences. I think it's interesting, since both individuals convinced (pignotized) a decent number of people that they were a good guy for at least a certain period of time, until it started to be revealed that they were in fact not such good guys; obviously the scale and severity is much different but still kind of the same dynamic.

I'm going to do more research into Savile to see if he also talked about himself in the third person a lot. That's another thing I think "Phil" does to ingratiate himself to people as buddy and someone they can... well... help out with money; it's like a mechanism to cultivate a para-social relationship.
 
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Adding this to the mountain of evidence we have Phil is literally autistic.
Screenshot 2024-09-16 223841.png
 
One thing I've noticed about Phil is that if he can't perceive it, then it doesn't exist. For example, in his playthrough of "Scarface: The World is Yours", there's this part where Phil is killed by an enemy that he overlooked. While most people would conclude "Oh, I guess I missed an enemy", Phil believes that he died for literally no reason. In his "Cooking with the King" videos, he would sometimes use a metal spatula on a metal pan. Viewers told him that it wasn't a good idea, because that cause sometimes cause the metal to scrape off. Phil called them "whiners" and said "It's never been a problem before!" So because he didn't realize that he was probably putting metal shavings until his food, that somehow means that it wasn't happening.

Is that an indication of any particular disorder?
 
One thing I've noticed about Phil is that if he can't perceive it, then it doesn't exist. For example, in his playthrough of "Scarface: The World is Yours", there's this part where Phil is killed by an enemy that he overlooked. While most people would conclude "Oh, I guess I missed an enemy", Phil believes that he died for literally no reason. In his "Cooking with the King" videos, he would sometimes use a metal spatula on a metal pan. Viewers told him that it wasn't a good idea, because that cause sometimes cause the metal to scrape off. Phil called them "whiners" and said "It's never been a problem before!" So because he didn't realize that he was probably putting metal shavings until his food, that somehow means that it wasn't happening.

Is that an indication of any particular disorder?
It's a symptom of extreme NPD. If he doesn't notice it, it could not possibly exist.
 
If narcissism is about attention, fame, and social status, psychopathy is more about pure selfishness or pleasure-seeking. A psychopath doesn’t necessarily crave admiration; they simply want to get their needs met. They might seek money, sex, or a place to stay, rather than status or attention. Psychopaths are more likely to be exploitative, and one hallmark of psychopathy is what’s known as a parasitic lifestyle—living off someone else’s work. A psychopath might live off their spouse’s labor while spending their time partying, golfing, or, if those options aren’t available, turning to crime, surviving by swindling or stealing from others.

Both narcissists and psychopaths can be likable. One of the classic descriptions of a psychopath is someone with glib and superficial charm. This can come across as being “slick” or “snaky.” Back in the 1980s and 90s my Dad worked in California politics and would tell me stories about Willie Brown, the original “Slick Willie” (this appellation was later applied to Bill Clinton). Slick Willie would move through a crowd shaking hands and high-fiving the staff—everyone was charmed by him, and that allowed him to become a major powerbroker in the state. My Dad admired Willie’s political skills—Slick Willie was able to make things happen across the aisle (this was back when California still had an aisle).

Narcissists can also be charming and likable, but their charm is more rooted in attention-seeking and extraversion, while a psychopath’s charm is more manipulative and transactional. Narcissism is more bombastic and theatrical; psychopathy is more reptilian and cold-blooded. The classic attention-seeking narcissist is generally more entertaining than the typical psychopath.

Another major distinction between narcissism and psychopathy is time preference—or self-control. If I’m narcissistic and want the world to love and adore me, that’s going to take effort. I’ll need to cultivate my appearance, career, or possessions to gain admiration. That’s hard work. In the clinical literature, narcissism is often associated with individuals who have specific talents—great musicians, skilled orators, or highly accomplished professionals. They may carry a great deal of narcissism, but their abilities provide a justification for their status.

Psychopathy, in contrast, doesn’t require long-term investment. The goal is more immediate gratification—exploiting others and extracting what they want as quickly as possible. There are certainly cases where psychopaths engage in long-term manipulation, like running a long con, but most everyday psychopathy is focused on short-term rewards—doing what feels good in the moment. As a result, psychopathy tends to appear less functional than narcissism.

When you do find a psychopath with high self-control, they can do very well. Robert Hare’s classic metaphor for high-functioning psychopaths is snakes in suits—think of these as white-collar, corporate psychopaths versus the members of a prison gang. Willie Brown was a good example of a high-functioning psychopath.
So, what’s the takeaway? Narcissism and psychopathy share some self-centeredness and antagonism, but psychopathy is more extreme in its antagonism. The biggest differences are in extraversion and conscientiousness—narcissists are more extraverted and image-conscious, while psychopaths are more impulsive and lack self-control. If you were to find someone with psychopathic traits and high conscientiousness, they might resemble a narcissist.

Which of these traits is healthier? I always frame this question in terms of personality trade-offs. Psychopathy, at first glance, seems like the worse trait, but in survival situations—like playing Survivor on TV or living in a prison—psychopathy might actually be more useful.

In most environments, though, narcissism looks more adaptive. High extraversion is beneficial for social relationships and leadership, and while narcissists tend to be antagonistic, they are often successful because of their drive for status. That said, narcissists in leadership positions can be dangerous. Just as psychologists talk about high-functioning psychopaths—who resemble narcissists—they also talk about malignant narcissists, who resemble psychopaths due to their extreme antagonism and lack of self-control. A fictional example is Hannibal Lecter—portrayed as a classic high-functioning psychopath with strong narcissistic traits, particularly regarding his intelligence and refined tastes. He could also be described as a malignant narcissist.
 
"If narcissism is about attention, fame, and social status, psychopathy is more about pure selfishness or pleasure-seeking."

What came first, the pleasure-seeking in drinking or the attention-seeking on forums?
His selfishness with toys or the social status of having said toys?
I think poor Philip was doomed no matter what his mental illness is.
 
i've been seeing a lot of people doubt that Phil has autism recently, and its honestly been pissing me off.

im no expert, but i am as certain that Phil is autistic as i am that he is narcissistic. a lot of people dont seem to realize, there can be an overlap between these things. i often hear, "Phil isnt autistic, hes just a narcissist and a sociopath!", as if calling him autistic is excusing his behavior. its not, its simply making an observation. you can be autistic and a good person, or you can be autistic and a self-serving narcissist. also, i cant comment on whether or not he definitely qualifies as a sociopath, but lack of empathy, or at least struggling with empathy, can overlap with autism and NPD. he definitely could have ASPD, but it doesnt mean he isnt also a bumbling autist. the use of outdated slang, the social awkwardness that makes him seem like a lizard person, the routine/schedule, the weird fixations, the way he speaks, etc are all just dead giveaways to me. also, i believe his autism makes it hard for him to understand why his narcissistic, entitled behavior is so off putting and frustrating to people. if he only had NPD, i think he'd try to make all of his begging and lying less obvious. the reason hes so open about it is because hes a socially oblivious sperg who cant possibly comprehend why people are annoyed by how he acts. its not to say he doesnt know right from wrong, its just to say that the social retardation, coupled with thinking the world revolves around him, makes him think this is an acceptable way to act and that everyone ELSE are the idiots.

i know im not breaking new ground here, but people like Doody and the people in his comments insisting he isnt autistic is just ridiculously stupid. my brother has autism, and i see a lot of similarities between them. my brother often times comes off as self-centered and a smart ass because if someone doesnt see something from the same perspective as him, he cant grasp it, because hes so stuck in his own head and struggles to read/understand other people. with Phil, i believe this, combined with extreme narcissism, has turned him into the cartoonishly obnoxious person he is. i'd bet 10 grand right now that he'd get a diagnosis. hell, i've known far more normal/functional people get an autism diagnosis in this age. theres no way he doesnt have it.
 
Four letters that have never been mentioned on the entire DSP subforum but explain Phil Burnell extremely well:
OCPD
That explains a lot especially how he glitches out when he doesn’t hit a goal considering the money he’s bringing in. As well as having to do his dsp tries it on a certain day and if he doesn’t get to do it in that day well, we’ve seen how the podcast is the next day.
 
That explains a lot especially how he glitches out when he doesn’t hit a goal considering the money he’s bringing in. As well as having to do his dsp tries it on a certain day and if he doesn’t get to do it in that day well, we’ve seen how the podcast is the next day.
Yeah at least from what we see of him in public and know of him I'm basically certain he must have this. The thing is it can be treated with medication and basic talk therapy - he could actually fix things in a short/medium span of time.
 
Four letters that have never been mentioned on the entire DSP subforum but explain Phil Burnell extremely well:
OCPD
I disagree and think Phil does not meet most of the criteria:

1) 'Attention to order and perfection' - I'm leaning towards "no" here, he is obsessed with order in his streams (in the sense of 'goes as he planned', even if the rest of us do not get the logic) but I do not see anything suggesting perfectionism. Outside of streams it is oddly selective, he does not seem to mind that the Snort Fort needs major repairs since it is still technically livable but throws a fit if his Doordash is messed up.
2) 'Obsession with productivity' - When you strip away all the BS Phil spends less than a full shift / day streaming even if you count setup, uploading, and so on; most of his free time is spent playing Champions and (I would assume) watching random crap on Netflix with the occasional shopping trip thrown in there. Additionally he's added more zero-effort content like the 'podcast' and tips goals in the last ~decade. He's certainly obsessed with appearing productive but it's just that - an appearance.
ETA: 'They may feel uncomfortable when they go on a vacation' - this is not because he puts a high value on productivity, it is because he is far too attached to his creature comforts and so obsessed with the idea that someone, somewhere might be laughing at him that he cannot step away from social media for any period at all. There may also be some degree of cargo-cult mentality because he does not understand the ecosystem that surrounds him + keeps him out of the poorhouse.

It is never going to happen but a few weeks-a month in the backwoods with no Internet and outdoorsy stuff to keep him busy would do him a world of good.

3) 'Restricted emotions and interpersonal functioning' is a mixed bag
3.1) 'Little affection and warmth' - I'll give you this one, even when he is trying to portray himself as a loving boyfriend/husband it comes across as awkward at best and mean at worst.
3.2) 'Relationships and speech tend to have a formal and professional approach' - nope, don't see it. They are very awkward due to him getting very little IRL socialization his whole life but his default setting is informal and crass. Even post-Kat he still tries to come across as a regular guy despite cutting out the scat humor.
3.3) 'They are extremely careful in their interpersonal interactions' - not seeing this either, he is careless much of the time to the point he has lost whales. Same for the hospital vlog + comments about Kat unless he was purposely trying to twist the knife.
3.4) 'They have little spontaneity' - yep, you're right here
3.5) 'They filter their speech for embarrassing or imperfect articulation' - there is a whole thread on his weird word choices + pronunciations. You can't even argue he's rigorously filtering based on his own badly flawed understanding of English when his speech has gotten stranger in the last few years.
3.6) 'They raise their bar even higher when communicating with [people of higher status]' - yeah, he does this
3.7) 'Communication becomes a time-consuming and exhausting effort, and they start avoiding it altogether' - no, he is fine with rambling for hours so long as it is on his terms. He only clams up when he realizes he is embarrassing himself.
3.8) 'Others may regard them as cold and detached as a result' - yes, he does this.

Alternatively for the DSM criteria:
1 - Preoccupation with details - Most of the time not unless it involves street fighter, and even when he does try to get into the details it's usually at a surface level
2 - Perfectionism interfering with task completion - he is very inconsistent here, excluding fighting games he does not care about this most of the time but every now and then he will get weirdly fixated on a perfect score/100% completion. Most of the time the big impediment to task completion is his own laziness and you can't really measure this outside of his streams because he does not have 'tasks' beyond ordering doordash, going to the dump, and window shopping on the Designated Day Off. These tasks are all so simple and straightforward that perfectionism cannot play a role, there is one way to do them even in his world.
3 - Rigidity and stubbornness - yup.
4 - Reluctance to delegate - yup.
5- Excessive conscientiousness and pedantry - not unless it's to win an Internet argument.
6 - Workaholic behavior - see above, he is not one but he is obsessed with being seen as one.
7 - Miserliness - Phil bought his car new and convinced himself it was a good deal, avoids discount retailers, and probably orders hundreds of dollars a week in Doordash. He does not meet this even if you ignore Champions.
8 - Inability to discard worn-out or worthless objects - Absolutely, he lets excess furniture pile up and effectively committed himself to holding onto all those video game props when he refused to sell them for a reasonable price.

So three out of eight, or one short of the number needed for a diagnosis.

ETA:
Yeah at least from what we see of him in public and know of him I'm basically certain he must have this. The thing is it can be treated with medication and basic talk therapy - he could actually fix things in a short/medium span of time.
The problem with DSP and talk therapy is that he will not accept the kind that will help in the long term - he would benefit immensely (and not just from trolls going away) if he realized his behavior is not only inappropriate but the root cause of many of his problems in life, but his head is so far up his ass he'd never go back to a therapist who tried to lead him down that path. The only way a therapist could get him to come back for repeat sessions would be to validate his lunacy.
 
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Yeah when I look at Phil's horrible half assed stream that he didn't update the equipment for a literal decade for I think "This guys a perfectionist!"

Phil rejects help from other people because he's a narcissist not because he has OCPD. He's full of himself and think's he's far smarter then he is and that other people can't help him because they are stupid compared to him. It's not a medical thing it's just the result of childhood coddling and never being told no. The rigid scheduling, extreme discomfort with breaking patterns or missing streaming days, his inability to adapt or change his behavior is all autism.
 
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That explains a lot especially how he glitches out when he doesn’t hit a goal considering the money he’s bringing in. As well as having to do his dsp tries it on a certain day and if he doesn’t get to do it in that day well, we’ve seen how the podcast is the next day.

Yeah at least from what we see of him in public and know of him I'm basically certain he must have this. The thing is it can be treated with medication and basic talk therapy - he could actually fix things in a short/medium span of time.

Yeah when I look at Phil's horrible half assed stream that he didn't update the equipment for a literal decade for I think "This guys a perfectionist!"

Phil rejects help from other people because he's a narcissist not because he has OCPD. He's full of himself and think's he's far smarter then he is and that other people can't help him because they are stupid compared to him. It's not a medical thing it's just the result of childhood coddling and never being told no. The rigid scheduling, extreme discomfort with breaking patterns or missing streaming days, his inability to adapt or change his behavior is all autism.

From my own personal experience, my father exhibits all certain traits of Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD). He has an insatiable need for perfection, control, and orderliness, which in turn leads to an enormous amount of stress and anxiety. For example, he maintains his belongings right down to items older than ten years to the point where they look new. He applies precise methods, like a hairdryer, to remove stickers from a box without damaging them so he can reseal boxes perfectly later when reselling them. He loathes even small scratches and imperfections and demands work to be done exactly to his standards. This is not vanity or showmanship but a gut feeling of discomfort with the mess and chaos of a bad job. Despite all these challenges, he is very bright and able, someone who has saved lives and been completely supportive to family and friends. His perfectionism is driven by responsibility and care, not vanity. His perfectionism, while difficult, is a strength in the world that otherwise feels too much.

DSP personality is not supported by the clinical definition of OCPD. Although he is inflexible and stubborn in certain respects, his so called perfectionism is surface level and selective. For instance, he tolerates major problems in his environment with scant concern but will become outrageously agitated about minor annoyances like a bad DoorDash delivery. His productivity at work is largely for show, doing little real work in the meantime. DSP's rigidity seems more related to creature comforts and fear of other people's opinions than any obsessive need for perfection.

Emotionally and socially, the differences are dramatic. My father's relationships, though sometimes brusque, are empathetic and filled with a strong sense of allegiance. DSP seems to come on awkward, distant, and occasionally careless or even cold in their social interactions. He is not warm in his affect and lacks the organized manner of speech typical of OCPD. Instead, DSP's conversation tends to be rambling, unmoderated, and increasingly bizarre in vocabulary and pronunciation. He has narcissistic traits and possible neurodivergence, such as autism spectrum manifestations, rather than obsessive-compulsive binding.

According to formal diagnostic criteria, DSP lacks only a few traits typical of OCPD: some obstinacy, refusal to delegate tasks, and hoarding. He doesn't have real perfectionism interfering with jobs, hyper-watching out, or a real workaholic drive. His purported stinginess is uncoordinated, especially given his extravagant expenditure on WWE Champions a few hundred thousand dollars something my father would find not just wasteful but bewildering and as severely mentally ill. My father's frugality and prudence with money are far removed from DSP's wanton, indulgent splurging, as that says a lot about a fundamental difference in values and control.

In summary, my father possesses the key traits of OCPD: an obsession with order and control, rigid perfectionism, and conscientiousness, balanced with high intelligence, empathy, and heroic tendencies. DSP's behavior and nature are better explained by narcissism, avoidance, and possible neurodivergence, yet not the structured perfectionism or work ethic typical of OCPD.

This dichotomy allows me to understand and appreciate my father's strengths and weaknesses without criticism, perceiving his condition as an actual challenge built upon actual warmth and proficiency. By contrast, DSP's issues are inherently distinct, a complex blend of traits not fitting the OCPD profile.
 
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