From the Couch - Dr. J. Kober Zehner


Christian: Power from his peeps?

At the end of Ingmar Berman’s classic film noi, The Silent Moon, the lead character, Gustaf, rants at an empty vase about why it has not made flowers. Eventually, Gustaf becomes enraged at his precious vase and uses it to knock himself out, thereby destroying both it and himself.

When I recently watched this scene at a screening at the Augsberg Film Festival, it reminded me of another Raw Superstar who screams at things that are beyond his control. Christian wants the love of his “Peeps.” He wants the peeps to “grow flowers,” if you will, but he gets enraged when they don’t respond. That anger, if not channeled properly, will ruin his chance to become one of the greatest Superstars of all time.

An Intercontinental titlist and multiple-time World Tag Team Champion, Christian has certainly had his share of WWE glory. But this glory – the attainment of these goals – has not satisfied him or his ego. He wants to truly be the “people’s champion” or as he says the champion to his peeps. When the fans reject him or WWE officials deny his requests, he loses all focus, and usually, the match he is competing in.

Christian is suffering from Acute Self-Esteem Estrangement Syndrome (ASEES) As described by Dr. Ophelia Payne-Gilbert in her most recent treatise, Mind Over Matters of the Mind: An Intrinsic Look at Esteem Issues in Superior Performers. Dr. Payne-Gilbert describes people in high-stress fields of opera, chess and chemistry, who live off the drug of “adulation.” For most, it is a dynamic addiction. The need for adulation increases concentration of performance, which thereby increases adulation, doubling back and increasing performance ad infinitum.

While Dr. Payne-Gilbert’s study did not focus on Raw Superstars, her findings are applicable to the field of sports-entertainment. Dr. Payne-Gilbert describes many high-profile performers who allow any bad review, bad performance, or lack of recognition to ruin their work.

The criticism, even if completely unfounded – as is the case in an athlete of Christian’s ability – effects their self-esteem so thoroughly that their tantrums and rages make it impossible to complete the very tasks needed to gain adulation. This leads to a downward spiral. In Christian’s case, a series of childlike reactions to losing leads to a series of title losses.

In order to maximize his potential and receive the adulation of his peeps, Christian must forget about them. He must forget or perhaps “ignore” is a better word – all those who might boo him or try to prevent him from becoming the best Superstar on Raw. But first, he needs to deal with the internal estrangement and disconnect of his self esteem and abilities.

Although many in the field of psychoanalysis might view Christian as a sever case that can only be cured with years of therapy, all is not lost for him. He must find a qualified Western Freudian or Gestalt therapist willing to take him on immediately as a full-time patient. If a therapist is not available, a manager well-versed in psychoanalytic theory, perhaps Harvey Wippleman or Sir Oliver Humperdink (if he could be coaxed out of retirement), might be able to guide him back to his winning ways by protecting him from his peeps.

If he can acknowledge his behavior and make the proper corrections, I believe he will not end up like Gustaf, but rather climb the highest mountain, fulfill his enormous potential and become World Champion.