I've been playing Dib in role plays for years, always trying to better understand him. I'm curious to hear about other people's theories on his psychology, and I would like to share my own for Dib.
Why does Dib act the way he does?
Here's a few questions I'd like to bring up.
Relationships - If people didn't think Dib was crazy, would he be more socially inclined? How would he behave around friends? How much would he value a relationship and how loyal would he be? In the episode where Dib curses his sister with pig senses, he's willing to sacrifice himself at the end to save her. Does Dib love his sister? Why does he not show it openly, or does he? If he was in a relationship, how would it compare to the relationship between him and his sister? Would he feel awkward in an intimate relationship?
Arrogance - Why is Db so arrogant? Is it arrogance? Is this because of his age, his history, his influences?
Talkativeness/Osessiveness - Why is Dib so talkative? Is it that he's lonely or would he be that way if he wasn't? Does he notice when people are bored listening to him and stop, ignore it, or is he oblivious?
Age - Which of Dib's traits are due to immaturity? What will he be like as an adult?
Heroism - Why does Dib defend Earth? Does it have something to do with his feelings towards the rest of humanity? Is it something to do with Zim? Or is it more self motivated? Does he know why he's so determined or is the reason in his subconscious?
Emotions - Is Dib emotional? Is he depressed? Will he be depressed in the future?
If you could describe Dib's personality in a few paragraphs or less, or list words that best describe him, what would you say? What stands out the most?
Here's my theories.
Relationships - Dib would not be antisocial if people respected him. He's frustrated with humanity. If he were antisocial, he wouldn't try to convince them that he was right, or pay any attention to them at all. He doesn't want them to be ignorant. He wants followers more than friends. He would have trouble in a situation where he isn't superior because that's not what he's used to. He would be a more loyal friend than most. If he sacrificed something for a friend, he'd be the kind of person who shows little interest to the thing they scarified after it's gone - not as a way to seem modest, but to help reassure himself that it wasn't as important. He values friendship and love highly, as hinted in the Christmas episode. He would not be very intimately affectionate, but able to say sweet things like he has to his sister, particularly when she was in danger. He would be an incredibly protective friend, applying his determination to save Earth to keeping a friend as well.
Dib loves his sister and is afraid of her for that very reason. She won't hesitate in physically harming him, but he would never hurt her. He might act in a similar way with someone who he is not afraid of due to lack of relationship experience, but that could change over time once he's more confident in that situation.
Arrogance - Dib is very arrogant. Most of what he does is a power trip. He feels superior to other humans. He's used to people being ignorant, so he's open and stern about his claims. It is also because he is young. I imagine that when he is older, he will be less defensive, but still rather condescending. Another reason for Dib's arrogance is his father. I believe that Dib is a clone of his dad. Professor Membrane shows signs of pure confidence, and as a clone or his son, Dib will have a similar aura of confidence. It's noticeable in Dib already without looking at his dad.
Talkativeness/Osessiveness - One of Dib's problems is that he doesn't emphasize with people's feelings as well when he's talking or doing something that requires focus. Because of this, he might take a moment to realize his talking is bothering someone. He would be talkative if he had people to converse with or not. As an outgoing, social, knowledgeable, confident, and inventive person, he'll take pride in telling you everything that pops into his head two thought processes at a time. He's very clear in speech, but he gets sidetracked in thought as a result of his tendency to brainstorm out loud. This is seen in several episodes. One is when he's on TV talking about his spell drives. Another time is when he's talking to Gaz about something that I've yet to understand the point of before it turned into telling her about hiding Tak's ship in his garage.
Dib is obsessive. Just look at his room. There's many papers on the walls and junk everywhere, but he always knows where to look for it. He can be absent minded and misplace something at times, but normally he's the kind of person who sorts their messes.
Age - Let's assume that things pertaining to Zim or Dib's surroundings will not change as he gets older. As I have mentioned, I think Dib's arrogance is influenced partially by his age. I predict that he will be less defensive as an adult and more capable of 'choosing his battles'. He'll be more focussed. He'll be less high-strung. He will still be a loud and frequent speaker. He will have continued to learn and expand his knowledge in all academic fields, but very little about psychology. He will be more independent. He will also be more frustrated with humanity and likely more cold/distant.
Heroism - As a child who's parents weren't around, Dib subconsciously sought out the reassurence of others, but he didn't get it. When the opertunity arised on the day that Zim came to Earth, Dib was quick to step up to the plate and assume the role of Earth's hero, which he would have claimed in any other situation. He doesn't get praise from anyone, so he does something so extreme and satisfying that he can wake up in the morning and feel important because he saved the world last night. Aside from needing to feel important in some way, Dib has a natural urge to be a leader. He wants to be superior, for people to like him, to feel righteous for doing something good, and to have an extreme goal in life. That, and he doesn't want to be a slave to the Irkens. Who would? It has nothing to do with Zim or any individual people on Earth. If asked why he does it, his answer will be this: "If Zim destroys Earth, we'll all perish. Someone has to do something and no one else is willing!"
Emotions - Since I see a lot of fanfiction about Dib being depressed, I thought I'd add this. I do not think he is depressed, and he will never become depressed enough to cut himself, commit suicide, or be very different than he is already because those are illogical solutions. Earth needs him anyway. He's very strong-willed and has put up with a lot from people. If he were depressed, I imagine he would be quieter and less motivated.
Dib gets an ego boost with his frustration towards humankind. If he wasn't protecting Earth, he would seek an alternative way to fill the void and not feel worthless. This is his way of countering the feeling of being underappreciated. He's given himself a lot to be proud of.
In conclusion, I think Dib is a typical kid as far as maturity. His interest in para science and many academic subjects set him apart from other kids. Because he doesn't fit in with them and his parents are never around, he has some psychology needs that are met with his role as Earth's defender. He's naturally suited for that role as well. He doesn't realize how important Zim's mission is to his own mental well-being. He's outgoing, high-strung, arrogant, talkative, obsessive, caring, loud, intelligent, and driven.
I was reading about psychology last night and found an interesting quiz. I took the quiz and answered the questions as Dib out of curiosity. The results astounded me because I was given a link to a page describing a personality type that fits the way I play Dib almost - if not - perfectly. I had never read anything about this or much about psychology before. Here's the link if any of you are interested. There's other personality types there too, and it's quite fun to read.
http://typelogic.com/entj.htmlI also want to add something about Zim. I don't play Zim as much. I've had trouble figuring him out, but here is one thing I've determined.
The way Zim is defective is that he has a stronger urge to obey the Tallest than any other Irken.
Notice how Zim's intelligence diminishes when he's around his leaders. He's still unintelligent elsewhere, but seems far more competent. This could be part of his malfunction, that his judgement is clouded by an unimaginably strong desire to impress them. He is also destructive, like in Operation Impending Doom one. Many people experience failure when they are trying too hard to do something right. I suspect that something in Zim's PAK is effecting his brain in this way, and it is more powerful than anything any human experiences.
I want to point out how Zim stalks the Tallest in Backseat Drivers From Beyond The Stars. It is implied that he is the only Irken showing that much of an obsession with the Tallest.
I think that Zim would never be able to be a leader. He will try to become the Tallest if given the chance. But I predict that he would not last long because his brain is wired with the need to obey someone in an obsessive way. As a result of his defective PAK and memories of being defective, he would seek out a new obsession with someone who had power. I can imagine that being humorously awkward for the person he chooses.
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