They seek to attract the attention of others, do not enjoy environments where they are not the center of general interest, and intensely crave the attention of those around them. Their mood changes very frequently, and these shifts can occur in rapid cycles. They express their emotions theatrically and exaggeratedly. They may idealize or devalue people around them in an overly dramatic manner. Individuals with this personality structure use every means available to constantly draw the attention of others, almost as if this were their primary purpose in life.
Although their goal is not sexuality, their clothing style often carries a subtle suggestiveness; seductive behaviors, unnatural mannerisms when speaking in front of groups, and surprising shifts in their attitudes are among the prominent features. Exaggerated requests for help (such as acting like a little girl) and a wide repertoire of attention-seeking behaviors characterize them. They start relationships quickly but struggle to maintain them. In these personality patterns, making others admire and depend on them is fundamental. Beneath all these behaviors lies a deeper layer of thought and emotion: a belief that they cannot cope with life’s difficulties on their own and a profound sense of insecurity.
When examined closely, we can clearly see a childlike personality structure. The underlying belief that they cannot survive alone and that they will be left isolated pushes them toward others. People with this structure express femininity in an exaggerated behavioral, verbal, and visual manner. Although these women appear highly feminine and try to display their sexuality outwardly in an exaggerated way, in reality their sexual lives tend to be colorless and lacking desire. As mentioned above, the goal is to draw others toward themselves and avoid losing their support. These theatrical personalities reflect admiration toward others as if holding up a mirror, and they want to feel admired based on the reflections they receive.
In truth, their admiration for others is actually admiration directed toward themselves. From all this, we can easily infer how deeply insecure and helpless these individuals feel internally.
At first, they genuinely attract attention and appear very charming, but after entering a relationship or establishing closeness, their overly dramatic attitudes and sudden emotional ups and downs cause others to withdraw. These theatrical personalities quickly embark on a new quest to make someone else admire them in order to replace the individuals they have lost. They do this because a deep fear of being alone motivates them, and although their relationships generally end in disappointment, they fail to develop insight. They believe that the problems or instability in their relationships originate from others, and therefore repeat the same scenario again and again.
Individuals with this structure initially captivate others with surprising and exciting behaviors, but later tire them out and push them away. Alternatively, they may end or sabotage their current relationship in favor of someone whom they believe will show them more attention, sometimes engaging in extra-marital relationships. Their patterns follow familiar cycles.
