Chuckie Finster
Charles "Chuckie" Finster, Jr. is the red-headed, bespectacled, and freckle-faced toddler who although cute, is the pessimistic scaredy-cat of the group. Anytime the babies suggest that they should embark on an adventure, he's usually the first to say "Maybe this isn't such a good idea". However, Chuckie is loyal and sometimes brave; occasionally facing his fears to come through for his friends. For example, in "The Slide", Chuckie longs to go down the slide and have fun like his peers at the park, however, when he looks up, he finds the slide menacing. In order to get Chuckie over his fear of heights, his good friend Tommy Pickles, and other neighborhood kids help Chuckie face his fears by gradually exposing him to heights, by pushing him back and forth in a tire swing, and making a fan blowing hard in his face. As he gets used to the physical sensations connected to heights, Suzie instructs him to repeat "I'm a big brave dog!". The gang ultimately used general cognitive behavioral therapy strategies in order to help Chuckie get over his fear of heights. Chuckie is always there for his friends emotionally and doesn't necessarily like to misbehave. He most likely has an overactive superego as he acts as a conscience for the babies and tells the babies whats acceptable and unacceptable: being a voice of reason for the babies. Chuckie may also be dealing with Generalized Anxiety Disorder GAD, since he has irrational fears and paranoia of many things. From his extreme fear of sandboxes after being explained the meaning of the word "germ" to his belief that a watermelon was growing in his stomach after swallowing a watermelon seed, Chuckie is a little kid filled with big worries. His phobias distinguish him from the group as his overwhelming fear of clowns and the guy on the oatmeal box make him cower in fear. According to his character description, Chuckie may have Coulrophopia, a specific phobia in which the sufferer fears clowns. Chuckie is also very gullible and easily influenced and sometimes allows Angelica to instill irrational fears within him. In the episode, Under Chuckie's Bed below, the cruel Angelica implant fear in Chuckie that a monster lives beneath his new "big boy" bed. This makes him extremely apprehensive about this new stage in his childhood, until Chaz points out the truth to his relieved son. Many things make Chuckie immensely anxious, apprehensive, jittery, fearful, and hesitant; hence his diagnosis of GAD. Additionally, Chuckie is the embodiment of Freud's superego: the part of your personality that incorporates the values and morals of society which are learned from one's parents and others. The superego's function is to control the id's impulses, especially those which society forbids, such as sex and aggression. It also has the function of persuading the ego to turn to moralistic goals rather than simply realistic ones and to strive for perfection. The superego consists of two systems: The conscience and the ideal self. The conscience can punish the ego through causing feelings of guilt. For example, if the ego gives in to the id's demands, the superego may make the person feel bad through guilt. This is clearly portrayed by Chuckie, who is the voice of reason and morality and often fears the repercussions of the babies' actions. His high sense of morality causes him to be anxious and reluctant to do risky or adventurous things.
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