A character from the House MD series that lasted for 8 seasons, Dr. Gregory House was an enigmatic figure. He is the main character as well as the protagonist in the series. He came across as an individual with a simplistic nature at first, only for his later roles to reveal a man with an aura of complexity in relation to character. Generally, he is seen as an embodiment of ruthlessness and genius. To some extent, he is even taken to be a jerk; with a very simple and straightforward outward personality. It is only upon a more detailed personality analysis, which the real complex nature of House’s character comes to the fore. In the process, it becomes evident that amid the ruthless outside appearance, Gregory House has a heart and indeed, feelings.
Raised by an overprotective mother and a strict father, House endured a tough upbringing. His father meted out punishments on him, the kind which would be considered inhuman and entirely abusive. This was to later on make him believe that home wasn’t the place to provide peace and security as is usually the case in most homes. The harsh experiences meant hell for him. It certainly sowed the seeds for his trust issues and his personal belief that everyone lies.
Freudian analysis depicts that strict forms of parenting during the anal stages of a child are usually recipe for an anal-retentive personality or character. This in turn makes one obsessive. This is strikingly what happens with House, who displays instances of obsession with some of the cases he takes part in, as well as his team and peers. The instances of his self-destruction and sense of being disorganized particularly highlight the anal-expulsive side of his personality. It is indeed evident that the impact that his father had on him is huge, as he most likely associates his dad’s image with evil. The mother however, also seems to have played a role in his feats of self-destruction, as she might have played a role in negating the impacts of the dad on House. Her leniency and the cruelty of the father slowly molded House into a rebel who resembled the father in virtually every aspect.
According to Freud, an ego usually plays a crucial role in ensuring that an individual easily adapts to various socio cultural environments without the need to feel punished or harassed. This is what House also developed. The ego is what puts the id in check. It helps one to maintain reality. The id takes over House as he uses Vicodin to self-destruct, is ego tries keeping him in check. House also seems to have trust issues which emanated not only from the treatment of his father, but also from the fact that he continuously doubted the legitimacy of him being his real father. He also displays the need for love, as he competes with his dad for the mother’s affection.
He displays a number of defense mechanisms, such as deflection, regression, compensation and denial. He used denial as a major way of dealing with his addiction. He hides his emotions through the use of vicodin, which have a numbing effect on him. While he likes being too much into other people’s businesses, he reacts rather immaturely when his are addressed. His immaturity clearly comes to focus after his breakup with Cuddy, after which he gets into a fake marriage with Dominika. This is a clear indication that he doesn’t know how to handle his problems amicably.
He displays a few sociopathic behavior, such as the need to get some form of stimulation, increased instances of narcissism, high levels of secretiveness and being a pathological liar. While these might be indicative of sociopath, House doesn’t seem to inherently display them to a large extent.
