Paranoid Personality Disorder In The Machinist

Paranoid Personality Disorder in The Machinist
Here it is, the middle of the night when we first encounter our protagonist, the dangerously emaciated Mr. Trevor Reznik. Trevor is disposing of a body, wrapped in a bathroom rug, down a ramp into a nearby body of water. This begins the symbolic unraveling of the character, although this is a piece of our puzzle being told out of turn. We get to know Trevor through following him from his job as a machinist; to his dimly lit and dirty home; to the prostitute, Stevie, he frequents and calls a friend; and finally to the airport diner he stops in every night for coffee, pie and amusing conversation with the waitress Maria. Both Maria and Stevie comment to Trevor how thin he is getting “If you were
Miller tries to assure Trevor that he bears him no ill will regarding the accident. He has received a comfortable settlement from the company and seems to be coping well despite the use of only one arm. Miller jokes with Trevor about the incident, which Trevor believes is hidden hostility on Miller’s part. The DSM-V states that persons suffering from paranoid personality disorder often find hidden meanings, or perceived threats in the words and actions of others (DSM-V, 2013, p. 649). A Post-it Note left on Trevor’s refrigerator further deepens his fears. The figure of a cartoon hangman with the letters “E” and “R” filled in promote the idea of threats from coworkers. He believes the letters either spell out “Miller” or “Tucker” (the name of Trevor’s supervisor at the machine shop). He confronts them both regarding the note and will not believe their consistent denials. He visits Maria at the coffee shop and accepts a date to spend time with her and her young son. The three visit an amusement park and Trevor has memories of his childhood with his mother and tells Maria about the absence of a father in his life. People suffering from paranoid personality disorder frequently have suffered an emotional trauma in their childhood (WebMd, 2014), growing up without a father could certainly fit in this dimension. These events could possibly all lead up to his inability to sleep.
While visiting her, he finds a photograph of Ivan on her nightstand. This leads him to believe that she has teamed up with Ivan in a plot against him. This is another criteria for this diagnosis of paranoid personality disorder, having suspicions about the fidelity of a sexual partner (DSM-V, 2013). All in all, the presentation of a paranoid personality seems to be accurately represented in this film. While Trevor does not exhibit all of the criteria for the diagnosis of paranoid personality disorder, he does fit the bill quite