Walking Dead Psychology

The Walking Dead series tell a story about survival in a post-apocalyptic world after the spread of a deadly virus that turns the dead into flesh-eating zombies (or walkers). The TV series and comic books center around Rick Grimes, the main protagonist of the series, as well as other members of his group.

In the TV series, the story begins when Rick Grimes, a deputy sheriff in a small town in King County, Georgia, gets shot. After Rick wakes from a coma, starved and disoriented, he is alone in a hospital full of corpses. Not until a day later does Rick find out about the virus and the walkers. Nearly getting killed himself, Rick miraculously finds his friends and family near Atlanta, Georgia.

As if the walkers weren’t enough of a danger, many of the survivors turn on one another. Rick’s own best friend, Shane, who had been sleeping with Rick’s wife, Lori, when the two of them presumed Rick to be dead, turns on him. Shane kills several people in order to maintain control of the situation and eventually tries to kill Rick. Before he is able to complete his premeditated murder, Rick stabs him.

Other people, like The Governor, try so hard to maintain control of their people that they would rather kill those who disagree with them than come to a compromise. Anyone that comes through the gates of his town, Woodbury, is welcome to stay but no one is allowed to leave. When Michonne, a katana-wielding swordswoman, leaves  Woodbury, The Governor orders his men to execute her. When The Governor finds out about Rick’s group setting up camp in a prison, he refuses Rick’s offer to share the property and instead uses tanks and explosives to get rid of his competition, demonstrating that he did not care about the safety of other people, including his own, so long as it meant that he would get his way. 

Between the outbreak, the terrifying walkers, and the devastating losses, it is not surprising that many of the characters struggle and go through a complete personality transformation. For some, like Carol Peletier (as portrayed in the TV series), it means no longer living in her husband’s shadow and becoming a warrior. For others, like Rick Grimes and Michonne, it might mean losing trust in people and experiencing mental illness, like posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and possible psychotic symptoms, like hallucinations. Some people, like Beth Greene (the farmer’s daughter) and Sgt. Abraham Ford (the soldier), struggle so much that they consider committing suicide, while others, like Jacqui, one of the former member’s of Rick’s group, and Dr. Jenner, a CDC scientist, decide to take their own lives.

As much grief and devastation as the characters experience, there’s one thing that keeps them going, one thing that keeps them alive – their values. For Rick, that value is his children. After his wife, Lori, dies in childbirth, Rick begins having hallucinations, he briefly becomes violent, and isolates from others. In his brief psychotic state he has a conversation with Lori, who asks him to live and take care of their children. It is only after this conversation that Rick hold his newborn baby for the first time. Remembering what was truly important to him – his children and his new friends gave him the very meaning that he needed to keep going.

Other characters, like Daryl, Michonne, and Abraham, go through a similar transformation, where they find their strength in following what’s most important to them, (or as in the case of Abraham, his mission). Michonne, who lost her child in the beginning of the outbreak, did not initially want to be close to anyone but as she begins to open up her heart to Rick’s group, especially bonding with Rick’s son, Carl, her own wounds begin to heal.

There are many reasons why the Walking Dead franchise is so popular. Perhaps one of the biggest reasons is because it’s a great reminder that amidst the chaos, within all the pain and suffering, hope can still be found if we remember where to look.

If you are interested in the psychology behind the Walking Dead series, you might want to check out an upcoming book, The Walking Dead Psychology, scheduled to be released on August 18, 2015. I had the honor of writing a chapter on posttraumatic stress disorder as seen in the TV and comic book series and how some of the characters were able to overcome it. The book will be published through Sterling Publishing, under the editorship of Dr. Travis Langley.