Few celebrities have had a fan base as loyal and obsessive as Robert Pattinson. The 22-year-old British actor has been a major celebrity for as long as we’ve known him, and his fans have always shown their love and support, regardless of what kind of phase he’s been in. While we’ve had our ups and downs over the years, Rob has always been there for us, and we couldn’t be happier that he has decided to share his ups and downs with us in the most unique and honest way possible through his Instagram account.
What follows is a collection of some of the most memorable moments from Rob’s extremely candid Instagram feed, which has more than 500 million views as of this writing.
From Kristen Stewart’s BFF Status To Rob’s Tantrums
The year 2014 was a momentous one for Rob. Not only did he become an uncle for the first time but also made the jump from starring in smaller indie films to leading one of Hollywood’s most iconic franchises. He even had the chance to work with his longtime hero, Stephen King, on the TV series, “The Shining.” Needless to say, it was a big year, and he definitely had a lot to celebrate.
On the surface, everything looked perfect. He posted pics of himself with famous faces (he’s even pictured with Leonardo DiCaprio), he attended premieres and award shows, and he even got to sit down with his favorite actresses, Kristen Stewart and Angelina Jolie, for interviews. All good signs that 2014 would be a great year for Rob.
Then, suddenly, everything changed. He began posting pics of him with his hands on his hips, glaring at the camera with a look of rage. In the middle of an interview with the New York Times about “The Shining,” he dropped the F-bomb during the question-and-answer session and later shut down the entire interview. Even his Instagram account was on fire, posting countless pics of him in the middle of some kind of a tantrum.
While there’s no denying that things had been tumultuous between Rob and Kristen since their split back in 2013, it was still a bit of a shock to see them acting so aggressively toward each other. More surprisingly, it was the first time @robertpattinson had ever mentioned the K-word in a tweet. For the first time ever, we heard about a “K-complaint,” as they were dubbed in Twitlonger parlance.
It seemed as if the tables had turned on Rob. Suddenly, he was the one acting strangely and throwing temper tantrums. In the years since, we’ve seen a lot of strange behavior from Rob. He’s famously shut down interviews and refused to answer certain questions. He changed his look four times in less than a year. And, for the most part, he’s remained relatively silent, keeping his thoughts and feelings private, even from his closest friends.
But what exactly is going on with Robert Pattinson? We reached out to some of the biggest names in psychology to get their take on Rob’s bizarre behavior. Here’s what they said:
1. He’s Lacking In Self-Regulation
“He has very little impulse control,” says Dr. Steve Wilks, CEO and founder of SW Wilks Performance Psychology. “He will lose his temper over things that don’t matter and then refuse to discuss things that do matter. This leads to more dysfunction, not more effectiveness.”
Wilks has known Rob since the young actor was 12 years old. He’s witnessed firsthand the boy’s struggles with anxiety and ADHD, which have resulted in his infamous temper tantrums. In an interview with the Daily Beast, Wilks explained that, when it comes to self-regulating his emotions, Robert doesn’t do it very well.
“They’re extremely impulsive, which can lead to problems with anger and aggressive behavior,” Wilks said. “I’ve always known Rob to be pretty impulsive. He has a lot of pent-up anger and frustration, which can cause him to have these outbursts.”
It seems as though Rob is lacking in self-regulation in several important ways. He has a hard time controlling his emotions, which results in him losing his temper more often than not. When he does manage to keep his cool, he often ends up discussing subjects he shouldn’t be, which can also cause him to have an emotional meltdown. On top of that, he has serious problems with boundaries, which, in turn, lead to even more problems. As Dr. Wilks told the Daily Beast, “If you ask me, he’s got a lot of issues with authority and feeling a need to prove himself.”
It comes as no surprise that one of Hollywood’s most famous impulsive aggressive actors would have so many problems with self-regulation. After all, it’s not like this is a new phenomenon. Back in 2011, when he was only 20 years old, he was arrested for assault after he shoved a photographer in the chest during an argument over a photographer’s seating during the film premiere of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2.”
2. He Has Issues With Feelings, Privacy, And Authority
Based on what we know about Rob, it seems as though he has a lot of issues with feelings, privacy, and authority. This manifests itself in several ways. For example, he frequently calls himself the “baddest man alive,” which, according to Dr. Wilks, is a form of self-esteem bolstering. He also says that Rob uses “alternative facts” to make arguments, which is a sign that he has serious issues with the truth. In yet another example, he has repeatedly shut down interviews and refused to answer questions about certain topics, like the Bella/Edward breakup. And in the most recent example, he dropped a bombshell on the Twittersphere when he allegedly posted a “cereal killer” meme on his Instagram, which many believe was a response to a tasteless joke told by another user.
So, it would appear that, above ground, Rob is a man who lacks self-control, is not very good at expressing feelings, does not respect boundaries, and does not like to be told what to do. That’s a whole lot of chaos, and it’s perfectly natural for him to feel a little crazy sometimes. But what happens below ground is another story. It seems that, as horrible as he can be above ground, Rob can be even worse below ground. “There are people who feel that he’s a completely different person, which is true,” Dr. Wilks says. “From what I’ve seen and been told, he can be very aggressive and volatile in person, and that’s the persona he puts out there. But, in reality, he can be a real dick.”
While it seems as if Rob’s issues with self-regulation, feelings, and authority manifest themselves in pretty bad ways above ground, it gets even worse below ground. As part of his Breaking Dawn treatment, Dr. Wilks had to chain Rob’s arms and legs down during a family session. This is done to prevent any more physical altercations between the actor and his mother, Katarina. During the session, it was actually revealed that Rob is an “insane violent drunk,” according to Dr. Wilks, who described it as “a combination of everything I’ve ever seen.”
From a psychological standpoint, this type of behavior is extremely unhealthy. But it’s also very characteristic of someone with borderline personality disorder, which is a less-than-familiar diagnosis to many. According to Dr. Wilks, “One of the defining features of borderline personality disorder is that the individual is largely unaware of how much they’re hurting themselves. They don’t have good boundaries, can’t regulate their emotions well, and have very poor impulse control.”
Let’s be clear: Robert Pattinson is not actually crazy. He has just been extremely damaged by his traumatic upbringing and the pressures of fame. Even his harshest critics would have to admit that he’s been remarkably open and honest about his mental health issues in a profession that is known for its sugar-coated versions of reality. While it’s important to note that the condition is not “curable,” it is, in many cases, treatable. And that, in turn, could help Rob find peace and balance. Perhaps, with professional help, he could even become the great actor and respected member of the community that we’ve all come to know and love.
Check out the rest of Rob’s Instagram here. And be sure to tune in to The Walking Dead on Mondays at 7 p.m. ET/PT on AMC to see more of his remarkable acting talent.