This post is a continuation of the Jersey Shore armchair analysis...
The Mike Persona
Stamp: The Successful Narcissist - The textbook definition of narcissistic personality disorder involves harboring an all-consuming belief that you are more important and special than everyone else around you, accompanied simultaneously by the need for everyone else to enthusiastically concur. Often time, below this "feeling like a unique and special soul...to the tenth degree" is a more profound and unconscious feeling of weakness that propels a perfectionist construction and tweaking of one's public image. Mike may not be the reincarnate of Narcissus, but he is flirting with the wrong kind of fame here. When the sun sets and he is at the club, Mike is the most focused and efficient man on the dance floor. He has one job - collect as many phone numbers and make-out sessions as possible. Ladies are not people to him so much as pieces of evidence supporting his inherent greatness, and these trophy moments must be collected. In fact, one begins to sense that, for Mike, every moment is a page in the cherished story of himself that he cannot stop writing. His disturbingly high degree of narcissism is matched if not exceeded by something utterly fascinating. I would bet money that he is the most compelling character ever to enter a MTV reality house and it is due to the less common, less-discussed positive side of narcissism - competence and charm. Perception can shape reality and Mike believes that he is special, which means he works hard at being special, which, in many cases, helps to make him, in fact, special. His drive to perform leads to some entertaining and impressive performances. He single-handedly cooks meals, seemingly bats a thousand with women at the club, is probably the best salesman at the boardwalk t-shirt shop where they all work and consistently owns the most memorable moments or semi-rehearsed descriptions in each episode.
Get-Along ability: Starts strong but, over the long-term, drops to moderate-weak. In the beginning, his appealing self-presentation is the life of the party. But parties cannot last forever and one of the downsides to narcissism in addition to public-image perfectionism is that it induces a perpetual and profound sense of being under-appreciated. Mike is one of the most prolific initiators of petty arguments on the show. When the guys band together to create a dinner celebrating Snooki's recovery from the haymaker debacle as well as the group's increasing sense of cohesion and unity, Mike intrudes with his need for singular recognition. According to Mike, his orchestration of the amazing feast has not been properly acknowledged by Sammi (a walking threat to his self-esteem) and he'll be damned if he's going to clean his plate until she kisses his feet. Although he may deserve some appreciation, the problem is that he does not know how to ask for it without throwing a temper tantrum. Mike is a four-star general in the war of petty arguments.
The Jenni Persona
Stamp: The Walking Paradox - She acts like a loving girlfriend but she also acts like a stripper when she's in the dance club. When she "visually" cheats on her boyfriend (I will spare you the details and simply say it involves DJ Pauly and an unorthodoxly-placed ring), she humbles herself with surprising commitment and vulnerability. She is the only cast member to remain loyal to an "outside" and monogamous relationship and yet her ability to party loud and long is second to none. She shows the fiercest social generosity to the self-alienating Snooki and also gets into public cat fights. She confidently toes this delicate balance and seems to offer more complexity and depth than the other girls on the show.
Get-Along Ability: Very strong. Good friend, good boundaries and great interpersonal intelligence. Her relationships with the group members are balanced and positive, not alliances to be won or lost in the mini, daily power struggles. Unlike Mike, she can be the number one fan of a good time without needing to be the good time. She should have no problem remaining autonomous and respected.
DJ Pauly D
Stamp: The Serious Goofball - Although Pauly has surfaced as Mike's primary wing-man and, thus, seems focused on revered bachelor status above all else, his style is more subtle, gentle and likable. Despite a simplistically adolescent view of others - "these girls are nice, not whores, which means we are going to treat them as ladies and go out a few times...and then have meaningless, drunken sex" - he brings a carefully-honed craft to their hard-to-take-serious subculture of hedonism and machismo. He is a DJ, and he is as knowledgeable, thorough and accomplished at DJing as he is at styling his "bulletproof" hair and selecting his next tattoo.
Get-Along Ability: Very strong with potential to dip into moderate. Currently, he is an easy person to like and holds the title for most rational and even-keeled, but his commitment to bachelorhood ideals and his lack of respect for committed relationships, namely Jenni's, may increase his output of interpersonal friction.
The Sammi Persona
Stamp: The Statue - She is statuesque in a number of ways. Her persona, at first glance, is statuesque in the sense that she is very pretty and that prettiness seems to be all that is there. But just as her mixed signals toward Mike and marathon makeup-application sessions are beginning to cement her as Trophy Wife material, she shows potential. Also like a statue her personality seems quite malleable. Specifically, Roni begins to mold her with his positive values. Things start slow. He insists that she meet his parents and although she both cares about Roni and a positive relationship with his family, her execution is poor. She cares more about looking pretty than about the parents mounting exasperation at having to wait forever for her to get pretty. However, she evolves quickly. When Roni complains that Mike's narcissism was all too present in the immediate after-math of the Snooki fiasco, Sammi unleashes some rich emotional intelligence that efficiently soothes his anger and gives her a Lady McBeth quality.
Get-Along Ability: Anywhere from slightly weak to strong. She is heavily guarded, which means that few have penetrated her internal world, which means that she is an impressionable blank slate vulnerable to becoming a product of her environment. Thus far, good judgment has helped her to gravitate towards the socially warm Roni which has, in turn, helped her to increase her social warmth. If an impulsive moment has her saddling up to Mike, however, look out. She's a wildcard.
Vinny
Stamp: The Emotional Godfather - The stress of living in a house with strangers that is being recorded 24-7 is incredibly stressful. In some ways, the hierarchy of the house will be shaped by mental health and stability or the ability to respond and manage the stress effectively. Vinny is, by far, the most authentic and psychologically healthy individual in the group. His conflict resolution skills, his distinct lack of irresponsible, dysfunctional behavior and his peaceful, unassuming demeanor led to him being overlooked in the first few episodes. After all, nice boys are not as entertaining as bad boys. But, once a group-level conflict arose - Snooki-Gate - he asserted his presence with authority. He gave the most inspired and unifying dinner-table toasts and he fed the healthier aspects of people's identities. He played cheerleader when Pauly attempted to apply his professional trade in the dance club.
Get-Along Ability: Excellent. I would posit that he is emotionally unshakable. He will sit at the top of the psychological hierarchy and continue to provide guidance and help to the less emotionally and morally inclined.
