'Baby Jane': Sibling Rivalry or Psychopathy?

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, the 1962 blockbuster movie¹ based on a 1960 novel,² still keeps audiences spellbound decades later. A psychological thriller, the story centers around two sisters, Jane and Blanche Hudson, whose sibling rivalry is fueled by Jane’s personality disorder. Blanche is more conscience-bound, while Jane, churlish and arrogant, is conscienceless, showing strong psychopathic traits as she seeks to dominate, control, and win at every turn from the earliest age. In later years, Jane's psychopathic traits overlap with reality-distorting delusions.

Source: "¿Qué fue de Baby Jane? (1962) Bette Davis, Joan Crawford (Art Dolls Premium)" by MEDIODESCOCIDO/CC BY 2.0.

“Baby Jane” Hudson—early evidence of psychopathic traits

At the outset, we are introduced to “Baby Jane” Hudson, a child vaudeville star whose success causes her older sister Blanche to become envious. But Blanche’s feelings are understandable given her circumstances. Her father, completely absorbed in his younger daughter Jane’s career, treats Blanche coldly as he casts her aside, and allows Jane to belittle her.

Jane’s personality emerges not simply as a spoiled child, but as a haughty, headstrong, and defiant child, whose every whim had to be met. If not, screaming and kicking would ensue. Her behavior was so intense that it shocked onlookers. Such poor behavioral controls and impulsivity are foundational psychopathic characteristics.³ She craved being the center of all attention, but that was not enough. She delighted in denigrating, demeaning, and marginalizing her sister Blanche. “You can’t dance, you dirty little fatty! Who ever said you could!”⁴ “Go away! You go away, you—go away, go away!”⁵ As psychopathy researcher Robert D. Hare notes, "Most psychopaths begin to exhibit serious behavioral problems at an early age."⁶

Envy and devaluation as motivators

As time passed, and childhood waned, Jane and her act lost its luster, but Blanche’s star began to rise. She became a movie success, receiving accolades and acclaim, while Jane now languished. This triggered Jane to constantly attack and try to ruin Blanche’s reputation. When this reached an intensity that was unbearable, Blanche attempted to kill her, but, instead, her attempt at vehicular homicide left Blanche herself a paraplegic. Jane was so drunk at the time that she subsequently believed she was responsible for Blanche’s injury and ran away.

Jane is so envious that even years later, while watching some of Blanche’s old movies, she denigrates and disparages her, condescendingly saying, “What are you now, you old—you cripple.”⁷ Jane’s indifference toward her sister’s welfare, her irresponsibility, and her callous, unemotional behavior is vintage psychopathy. Jane was undeterred and intent on what she did. As caregiver, she had power over Blanche, and, like all psychopaths, she was determined to control and devalue her victim.

Jane is driven because of her envy that her sister displaced her as the star. A psychopath will not share her stardom with anybody else, so devaluation ensues. According to psychopathy expert J. Reid Meloy, “This repetitive devaluation of others, which may range from verbal insults to serial homicide, also serves to diminish envy.... Envy is the wish to possess the goodness perceived in others. And, if it cannot be possessed, destruction of the good object renders it not worth having.”⁸

Contemptuous delight—a psychopath’s “high”

Jane tortures her sister physically and emotionally, enjoying the short-lived contemptuous delight psychopaths seek. According to Meloy, “The conscious experience of exhilaration and contempt, which are usually simultaneous affective states in the psychopathic process and which may clinically appear as contemptuous delight, is a distinctive feature of psychopathy.”⁹

This delight is akin to a drug “rush,” and it requires a steady stream of attacks and “wins” over the victim. For instance, Jane cut off Blanche’s simple pleasure by throwing out Blanche’s fan mail and taking her phone calls and lying to her about who called. She blocked Blanche from using the telephone at all. She forged Blanche’s signature on checks and impersonated her. Jane served her a dead bird placed on a ring of lettuce for lunch and tainted some of her other meals by sprinkling sand on the food. She even put a live rat, writhing in a trap, on her dinner tray. She blocked anyone from seeing Blanche. The psychopath builds roadblocks to cut others off from seeing and knowing their target, and Jane did exactly this.

Beware a cornered psychopath

Psychopaths conceal their deeds—pursuing those who confront them or might expose them. Threatened with exposure for torturing Blanche, Jane murders Edna Stitt (Elvira, in the movie version), the housekeeper who had befriended Blanche. Preeminent psychopathy researcher Robert Hare stresses in his book, Without Conscience: “Be careful about power struggles [with a psychopath]. Keep in mind that psychopaths have a strong need for psychological and physical control over others. They must be in charge, and they will use charm, intimidation, and violence to ensure their authority. In a power struggle, a psychopath will usually focus on winning.”¹⁰

Psychopathy Essential Reads

Why Psychopathic People Need to Have Power

Are Psychopaths Born or Made?

If you haven’t seen the movie, do so. If you’ve seen the movie, consider reading the novel. Much fact can be gleaned from excellent fiction.