Diagnosing Miranda, a theory

So, pretty much everyone on this board has speculated exactly what's "wrong" with Miranda. Seems like a lot of people can't put their finger on it, including myself. But I have a few theories.....

This is going to be long, so brace yourselves.....

A lot of users assume she's "special needs". At first I thought that could be the case, mainly due to her constant misspellings of basic words. However, I think this is due to the fact that she is homeschooled, and her mother is too afraid to correct her errors, due to "hurting her feelings" (we see this in episode 1). Also, Miranda, in coversation, appears to have a decent vocabulary, despite frequently using words and phrases incorrectly. Again, I blame this on her homeschooling and upbringing.

Miranda is a product of the classic millennial parenting style we see so much nowadays. She's constantly encouraged to pursue anything and everything she wants, despite the fact that she lacks talent. She's treated like a unique snowflake, and is sheltered from the cruel outside world. As a result, this has made her socially inept, awkward and delusional. Again, I blame her home life.

It's pretty safe to say Miranda is a Narcissist. Again, a lot of this comes down to her upbringing. I don't need to go to much into narcissism, I think most people know the basic traits.

Now, it's interesting that the mother chose to homeschool Miranda, and sent Emily to public school. I assume this is because from a young age, Miranda was so bizarre and off putting to her classmates, and as a result was bullied. So the mother decided to homeschool her, in order to protect her. The mother may have also decided to make this move to protect Emily from the backlash of being "the school weirdo's" sister. Bethany (the mother) would more than likely never admit this to Emily, or anyone, but the mother is clearly in denial about most everything.

I would also peg Miranda as Histrionic. The major traits of this personality disorder are; excessive attention seeking emotions, inappropriate seductive behavior, and excessive need of approval, for starts. If you look up the Wikipedia definition of Histrionic, Miranda fits most of them to a T. Here's a few other symptoms that fit Miranda;

-Exhibitionist behavior
-Constant seeking of reassurance or approval
-Excessive sensitivity to criticism or disapproval
-Pride of own personality and unwillingness to change, viewing any change as a threat
-Inappropriate seductive appearance (bizarre lipstick)
-Need to be the center of attention
-Low tolerance for frustration or delayed gratification
-Rapidly shifting emotional states that may appear superficial or exaggerated to others (Miranda's facial expressions)
-Tendency to believe that relationships are more intimate than they actually are (Owen)
-Making rash decisions
-Blaming personal failures or disappointments on others
-Being over dramatic and emotional

While reading over the traits of histrionic, I noticed a specific trait that fits Bethany (her mother) that I wanted to touch on. That is;

"Using somatic symptoms (of physical illness) to garner attention"

I know this particular trait applies to Bethany, not Miranda. But it's important to note, because often times mental illness and personality disorders run in families.

I know a lot of people on this board have suspected Miranda of being high functioning Autistic. I could see this as well, often times those on the spectrum have very warped interpretations of "normal". This could explain a lot of Miranda's traits, but by no means makes her "stupid", perhaps just socially retarded, if you will.....

Lastly, I think it's important to note that this show has a lot of incestuous overtones. I know part of that is the running gag of the show, but I think there's more to it. I don't think the Uncle is to blame (he's clearly just oblivious) but I do think that Miranda's absent father COULD be to blame. The "Daddy Saddle" in particular, seemed to be a major hint at this. Yes, this is a real toy, but, come on. The name itself is...... Uncomfortable and suggestive......

So perhaps Miranda dealt with sexual abuse from her father, and Bethany found out and rightfully kicked him to the curb. I don't know if Emily suffered abuse as well, but often times sexual predators pick one of their kin, or perhaps they were both abused, and Emily's cynical nature could be a product of that. But if Miranda was the sole victim, it would explain why the family dotes on Miranda so much, and let's her get away with so much.

So, my current theory is that Miranda suffers from narcissistic traits, Histrionic personality disorder, perhaps a touch of Autism, and is perhaps a survivor of sexual abuse.

Thanks to those who have stuck with me this far. Thoughts?