Tao Analysis
A Psychological EXO Analysis
Tao
Okay second off is sweet little Tao. Probably the most naive, most sensitive/emotional and kindhearted of them all.
First I'll explain Sigmund Freuds theory before I analyze Tao so it will be easier for you guys to understand.
Sigmund Freud was a famous psychologist that came up with the Super-ego, ego and Id. These are all components that are a part of the human psyche he believed.
The id is the irrational, impulsive, demanding and selfish part of us that does everything for pleasure purposes (pleasure principle).
The ego is the more rational side of our personality that can actually resist temptations that we might meet in our everyday life. The ego, unlike the id can refrain from immediate temptations. The ego is more about the'' pleasure when possible'' and to be able to compromise when necessary (reality principle).
The super-egos' job is to regulate our behavior, so it lives up to the demands of society. If you do good deeds the superego will appreciate that and will give us a sense of pride and vice versa.
Let me give you an example on how the different parts work together; Lets say that you're a teacher and you're holding your class right now. You suddenly feel really hungry, the id tells you that you should leave the class and take care of your own needs. But the ego tells you that you should wait, because you have a responsibility- the students. The superego tells you that it is unacceptable to do so if you're a teacher, and if you go to eat there will be devastating consequences (unemployment). Therefore, the teacher chooses to continue with the lecture and takes care of her own needs later, the superego rewards the teacher with a sense of pride for the good deed afterwards.
All these factors are necessary for you to be able to have a balanced life. They interact when you make a decision. They give you an overall picture (all aspects included, consequences, etc..) of a situation or a problem you might find yourself facing in your everyday life. It's through them, you can make legitimate decisions that are both rational and that simultaneously satisfies your own needs. In a healthy person, the ego is the strongest and most important component according to Freud, because it must satisfy the id, not upset the superego, and still take the reality of every situation in consideration. If the id becomes too dominant in a person the own impulses and their own satisfaction can take over the persons life. If the superego becomes too large in a person he/she will be completely controlled by the rigid morals and also become narrow-minded and inflexible in their interactions with the real world. It's like a puzzle, if you take out one part of the puzzle it won't be completed, because all the pieces fulfill a specific function that complements the puzzle.
Okay now that I've explained that I will proceed with my analysis.
Tao is really critical towards himself, he always takes other opinions and listens to negative criticism way more than he should. He just cares way more than he should and tries to satisfy others needs more than his own. Hence that the superego might be taking more space than it should in Taos' psyche. Tao is that kind of guy that in the bad rather than the good. If he hears for example '' Tao, you're only clinging onto Kris because you want fame. Stop that..'' he might get really upset and distance himself from Kris because someone told him that. He'd start reflecting and over-think about it, he'd get really upset and sad and actually think '' Maybe I am a bit to close with Kris, maybe I should distance myself from him because others don't like it when I'm near him''. I mean he wants to please the outer worlds needs rather than his own. He could think that this person is wrong but he'd still want to please this person and make him/her stop complaining about him and to start liking him. I've heard that the example that I just presented actually happened, it doesn't really surprise me. It would explain a lot if it did since Tao has distanced himself from the other members. Just compare how close he was with Kris before and how he is with Kris now. Kris is now usually the one who'd approach Tao , rather the the other way around.
Tao might want to be accepted, he does what others tell him to do and up everything he hears like a little sponge. He cares way to much than he should and I feel that he has kind of lost himself. It just feels that he doesn't know who he really is, he just feels confused and lost. He might feel that the world is against him and also ponder if it's him it's wrong with. I've heard that he looks himself up on the internet just to see what others think about him and when he sees something negative about himself on the internet, instead of stop reading he'd keep reading it. The nasty comments would get to him, I feel that he would get really hurt by what others think about him but he still wants to know. He is like a curious child that doesn't really understand the consequences of his actions. He probably sits reading these negative comments. thinking to himself '' How is it possible for people to be this cruel?''. I think that when people present him negative comments he gets this urge to prove them wrong. He would feel so wronged and want to prove them wrong but in this process of him trying to prove himself to others he loses himself. Others demands and pressure makes him lose insight of who he really is. Is he just a product of society's demands or is he the person he wants to be? It's really complicated and not easy at all to stop caring about others opinions about you and what you do. Especially when you're as sensitive as Tao. The sensitivity of his could be caused by his separation anxiety. He seems very filial and he always brings up his family in interviews and always tears up when talking about them. He must be really close to them and maybe very dependent on them. So when he debuted that strong bond probably got a bit strained since he can't be that close to them anymore and that would explain his need of emotional support from the group members. EXO means the world to him, each and every member is like a brother to him and because he doesn't have his family near him he clings onto them instead. He is still a child by heart, he hasn't grown up yet but is still having to face difficult situations. He'd turn to the members for guidance and emotional support. The members would help him but at the same time they aren't able to satisfy all his needs since they have a lot on their minds too and they also lack the time to be able to do so. Tao needs a tremendous amount of support and encouragement, but he knows that it's not possible because of the circumstances. He might feel lonely and helpless and since he is such a fragile human being, all this stress and demands he's facing could lead to depression. Honestly the only thing that keeps him going is the fans, but there is a breaking point for every human and it doesn't matter how much support you have. When you're behind closed doors and have to face your pain alone then support doesn't matter.
I need to elaborate a bit on the whole '' Tao needs a lot of attention and care'' bit. An alternative explanation to why he's so attention seeking could come from him not feeling appreciated or loved in the past. He needs love, a lot of it, and that makes me think that he never really had that before so that's why he desperately wants and seeks for it.
Tao wears his emotions on his sleeve, you can tell when he's moody or genuinely happy. He used to look happier before, but now he doesn't have that spark in his eyes anymore. He looks so tired nowadays, he looks fragile and he reminds me so much of a lost child. He might have you all fooled and thinking he's fine but he doesn't trick me with his fake smiles. He is clearly suffering but he doesn't want to show us that. He want to show us that he is strong and that he is fine when he really isn't. Do you remember when he had injured his waist? He told us that he was fine and that he had recovered a couple of days later. We believed him but he got caught backstage with Kris applying medicine on his waist for him. Tao said '' Don't put so much pressure on it, it hurts.'' Pain is all he felt and he lied to us to not make us worried. He cares so much for us, his fans are his everything. Our support means the world to him ,he would endure the greatest pain in the world just to keep us smiling. The definition of unselfish would be Tao. Hence that the id is almost nonexistent in Taos psyche. This is not good at all, because it indicates that there is no balance in his psyche. The super-ego takes to much place and the id is almost nonexistent, this means that the ego can't bring the well needed balance for the human psyche that Freud speaks of. The ego is to confused since it tries to please both the Id and superego, and when it can't satisfy both these components it gets scared and isn't able to function. This is what I believe to have happened to Tao. There's a possibility, since he has a unbalanced psyche that he might already have a case of minor depression. He is such a fragile and insecure person, it just shines through. He can't hid it, he is transparent to me.
Tao is probably one of the most sincere member in EXO. When he says something he really means it, it comes straight from his heart. He will tell those he love how much he appreciates and cherishes them because he wants it to be known. He wants them to know that they mean something to him and that he wouldn't trade them for anything. In the beginning of EXO's career Tao would always praise Kris and even get emotional when talking about the leader's support and help during difficult times. The importance of telling others how much they are appreciated may come from the own need to be acknowledged and appreciated too.
Tao doesn't give me the feeling that he's a violent person. If two people were to be fighting he'd probably be that guy who'd step in between them for the sake of ending the fighting. He seems intolerant to violence, much like a little child. He'd get scared and confused, not knowing how to handle confrontation. Tao seems like he might even burst into tears if a fight got to serious, especially if it's a person he loves and cares for. He'd probably be the first one to apologize, even if it wasn't his fault just for the sake of peace. This might come from the fear of maybe losing the person.
Taos weaknesses are being to childlike, emotional, cares to much, naive, a bit pessimistic, to depending on others and being such a '' open book''.
Taos strengths/better sides are that he's caring, filial, loving, unselfish, non-violent, calm, kindhearted, humble, loyal and his pureness.
Tao in a relationship;
Um this is where it gets a bit tricky. Tao is a very complex human being so it's kind off hard to analyze this aspect but I'll try my best.
Tao would be that guy that would pour his heart out to his girlfriend if he's really close to her. He'd tell her when he is sad and want to feel the warmth of her embrace for comfort. She basically has to be like a mother and take care of him and give him the attention and love that he needs so he will stay and feel secure. He'd cry out on her shoulder even though he wants to be seen as ''manly''. He just wouldn't be able to control his emotions. But I also think that he wouldn't want to worry his girlfriend, so sometimes he would keep away thing from her just to keep her happy. This could cause conflicts, the girlfriend might think he is hiding something and start to get suspicious. But I don't think that would happen, if she knows Tao well enough she would be able to read him in an instant since he isn't very good at lying nor hiding his emotions.
Since Tao is emotionally unstable it could cause a lot of conflicts in his relationship, his girlfriend might not be able to give him all the support and love that he truly needs and this could brake their relationship off. He'd feel like she doesn't love him enough and he'd also question if he's good enough for her.
Since Tao is insecure by heart he needs to know he is appreciated and hear the words '' You are good enough, just the way you are''. He also wants to show his girlfriend that she also is appreciated and would buy her loads of things just to see a smile on her face. The only thing he would want for his girlfriend would be that she's happy with him. You could draw parallels to this and his insecurities and need of acceptance. He maybe thinks '' If I shower her with gifts, she'll love me more and also feel appreciated''.
Tao would also be a big cuddler, like a little child he would just want to cuddle with his girlfriend and just forget about everything else. He would hold her tight in his arms and comb her hair delicately with his fingers while whispering sweet nothings to her. He would do this for hours, he just wouldn't want to let go. He cherishes those moments a lot, to be with the one he loves and the security it gives him when she's lying in his arm. And when he goes asleep alone in the dorm he'd give her a text saying '' I wish you were here with me...'' and cuddle his pillow, pretending it's her to be able to fall asleep.
Tao would do everything to be the best boyfriend for his partner. He knows his flaws more then well and he'd try to do anything just to keep her pleased. He feels like that guy that would feel undeserving of his partners love. He'd put her on a pedestal and worship her as long as she meets his criteria. If she shows her love and gives him support and encouragement he'd do anything to keep her by his side. He would just be afraid of her leaving him for someone else because he is insecure and views himself as a very flawed creature. He'd think '' Why is she still with me despite all my flaws? She could find someone better..''. He would doubt himself and this could be another reason to why he would shower her with gifts and tell her how appreciated she is.
Tao has such a pure heart, he'd never raise his voice or god forbid hit his girlfriend. He'd take the beating from his girlfriend, but he'd never lay his hands on her. He hates fighting, he just wants his relationship to be conflict-free.
In bed he'd make love to you rather then have . For him is something sacred and it is meant for two people who are in love. That's how I perceive him to be at least. It would take time before he'd be able to commit to someone that way, it could take months before he'd feel comfortable enough to commit to anyone ually. But when he'd be committed to you in that way he'd probably be the best lover ever. Tao would be gentle and care for your needs before his.
Tao would never cheat on his girlfriend either, he really wouldn't hurt anyone in that way. I mean considering his sensitivity and just the way he is in general doesn't make me think he would. He'd just break up if he is unhappy with his partner.
In conclusion I'd say that Tao is an amazing person, honestly he is so much more than people think he is. Some call him a brat and over-sensitive. They just make assumptions based on nothing and it saddens me. He is a human with feelings and I encourage you to think twice before saying something, because words hurt a lot more than you think.
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