Movie: When Mother Gothel finds out the plant is gone, she sneaks into the castle tower to steal the plant. When the infant princess in the kingdom where Mother Gothel dwells is dying, the castle guards retrieve the legendary plant to heal the princess, and it does. (Spoilers abound from this point on.) 19 NPD Traits of Mother Gothelįrom the back story narration at the start of the film, the viewer learns that an ancient woman named “Gothel” has been using a magical plant’s restorative powers to maintain her beauty and youth. I recently re-watched “Tangled” and took note of the destructive NPD characteristics demonstrated by Mother Gothel. Quick, name the cruelest Disney villain… Did you name Mother Gothel? As a parental figure with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), Mother Gothel rates high on the list for her twisted, abusive and relentless treatment of her “adopted” daughter, Rapunzel.

No “real-life Rapunzel” or “real-life Mother Gothel” may have existed, but for the myriad daughters with NPD mothers, the story itself is not too unlike their own stories. Stories, whether in books or movies or television programs, teach us about ourselves, about what we value, about what we love, about what we hate. Editor’s Note: Upon reading this post, some readers may say, “Oh, ‘ Tangled‘ is just a movie!” Indeed, “Tangled” is a movie, but not just one.

Tangled castle tower