Psychologist unpacks the dark reason Jamie Miller insists he’s ugly in Adolescence

Adolescence centers around 13-year-old Jamie Miller who is arrested for the murder of schoolgirl Katie, and while we do get a look inside his mind during episode three’s therapy scene, a former probation officer has now revealed where some of Jamie’s thoughts stem from.

Episode one largely sets out the story of the four-part Netflix series, with episode two following Ashley Walter’s character, DI Luke Bascombe, on his quest to uncover the truth. Things really pick up in episode three, which takes place several months after Jamie is arrested as he sits down with psychologist Briony Ariston.

The incredibly tense episode is packed with hidden meanings, from the fact Briony’s actress Erin Doherty was wearing a wig to why the hot chocolate was so disgusting.

Also in the scene, Briony questions if Jamie thinks women are attracted to him, and he replies: “Because I’m ugly. How would you feel? You don’t know, you’re dead pretty.”

When Briony pushes more, Jamie loses his cool in a moment that Erin Doherty has said was genuinely scary. Now, a former probation officer has touched on Jamie’s headspace in the gripping moment.

Janine Mitchell has worked with boys and men like Jamie Miller

@sortyourswedeout

Adolescents! The story delves into the psychological and social factors influencing Jamie’s (the young boy) actions, exploring themes such as toxic masculinity, cyberbullying, and the impact of online culture on young minds. Highly recommended Watch as it really is an eye opener to the mental health issues that are faced in today’s society in both men and women, and the impact it can have on someone’s actions, whether that be good or bad. SWEDE 💪🏼🧠 #adolescents #mentalhealthrecovery #mentalwellbeing #mentalhealth #talk #openup #itsokaytonotbeokay #society #netflix #fyp #trendingvideo #mentalwellbeing #adolescentes

♬ original sound – SortYourSwedeOut

Janine Mitchell MSc, who worked with male murderers, paedophiles, and rapists in her job as a prison probation officer, spoke to where that anger comes from in an interview with LadBible.

“A lot of these guys that I used to work with, you’ll find that behind this kind of aggression, there’s actually this real level of low self-esteem, insecurity, and that quite often, is where violence will stem from,” the psychologist said.

Most Read

Watch the video of Lily Phillips’ latest viral challenge, and it’s definitely the most gross yet

Gal Gadot is getting dragged for this Snow White line where she sounds like Scooby-Doo

Lily Phillips shares full rundown of how her grim ‘backdoor’ challenge actually went down

Janine said that you could see the moment the insecurity breaks through when Briony’s questions dredge up painful emotions at the center of his abhorrent crime. Feelings of being ugly, unnatractive, and yet being owed affection is a common theme in incel communities.

“You know these feelings of insecurity because you could see him flip from this real aggressive person to this vulnerable little child because he’s 13,” she added.

“He’s a child at the end of the day. You know, you’re not an adult. So he was just trying to look for approval and validation. Not that’s any excuse. But he was seeking approval because he wasn’t getting a kind of approval anyway. And again, that’s nobody’s fault, by the way. Everyone’s doing the best job they can, parents, teachers, with everything that they’re faced with.”

Later in the scene, Briony moves her chair closer to Jamie despite his outburst and the clear aggression he has towards women. Though it could have sparked disaster, Janine said it’s a common practice.

“So she was able to bring him down. Did you see the way she moved the chair on the table? So she moved the chair on the table to bring him back down,” she explained. “She then comes round to the side, and that is a technique to build that rapport and build that relationship with the person. And she did that really well.”

Adolescence is on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

Featured image credit: Netflix