Sylvester Stallone: A Psychological Case Study

Part 1: Introduction and Biography

Michael Sylvester Stallone was born into an impoverished family in an area known as

Hell’s Kitchen, New York, on July 6, 1946. How does a child with the odds seemingly against

him since birth, grow up to forge an empire by creating two characters “Rocky” and “Rambo”?

These are two of the most well-known, strongest characters in the entertainment industry

beginning in the 1970’s and continuing on today. “Rocky” and “Rambo” come from the mind of

a man who once was an abused, isolated, lonely child. Let’s explore the socio-emotional, socio-

cultural and evolutionary forces that drove him to overcome the obstacles in his way and become

the successful screenwriter, actor, producer, father and husband he is today.

Mr. Stallone was the first born son of an Italian immigrant, Frank, whose occupation was

a hairdresser, and Jacqueline, a chorus girl. There were complications during his birth at a charity

hospital in New York, which led to the use of forceps. Unfortunately, the forceps severed a facial

nerve which resulted in a droopy eye and lip on one side of his face. This injury was also the

cause of a speech impediment. All of these things put together resulted in much teasing, bullying

and abuse by not only his peers, but also emotional and physical abuse at home by his own

father. The result of this mistreatment was that Sylvester spent most of his time alone as a child.

Stallone is quoted as telling the New York Times, “I was sickly and even had rickets. My

personality was abhorrent to other children, so I enjoyed my own company and did a lot of

fantasizing”. (Newsmakers, December 16, 1994.) He turned to comic books for comfort and

entertainment. He would imagine himself inside the comic books as the larger than life hero who

is able to save the damsel, the world, or whoever or whatever the evil being was attempting to

destroy. Another quote from Sylvester discussing his isolated childhood is: “At a very, very,

early age, I was drawn toward these kind of mythic characters, nothing entrenched in reality at

all. I just loved the idea. I’d have fantasies that if something goes wrong in school today, I can

run in and save something.” (The New York Times, February 23, 2016.)

He spent some of his early years in foster care due to his parents’ difficult relationship,

his parents divorced when he was 11. He lived with his father in New York and Washington,

D.C. until he was 15. During this time he was in and out of schools being labeled as a troubled

youth. At the age of 15, Sylvester determined he could not endure the physical and emotional

abuse by his father any longer. He moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to live with his mother

and step-father. The move did not solve his schooling issues and he continued to struggle with

his studies. According to a story in Sports Illustrated, Stallone said: “I don’t want to sound like I

am crying in my soup, but I was segregated emotionally. I was an anathema, a total

disappointment to my parents, coaches and girlfriends.” (Newsmakers, December 16, 1994.)

He began working out in order to build a body that was strong and resembled the heroes

of his comic books and fantasies. There is a line in Rocky that was actually a comment that

Sylvester’s father had made to him; “You weren’t born with much of a brain, so you’d better

develop your body.” (Newsmakers, December 16, 1994.) He did eventually attend a special high

school for teen-agers that had problems in the regular school system. It was during this time that

the efforts he had put forth building his body began to pay off for him. He was introduced to

playing sports and found he was better at sports than he was at schoolwork.

Due to his troubled school years and the not very impressive grades he attained, he had

difficulty getting into college. Eventually he was able to obtain a scholarship to The American

College of Switzerland. While there he elected to study drama and was able to earn a lead role in

the play “Death of a Salesman”. It was in this role that he received a standing ovation and at that

point decided this is what he was good at and that he was going to be an actor. He dropped out of

college just shy of graduation determined to succeed in theater.

He worked multiple odd jobs to pay the bills while he continued writing screenplays and

getting small acting roles. He met Sasha Czak at one of these jobs and they married and moved

to California so he could work on selling his screenplays. During this time he also diligently

worked on improving his speech in order to enhance his odds for gaining roles as an actor. He

would tape himself reading novels and play them back to pinpoint the areas of speech he needed

to continue to work on.

His big break came while watching a boxing match on television between Muhammad

Ali and Chuck Wepner, “The Greatest” vs. a virtual unknown. He was so inspired by the spirit

and personal dignity displayed by the underdog that he used him for the model of Rocky Balboa.

Hollywood was interested in the story, however, they wanted a big name star to portray Rocky.

Sylvester stood his ground, even though he was penniless with a pregnant wife, he would not sell

the screen play until producers agreed to allow him to play the hero in the story. The story that

his life had been preparing him for since birth. This was the beginning of the riches, in the rags to

riches story of Sylvester Stallone.

This paper will attempt to explore the influences in his life using examples in three

psychological theories. I will be analyzing his life using the socio-cultural theory, which is how a

person’s surroundings impact their life; socio-emotional theory, how social experiences, whether

positive or negative, affect individuals; and the evolutionary theory, which is described as

emotions exist because they serve an adaptive role (fight or flight).

Part 2: Summary of Theoretical Perspectives

Sociocultural theory grew from the work of seminal psychologist Lev Vygotsky, who

believed that parents, caregivers, peers and the culture at large were responsible for the

development of higher order functions. According to Vygotsky: "Every function in the child's

cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level;

first, between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological). This

applies equally to voluntary attention, to logical memory, and to the formation of concepts. All

the higher functions originate as actual relationships between individuals. (Cherry, K. 2016)

Sylvester Stallone was born into poverty in the 1940’s. This impacted his life in many

ways from birth on. He was born in a charity hospital and due to complications at birth suffered

injuries that impacted him from that day on. According to an article titled “BULLETT TO THE

HEAD / 30 JAN 2013) he was delivered “by a rough-handed medical intern”. One could

surmise that this injury may have been avoided had he been delivered by an experienced and

paid for obstetrician.

The culture in the home he grew up in was abusive and neglectful, with very little adult

supervision or praise. His parents had a tumultuous relationship and Sylvester was placed in

foster homes in his earliest years. “The immediate emotional effects of abuse and neglect—

isolation, fear, and an inability to trust—can translate into lifelong psychological consequences,

including low self-esteem, depression, and relationship difficulties.” (Child Welfare Information

Gateway, 2013.) The effects of the abuse and neglect manifested in Sylvester having difficulty

creating relationships. He spent the majority of his childhood isolated and alone. Unable to make

friends and choosing to fight to keep his self-esteem intact. As an adult he had multiple

relationships and married and divorced twice before marrying his current wife.

Another cultural aspect in Sylvester’s life was that he was raised in a poor, desperate area

of New York, known as Hell’s Kitchen. He and his brother had to learn to fight to survive in the

dangerous neighborhood where they were often left alone while their parents worked long hours.

Again, resulting in mistrust and difficulty creating relationships in his life.

Erik Erikson was an ego psychologist who developed one of the most popular and

influential theories of development. While his theory was influenced by psychoanalyst Sigmund

Freud's work, Erikson's theory centered on psychosocial development rather than psychosexual

development. Our sense of personal identity is shaped by our experiences and interactions with

others, and it is this identity that helps guide our actions, beliefs, and behaviors and we grow and

develop throughout life. According to Erik Erikson there are eight stages of social development

from birth to old age. (Cherry, K. 2016.)

As a result of his droopy eye, lip and speech impediment, Sylvester was bullied, teased

and abused as a child. He did not excel academically either, which was another conflict

according to Erikson. The basic conflict for ages six to eleven years is industry vs. inferiority. It

is important for a child to learn to cope with new social and academic demands. Success leads to

a sense of competence, while failure results in feelings of inferiority. (Cherry, K. 2016.)

To cope with the isolation and loneliness he felt he imagined himself as a super hero.

Often donning a superhero costume under his school clothes to aid in getting him through

another tortuous day.

The adolescence stage, from ages twelve to eighteen years is a time where a child

struggles with identity vs. role confusion within social relationships. Teens need to develop a

sense of self and personal identity. Success leads to an ability to stay true to yourself, while

failure leads to role confusion and a weak sense of self. It was at the age of fifteen that Sylvester

began working out to build his body to reflect a body of superhero status. This was also when he

moved in with his mother and step-father which resulted in attendance at a new school. With his

stronger body he was able to participate in sports and learned that he was actually good at this.

Needless to say this had a positive impact on his social life and his identity in the world.

Another stage in Erickson’s theory of development is young adulthood, which includes

the ages of nineteen to forty years old. The conflict in this stage is intimacy vs. isolation. Young

adults need to form intimate, loving relationships with other people. Success leads to strong

relationships, while failure results in loneliness and isolation. It was at this stage in Sylvester’s

life that he went to college and found his niche as an actor while studying drama. He also met

and married his first wife with whom he had two sons, they later divorced. He was married and

divorced again, before marrying his current wife of 19 years.

According to the evolutionary theory of emotion, our emotions exist because they serve

an adaptive role. Emotions motivate people to respond quickly to stimuli in the environment,

which helps improve the chances of success and survival. Feelings of fear compel people to

either fight or flee the source of danger. (Cherry, K. 2016)

Sylvester learned to adapt his actions and emotions at an early age. For example; when he

was picked on and bullied at grammar school, he stopped attempting to fit in and make friends

and went to the safe place in his mind filled with super heroes and bold action. He befriended

himself and created a world in his mind that took him away from the painful emotions that arose

when at school.

As he moved into his teen years, he began body building as a new way to defend himself

from the taunting and abuse by schoolmates. He could now fight back and this allowed him to

build self-respect.

He continued to work on himself and search for the talent or skill he had that would allow

him to feel successful. We all innately crave the need to find our niche and be successful in life.

Part 3: Theories and Behavior Outcomes

Sylvester never forgot the cultural environment of his younger years. He has spent many

years of his life trying to prove he is somebody. According to UXL Biographies (2011), Stallone

told Sport Illustrated that Rocky was about “pride, reputation, and not being another bum from

the neighborhood.”

His relationship with his father was not good due to the environment he was raised in.

Being both physically and emotionally abused as a child by his father was not something that

could be easily overcome. Sylvester told “Sports Illustrated: “I wouldn’t say I was abused, but I

was never praised”. (UXL Biographies, 2011.)

Being shuffled between foster care and his parents also made it difficult to trust or have a

feeling of safety as a child. This continued into adulthood where it was difficult for him to stay

with one woman. He had multiple affairs while married to his first wife prior to divorcing. He

had no positive relationships to mirror or learn from.

The socio-emotional aspect is closely tied in with the socio-cultural aspect in Sylvester’s

world. Not only was he raised in a poverty stricken area, he also had anomalies that made others

tease and bully him. Because of this he did not have many friends and used his imagination to

cope. The belief of good vs. evil never left him. This was evident in his Rambo movies. Stallone

told Cosmopolitan: “My intention was just to have an evil opponent to play against.” (UXL

Biographies, 2011)

Because he was kicked out of multiple schools it was even more difficult to forge

friendships or relationships with his peers. He would not be in a school long enough to even start

to get emotionally close to anyone.

Finally as he grew to adulthood he did find activities that he was good at and received

praise for. He began to have positive feelings about his life, and himself, which helped him to

continue to fight for the life he wanted. Because of this stage he wrote his screenplays, one of

which would bring him to his big break and change his life forever.

With his basic needs as a child barely being met, the innate traits that are in all of us due

to evolution did present. When he was very young, rather than stand his ground and attempt to

make friends with the children that bullied him at school, we can assume he chose the “flight”

option by hiding out at home with comic books and his imagination. This served him well in the

end as he was able to use his imagination to create characters that would remain in the public eye

for years to come.

Since he did not receive a lot of praise, love or positive attention he acted out by fighting

and received negative attention for his bad behavior. No matter that much of this was due to

instincts to defend himself when being attacked by others. Again, this led to him building his

body into a strong, reliable tool that he used in many ways. Including acting in the movies as

Rocky and Rambo. Had he not been as large a physical presence he would not have fit either

role.

The basic drive to succeed is what did not allow Sylvester to stop when he was told no.

Many people would have given up years before he did, becoming depressed and blaming failure

on his life circumstances. This evolutionary drive pushed him to continue to work towards his

goals.

Part 4: Criticism of Biases and Ethical Concerns

While researching many biographical articles on Sylvester Stallone I noted there were

many different viewpoints regarding the successes vs. failures. People have different beliefs and

viewpoints and tend to relate the story based upon these biases and limitations.

In many of the articles they mention that he was in and out of schools and was not a good

student. This could be interpreted by the reader that Sylvester was not intelligent. One article

started out putting that misconception to rest at the beginning. Stating in part: It’s too easy to

surmise that the man might not be a mental giant. But such assumptions could not be farther

from the truth. During an interview the Bagger was repeatedly struck by Mr. Stallone’s wry self-

awareness and verbal dexterity. (The New York Times, February 23, 2016) This is just one

example of how biographies can include basic facts about a person’s life, but also how they can

be skewed during the presentation depending upon the writer’s view.

In the general sense, a biographical study is considered an exhaustive account of a life

experience; however, just as some studies are limited to single aspects of a phenomenon, the

focus of a biographical study can be much narrower. (Biddix, Dr. J.P.) The article I referenced

above concentrated mainly on Sylvester’s intelligence based on an interview by the writer. Many

of the other articles I reviewed for this paper included the factual data related to his life to

illustrate how his early life influenced him in becoming the success he is today.

Part 5: Conclusion

Reviewing this analysis of Sylvester Stallone I am comfortable in surmising that the

psychology of life had an impact in forming the man he is today and will continue to be. The

socio-cultural, socio-emotional and basic evolutionary theories were evident in the forming of

Sylvester Stallone the man.

Had he reacted differently to the circumstances of his life, he would have been a different

person and may not have ever used the imagination that continued to grow and live within him

throughout his formative years. Through the characters he created he was able to move beyond

his terrible childhood and live the life of the heroic underdog. Even if this was a temporary

escape from reality it was able to bring him the respect and attention he craved since his lonely

days as a young boy, wearing his super hero costume to school under his clothing.

Because of his basic need to survive he learned to fight and honed his boxing skills so he

was able to star in the movie “Rocky”. This earned him many nominations for a variety of

awards in the entertainment industry. He also received the Boxing Writers Association of

America award for Lifetime Cinematic Achievement in Boxing for these films.

He admits to having a need to continue to work and keep moving. He has said he feels he

has not accomplished enough and continues to look for the next project or opportunity to

continue to prove his value.

How does a young man with the odds seemingly against him since birth become a box

office phenomenon? I think Sylvester said it best while being inducted into the International

Boxing Hall of Fame, on June 30, 2011. “Sometimes I write things that may seem a little

sentimental, but I truly believe it’s not how hard you can hit—it’s how hard you can get hit and

keep moving forward because that’s really what makes the difference in your life.”

(Newsmakers, December 16, 1994) Updated October 13, 2014

ABOUT SYLVESTER ST ALWWW.CHILDWELFARE.GOV/PUBPDFS/.PDFLONE

References

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Times 23 Feb. 2016: NA(L). Student Resources in Context. Web. 3 June 2016, from

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http://www.verywell.com/what-is-sociocultural-theory-2795088

“BULLETT TO THE HEAD / 30 JAN 2013 on

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stallone

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from www.verywell.com/eriksons-psychosocial-stages-summary-chart-2795742

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www.verywell.com/theories-of-emotion-2795717

“Sylvester Stallone.” UXL Biographies. Detroit: UXL, 2011. Student Resources in

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http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/suic/BiographiesDetailsPage/BiographiesDetailsWindow

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