Yandere origins, part one.

How are yanderes made? Are they born that way, do circumstances mold certain people into becoming yandere, or is it sometimes one and sometimes the other? All you have to do is ask yourself, "How many children do I know who have romantically pursued and obsessed over other children their age since early infancy?" And the answer is clear: it's not biologically ingrained from birth; yanderes gradually become so over time.

But what influences these people to become yanderes? The short answer is "a large number of possible things." To start off with, let's address the development of yanderes in fictional media. If you're familiar with them, you already know that origin stories only exist for a woefully small portion of them. Most of the time, a character is introduced, they're either immediately or eventually established to be a yandere, and that's that; the story doesn't satisfactorily explain why they're a yandere, which is disappointing.

In most cases, readers and viewers of these fictional stories are left to assume that a character is simply yandere because of their attraction to another character. However, this explains nothing. Imagine asking a social worker why they became one, and their response was, "Because I do social work." That only provides a comment on what they're doing in the present, not how they reached that point, just like this flimsy non-answer about how most fictional yandere come to be. "Because they're deeply in love" only comments on what they already are, not how they got there.

In some cases, their behavior is explained as having stemmed from abuse, severe misfortune, or life-impacting tragic occurrences. "So-and-so was traumatized by the mistreatment they received throughout their life. As the protagonist showed them kindness - which So-and-so wasn't used to - they felt the need to latch onto the protagonist and never let go, for the sake of their own well-being. This didn't take long to develop into obsessive love, turning them into a yandere." is arguably the most common explanation.

What about real yanderes, though? In nearly all cases, the word "yandere" is synonymous with "obsessive lover" when used to describe yanderes in the real world. Some people gradually become yandere for the above reason, but to be more specific: many people grow up with a persistent feeling that they aren't loved. This is especially true for teenagers when they see some of their peers forming romantic relationships and recognizing that they've never been in one themself. Eventually, many of them also find someone who seems to love them, while others don't until they're an adult.

Those who don't - and those who find what they believe to be love, but too little, too late - are most susceptible to becoming yanderes. If someone finally, after a great number of years, gives such a person the love and validation they so desperately needed, it's easy to imagine them clinging to the person who loves them. In a heart-wrenching twist, this often leads to their partner leaving them because they can't handle a relationship with someone so obsessive. This invariably devastates yanderes in this situation and may make them feel the need to be even clingier toward their next partner.

Continued in part two.