I'd love to hear what the Forum members think about this.
One of the fascinating aspects of RJ's personality for me is his duality. RJ is a likable, kind, even gentle soul. Yes, he tends to be very intense in most of he aspects of his life, but this is not a negative character trait in him. In short, RJ would be a fun guy to have a beer with and maybe watching some old sci-fi movies with. However, there is the other aspect of RJ: when he gets mad, he changes. He becomes a violent, angry individual that, on some level, even scares himself. Certainly, Gia has troubles with this aspect. It is this change he undergoes that fascinates me.
Initially, he comes across as a Schizoid Personality Disorder, but he isn't: He has few close friends, but he does have them. He also has a wider range of good acquaintances as well. Another easy 25-cent diagnosis would be that he has an illness called Intermittent Explosive Disorder, meaning that someone can lose control because of anger. However, this is clearly not the case with RJ. He does not lose control when he becomes angry: quite the opposite. There is no other time that he is so focused. While this rules out a medical condition for this duality, it reminds me of certain individuals I have seen and met. Most of us have specific things happen to us when we get scared. Adrenaline (called epinephrine) flows through our bloodstream causing rapid heartbeat, shaking voice, tremors. Just do a little public speaking, and you'll know what I mean. There are the very rare individuals who don't get these physical symptoms, and in fact react in the opposite way becoming more focused. The extreme calm of Roger Staubach in the last two minutes of the game when everything is on the line is an example. These people use their adrenaline almost as a performance enhancing drug.
What lies in his future? RJ is trying to quit the business for Gia. Yet, many of these people who have these reaction are called adrenaline junkies. While they are not addicts in the true sense of the word, most people find it very hard to give up the rush. How many of those athletes, for example, give up their careers in their prime? Not many. As a result, I think that because of this adrenaline caused duality in RJ's personality, he is going to have a very very tough time carrying out the life style change that he needs for his relationship.