Spike's craziness

[Chosen Enemy]

There's something in season 7 that I didn't get. Spike's craziness. Was it because of the soul, or because The First was messing with him?

 

[sisterofmercy]

I always thought it was a bit of both. The trauma of getting his soul back, combined with The First tormenting him.

 

[Ripper666]

Yeah I think it was a little bit of both. I mean mainly it was because of his soul. Look at Darla when she was awaken as a human. In the beginning she was cruel as ever but then she started to regret. And it seemed as if she is going to go crazzy!
Spike recovered not as fast as Angel did, I think this was because he fought for his soul. He saw that he made mistakes and that was a hard torture for him. Much more harder as it was for Angel who imposed his soul! And then there was the First-evil which can drives normal humans mad, it abused Spikes weak-psychical-condition to drives him a little bit more crazzy! Personally I think that Spike was so confused because he could see things and persons who others couldn't see or hear. He thought that it was because of his soul and that this is his personally punishment. And because he wanted to regrett he accepted it!

 

[white avenger]

Assuming that it took a combination of the trauma of regaining Spike's soup, plus the First Evil's manipulations to drive Spike over the edge might actually solve the mystery of how Spike, in the condition that Buffy first found him, was ever able to get back to Sunnydale. The answer: receiving his soul drove Spike to the very depths of despair, shame, and regret, but it didn't incapacitate him to the point of babbling helplessness, any more than the same thing had done Angel. He was still able to return "home," and, once there, the First Evil had several months to play all of its mind games on him, finishing the shock that his returned soul had begun.

 

[Nix]

I have to agree and say both the soul and the first had a massive impact on him. I don't think just one would have driven him crazy as he is a strong character but the both combined that's a different matter.