The Norma Bates from the film Psycho is incredibly different than the character in the Bates Motel TV series. In Psycho, we only see (or rather hear) her personality through Norman's eyes. She is verbally abusive toward Norman and doesn't believe him capable of performing activities or making decisions. She lectures him on morals and is always heard yelling at Norman.Norma Bates from the Bates Motel series however is overly protective of her son. She views herself as a single mother who grew up with a lot of abuse (she was molested by her brother at a young age and her father was a physically abusive alcoholic). She wants to protect Norman from pain and so she interferes in his life. One excellent example is when Norman exhibits anger at school. The teacher, Miss Watson, and the principal recommends he see a therapist. Norma sits in on the therapy session and ends up answering all of the questions directed toward Norman. Taking note of Norma's control of Norman, and probably also in frustration, the therapist invites Norma to her own therapy session.Norma's relationship with Dylan, her first born son by another relationship, is less intense. In fact, Dylan's arrival was most unwelcome in the beginning. After time passes, she comes to trust Dylan and relies on him to help take care of her and Norman.Outside the family, a sheriff's deputy initiates a relationship with Norma and even tells her he is in love with her, but that ends abruptly when his involvement in the sex slave trade comes to light. There is some tension between herself and Sheriff Romero. She says she does not trust him, but she goes running to him quite often for help.The townsfolk are not overly friendly with Norma. In fact, most prefer to distance themselves. One restaurant owner flatly refused to link her business to Norma's motel, Norma threatened to sue her realtor and she publicly humiliated the town council (and in particular, the chair) by accusing them of participating in the local drug trade.All that said, the one talent Norma has is style. She wears retro 1950s clothing and her decor includes interesting antiques. The chairs on the porch, for example, are very old. She even drives a classic car, specifically a 1972 Mercedes Benz 280 SEL 4.5. Show less «