I think the most interesting depictions of profiler!Mulder combine the dark, draining, depressing aspect of the whole business with the rush he gets from his own proficiency at it. Like, the fact that he enjoys it is part of why he also hates it sometimes. Conflict and such!

And plus there's the fact that while he abandoned the BSU for the bigger picture of the X-Files - actually searching for his sister rather than proxies - I often like stories where he takes a profiler "vacation" later on, because solving a mystery that's actually solveable is a relief of sorts, even if the findings are grim.

Of course in this story we have an X-less Mulder, but I still take the view that Mulder doesn't unilaterally hate profiling - his demons/passion/quest just led him elsewhere.

I mean, for all of his self deprecation and voluntary isolation, I think the man does enjoy being competent, in and of itself. He's got I securities, yes, but he's also arrogant - and not without cause.

(Also, I would like to state that I don't think tropes and tropiness are inherently bad - although perhaps individual ones might be - and creative interpretations and combinations of tropes are how genres grow, evolve and play with revel in themselves.)

Okay, not sure I'm making sense anymore, so I'll stop!