I never watched evangelion, but the whole premise of the show wasn't that he was forced into piloting a giant robot without any prior knowledge or training on the matter? I'd say that puts alot of pressure on the person.

You're pretty much right. Piloting the biomech that killed his mother years ago doesn't do well for his psyche, especially considering that his dad is basically a gigantic dickhole to him the whole way through. It doesn't really help that the first chick can't decide whether she wants to treat him like a little brother/son or screw him, the second can't decide if she can trust him (or possibly love him), or if she hates his guts, and the third is a savant that lives in the Uncanny Valley (depending on who you ask).

It kind of drives me nuts when people just label Shinji as a whiny spineless emo considering all the shit he has to deal with on a daily basis.