Diane Evert

Abnormal Psychology
5/10/2007
Movie Analysis Part Two

The primary diagnosis of my movie character is anti-social personality disorder.

The term “personality” refers to the relatively stable psychological and behavioral
characteristics of an individual (Seligman, Walker, Rosenhan, 2001, 371). It is what
makes each of us who we are as people. It also is the major part of how we each view our
environment and the world as a whole. But some individuals have personalities that are
damaging to themselves and to others to such a point that it interferes with their daily life.
Such persistent patterns of dysfunctional behavior are referred to as personality disorders
(Seligman et al., 2001, 371). The characteristic traits that typify the disorder of the
personality tend to be enduring…and are expressed in a wide variety of settings,
displaying themselves across the broad landscape of significant life experiences (Landau,
1999, 60). They make up a large part of the fascinating world of abnormal psychology,
and one of the most interesting would be the anti-social personality disorder.
This disorder falls under the category of dramatic-erratic disorders. These
disorders are characterized by behavior that is socially inappropriate and/or extreme
(Landau, 1999, 60). Personally, I find this order to be one of the most fascinating parts of
psychology.
In recent years, anti-social personality disorder has been studied extensively, and
is among the best understood of all the personality disorders (Seligman et al., 2001, 383).
Part of why I believe it to be so well researched is because it is the disorder closely
associated with serial killers. It is obvious to anyone who watches movies or TV that
serial killers garner a great deal of attention. Nearly everyone has heard of “The Silence
of the Lambs”, a story about a young FBI agent tracking down the serial killer Buffalo
Bill with the help of another incarcerated mass murderer. The movie won five Academy
Awards the year it came out, which is nearly unheard of for what can be considered a
horror movie. The character Hannibal Lecter remains today a favorite villain in the eyes
of horror movie aficionados such as myself, and was clearly afflicted with anti-social

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personality disorder. Even real-life serial killers have their fans. Ted Bundy, who
ritualistically slaughtered numerous women, has hundreds of books, websites, movies,
and documentaries devoted to his exploits (Goodman, 1991, 27). Because of this
fascination, anti-social personality disorder is in the spot-light, although it is not only the
extreme cases of the serial killers that involve this disorder. These individuals constitute a
high percentage of our criminal population, including confidence men, unscrupulous
business men, impostors, embezzlers, racketeers, child molesters, prostitutes, and
murderers (Goldenson, 1970, 1236). But since serial killers represent such an extreme
and blatant case of this disorder I will be using them primarily as examples.
The DSM-IV has a specific set of criteria that one must fit in order to be
diagnosed with this disorder. There is a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of
the rights of others occurring since the age of 15, as indicated by three or more of the
following: (1) failure to conform to social norms with regard to lawful behavior as
indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest; (2) deceitfulness, as
indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or
pleasure; (3) impulsivity or failure to plan ahead; (4) irritability or aggressiveness, as
indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults; (5) reckless disregard for the safety of
self or others; (6) consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain
consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations; (7) lack of remorse, as indicated
by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another
(Seligman et al., 2001, 384). The individual must also be at least 18 years of age, and
have evidence of a conduct disorder with the onset before the age of 15 (Seligman et. Al.,
2001, 384). This set of criteria helps psychologists decide whether a person has anti-
social personality disorder, but it doesn’t fully explain the disease, what causes it, or how
it presents itself in an individual.
Although it is hard to imagine an innocent child as having the very same
symptoms that a serial murderer may have, like many psychological disorders anti-social
personality starts off in childhood. Although children can also be given a personality
disorder diagnosis if they meet all the criteria for one of them, they must also meet the
criterion that the behavioral signs are present for at least one year, the exception is for
anti-social personality disorder where children under the age of eighteen who show this

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syndrome receive a diagnosis of a conduct disorder (Seligman et al., 2001, 374) conduct
disorder is characterized by persistent behaviors that seriously violate the rights of others
and basic social norms (Seligman et al., 2001, 349).
The question that seems to follow logically to me would be whether or not all
children with a conduct disorder will eventually have anti-social personality disorder. The
truth is that not every child will, but some of them can. Some of the strongest predictors
of which children with persistent conduct disorder will go on to engage in criminal
behavior are: (1) high frequency of deviant act as a child, (2) greater variety of conduct
problems, (3) problem behaviors across multiple settings, (4) early onset of deviant acts,
and (5) the co-occurrence of conduct disorder with impulsivity and cognitive deficits
(Seligman et al., 2001, 351). Many psychologists also believe that the environment a
child is raised in will have a profound effect on the adult that child will become.
There is a great deal of evidence that anti-social behavior is a result of violent or
traumatic experiences early in life (Spence, 2004, 39). For the character O-Ren Ishii that
event would be witnessing the brutal murders of her parents, leaving her alone in the
world to fend for herself. Almost all anti-social personalities suffer from a break in their
attachment to others in childhood and the earlier these traumas occur the more likely the
child will have a damaged personality (Goodman, 1991, 26). For some psychologists,
environment is in fact the ultimate controlling factor in determining careers in crime
(Landau, 1999, 60). That would explain why when examining the backgrounds of the
most notorious killers extreme physical and emotional abuse is nearly always present.
There is a disturbing amount of abuse and neglect that goes on in the lives of
children in this world, yet serial killers remain relatively few. That has to be because an
abusive childhood and a conduct disorder are not the only factors in determining whether
or not a person will become a criminal. Anti-social personality disorder is the outcome of
a developmental disorder of ethical action by someone who does not reflect upon the
consequences of their actions while growing up-or is not provided with a person who will
do so for them (Goodman, 1991, 26). That is, a person would have to live a significant
portion of their lives exhibiting the traits of this disorder in their youth and have no one to
come along and correct them or show them how to behave differently. When this happens
it can lead to anti-social personality disorder.

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 So how does a young adult with such clear problems fail to receive an
intervention? A big part of that would be because most people with anti-social
personality disorder do not see anything wrong with themselves and how they live their
lives. They generally accept their reactions and behavior patterns in a fixed way of life
which they see little reason to change (Goldenson, 1970, 1237). While other people may
view them as cold, unfeeling, and selfish, they seem unable to recognize that in
themselves and simply do not seek help.
A big part of understanding a person’s behavior is to try and fathom the motive
behind their actions. Most crimes are committed because the perpetrator benefits in some
way from the criminal act, such as a person robbing a bank in order to gain wealth
without working for it. But many of the crimes committed by people with anti-social
personality disorder seem to have no benefit to them. Inadequately motivated anti-social
behavior is a large part of the mystery that is the anti-social personality (Goodman, 1991,
27). Basically, most of us will not understand what a person with anti-social personality
gets out of some of the crimes they commit. What we have a slightly better understanding
of is how they can commit these crimes and continue to live with themselves afterwards.
As listed in above in the DSM-IV criteria, people with anti-social personalities
repeatedly break the law, are extremely deceitful, irritable, and aggressive, and have a
reckless disregard for others. This is because they have a weak or distorted conscience
and an absence of a normal sense of guilt (Gregory, 2000, 5888). They can do these all of
things because they are simply incapable of feeling bad about any of it. People with anti-
social personality disorder also have difficulty forming any kind of real relationships with
people. They seem to lack the capacity for sustained love, anger, grief, joy, or despair
(Seligman et al., 2001, 386). That would explain why many of them are described as cold
and having no affect, much like O-Ren while she watched her bodyguards die one after
another. Also, they don’t feel emotional closeness to anyone and so don’t love, like, or
even care about other people (Goodman, 1991, 27). They truly can’t bring themselves to
care for anyone other than themselves. Since they don’t feel attached to people, they
don’t feel guilty if they hurt or cheat them (Goodman, 1991, 27). If you are completely
unable to understand other people’s pain, why should it matter to you unless you have
been taught that it matters? This absence of a healthy sense of guilt is combined with a

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lack of restraint (Goldenson, 1970, 1236). Basically, they have difficulty controlling their
impulses and have no negative emotional consequences for doing “wrong”. Also, anti-
social personality disorders are comprised of individuals who do not profit from
experience or punishment (Goldenson, 1970, 1237). If they don’t learn from punishment
or the negative consequences of their actions what motivation do they have to stop? All
of this combined would explain why, in extreme cases, people with this disorder could
rape, torture, or even kill people and think nothing of it, the way serial killers do.
Many people may wonder exactly how serial killers manage to kill so many
people for so long without getting caught if we understand so much and the signs have
been there since early childhood. For one thing, these people are not really “crazy”. What
I mean by that is that they are not the victims of a delusion, caught up in an alternate
universe and completely out of touch with reality as we know it. They know exactly what
they are doing at the time that they are doing it and they know that it is wrong…they
simply are unconcerned about the negative consequences or the pain their actions will
inflict upon others (Goodman, 1991, 27). Also, personality disorders manifest themselves
in deviant or maladjusted behavior, rather than in disturbances of emotional, perceptual,
or intellectual functions (Goldenson, 1970, 1236). Without physical symptoms or any
other obvious signs it is difficult to see these people as having a disorder. Another reason
why serial killers are difficult to catch lies in the fact that they are not stupid. These
persons may be quite intelligent and often display great charm, enhanced no doubt by a
lack of nervousness or other neurotic manifestations (Cleckley, 2000, 241). In fact, I
know from watching documentaries that after these people are caught their families or
neighbors frequently seemed utterly shocked and often describe the person as handsome
and charming.
Another reason I believe that this disorder persists for so long without being
noticed is that it can be very subtle at times. People with antisocial personality disorders
are unable to experience normal guilt, remorse, frightened apprehension, or cherishing
affection (Gregory, 2000, 588), but all of those things are internal and not easy to see in
other people except through their actions. But knowing that a person with this disorder is
usually very intelligent can’t one assume that they at some point learn to hide this
behavior and fake emotional responses? Most criminal activity is done in secret anyway,

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so unless there is a victim to speak out or a witness to these behaviors they will go
unchecked. Anti-social personality disorder’s hallmark is a chronic insensitivity and
indifference to the rights of other people that is manifested in lying, stealing, cheating and
worse (Seligman et al., 2001, 384), but who in this world hasn’t done some of these
things? Many people who are considered healthy by societies standards cheat on their
spouses, and then lie when confronted about it. It is also some-what easy to be considered
insensitive at times. I’m sure that I frequently come off as callous or cold simply because
I am shy and therefore tend to be guarded, but I am not what psychologists would
consider “chronically indifferent” to the feelings of others. Perhaps it is hard to see the
abnormal when so many of us have these traits inside of us in a milder form? Hopefully
the more we understand about personality and their disorders the better we will become at
spotting the seriously afflicted and getting them the help that they need.
Now that we know what anti-social personality disorder is, what causes it, and
what some of its effects are, we can then focus on treatment. Among both clinicians and
researchers, there has been a great deal of pessimism about the potential for treating
people who have personality disorders (Seligman et al., 2001, 396). Part of that reason, as
I mentioned above, is because few people with anti-social personality disorder see
themselves as having a problem and therefore do not seek any help. Even if they are told
by doctors and family that a problem exists if they do not see it or are not bothered by it
themselves it would be nearly impossible to get them to change. Therapy would be
especially difficult due to the necessity for the patient and doctor to have trust,
commitment, and open communication. If the client has a limited capacity for trust and
commitment, as is the case for anti-social personality disorder, the therapeutic
relationship is not formed (Seligman et al., 2001, 396). At this point in time there is also
no type of drug therapy that works for anti-social personality disorder.
So far the best means of treatment we may have is in prevention. We have to
identify potential problem children and individuals and intervene before it is too late
(Douglas & Olshaker, 1998, 36). Knowing what we know about the correlation between
trauma in childhood and the onset of psychological problems, the best means of
prevention could be as simple as taking care of our children. Too bad that child abuse and
neglect are as old as childbirth itself. Even in the United States, the wealthiest and most

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powerful nation in the world, child abuse is still a chronic problem. Hopefully, the
knowledge we have on psychological disorders will help spread the word about how
important social programs, which are drastically under funded, really are to the country.
How much better off would we be if instead of thinking about personality disorders when
we see a massacre at a school, we think of it when we elect our public officials or vote to
allocate our tax money? This very serious condition reminds us that the importance of
love starts with a single child and then blossoms to the world around him or her
(Goodman, 1991, 28).