Antisocial Personality Disorder In The Silence Of The Lambs

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Crazy, psycho, psychopath, sociopath, these are all common phrases that people use to describe the mental disorder that is clinically known as Antisocial Personality Disorder. Antisocial Personality Disorder is characterized by a lack of empathy for others and a disregard for social norms. Contrary to popular belief, being antisocial does not mean that someone enjoys being alone and avoids social situations, the proper term for that is asocial. Antisocial simply means that someone violates established social rules. This particular mental disorder is especially prevalent in modern fiction; movies, TV shows, and books often feature thrillers where a few daring detectives must hunt down a cold and calculating killer who shows no empathy for others and brutally torments his victims. Although Antisocial Personality Disorder is incredibly common among killers, especially serial killers and mass murderers, it is often mis-portrayed in fiction.
The film is a classic detective story; the protagonist, Clarice Starling, a woman training to be an FBI agent, is tasked with interviewing Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a former psychiatrist and convicted serial killer who is infamous for eating his victims. Starling interviews Lecter since the FBI believes his acumen in the field of psychology can help them gain insight on the motives of another killer who is on the loose, nicknamed Buffalo Bill, he flays his victims. Throughout the film, it is heavily implied that they both have Antisocial Personality Disorder due to their—well, as some may put it, their unusual behavior (eating people, skinning people, etc.). However, despite the superb quality of the film, it does leave the viewer with some false perceptions about

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