Character Analysis Of Hannibal Lecter

History

Born on January 20, 1933 to an aristocratic Lithuanian family, Dr. Hannibal Lecter grew up in a loving environment until the dawn of World War II. After the death of his parents, Hannibal and his younger sister Mischa were held captive by a group of bandits during the winter of 1944. It was at this time that Lecter witnessed and engaged in the death and cannibalization of his sister, Mischa Lecter. Through this experience, Lecter is shown to frequently recall this event throughout his life. For example, during Lecter’s time in Florence, Italy, he experienced a traumatic nightmare regarding his involvement of Mischa demise. This dream is odd within the novel, as it is the only time where Lecter is described as

Hannibal Lecter entered mandatory counseling upon incarceration at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Originally, Lecter displayed aggressive behavior as he would attempt to psychologically abuse the clinician and refuse to answer questions prevalent for diagnosis. However after building rapport, Lecter described how he is currently concerned with a series of abrupt flashbacks that may last from a few hours to a few days. During these episodes, Lecter displays avoidant behavior where he will seclude himself from others. Upon further examination, Lecter describes how this behavior has been prevalent throughout his life as he experiences periods where he describes himself as being withdrawn, distant, and apathetic. These symptoms seem to be exacerbated when Lecter is in direct contact with female children. Presently, Lecter described periods where he would act or kill others due to what he would consider rude behavior. Immediately afterwards, Lecter would become very agitated and enter a trance-like state where he would sit and stare blankly for hours on end. He feels remorseful, weak, and powerless against the memories regarding the events of his sister’s demise. Additionally, he behaves in a surreptitious manner where his behavior is deceptive and secretive. Lecter is a chronic liar. There is no apparent reason for this behavior other than satisfying his personal

Usually, individuals sustain two maladaptive dysfunction schemes about traumatic events: over-accommodation of existing beliefs about the traumatic event that often results in fixed thinking and repeated behavioral patterns, and assimilation of information regarding the event into an existing schema that is erroneous, distorted, and produces self-blame within the individual. Based on the information provided, it would be reasonable to assume that Lecter has assimilated information about the death of Mischa by distorting information prevalent to her death. Through this notion, cognitive processing therapy (CPT) will be utilized in order to restructure how Lecter manages with and interprets a traumatic event. Developed through the social cognitive theory of PTSD, CPT targets the structure of the traumatic event and subsequent coping strategies of the individual (Lenz et al., 2014). Specifically, CPT targets secondary cognitions and emotions that arise from distorted perceptions regarding a traumatic event and their impact on emotional processes and behaviors so that through therapy the client may be able to gain control over intrusive symptoms (Resick et. al, 2007). These secondary symptoms may include impairment of mental health, guilt, decreased quality of life, and health