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The portrayal of psychological disorders by the media
Characteristics of dexter tv character
The portrayal of psychological disorders by the media
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Dexter Morgan is the main character in the television show Dexter. He is portrayed as a successful blood analyst for the Miami Police Department. Dexter is antisocial with a lack of feelings for others, specifically a lack of empathy. “But I warn you, Sergeant, you can 't play on my feelings. I don 't have any (Reynolds, Shill, 2007).” He is haunted by thoughts of past trauma caused by witnessing his mother’s gruesome murder at the age of three. This causes him to be untrusting of others and only possess miniscule emotional attachment to his adoptive sister, Debra, and adoptive father, Harry. Harry notices Dexter’s psychopathology symptoms during his early teens. The neighbor’s dog went missing and Harry questions Dexter only to reveal that …show more content…
He teaches him to smile in family photos, and to imitate cordial emotions because that’s what everyone else does. If Dexter can act “normal,” than no one will know that he has a mental health disorder. Harry is perpetuating the stigma that he should be ashamed of himself. It is better to hide than be seen as someone with a mental illness. The show its self is reducing a stigma against psychopathology because the viewers gain a sense of sympathy for Dexter. He is the narrator of the show, so it encompasses what is happening inside his head that causes him to react in the ways he does. We know the troubled childhood he experienced and we know he has rational behind his actions. It makes a sociopath seem more principled than the public would ever independently …show more content…
Antisocial personality disorders do not mean someone is innately dangerous or threatening. Initially, I thought Dexter was wrong for killing people, but as I watched the show further, I began to realize that maybe he was helping the greater good. Could bad actions or malicious intent really not be that bad? I was forced to question my sense of right and wrong. But who is Dexter to determine when others’ lives should end? This portrayal of psychopathology made me realized that murder is more relative than we think. Even if the object is inherently bad, like murder, there isn’t necessarily only a bad outcome. Dexter potentially saved many innocent lives by ending felon’s life. This show is shedding new light on psychopathology and adapting social norms. Just murder maintains a stable justice system and the innocence of the ignorant public. We think that all criminals are prosecuted under the law but this shows that many are getting away with severe crimes every day. If it were not handled, such as Dexter handles these unseen offenders, heinous murders of innocent civilians would be taking place in our
Dexter is the lead character of famous crime, drama and mystery TV series, “Dexter”. The TV series is a treat for the psychologically minded
When Dexter Haven came back into his ex-wife’s home unannounced would very much compare to the Anomie theory. As stated by Jack Levin, “a social situation in which the traditional rules of everyday life have broken down and individuals became confused as to how to behave.” (Levin, 54) I believe this is very noticeable in Dexter’s behavior when he comes back into Traci’s home attempting to introduce Macaulay Connor and Liz Imbrie as family friends of the family so they can report on the wedding for their tabloid Spy Magazine. Dexter became confused as the person who he is when he learned about Traci’s wedding. He was an old employee for Spy, and that is when he decided to intrude into the wedding with his plot. `
Simons, C. (2001). Antisocial personality disorder in serial killers: The thrill of the kill. The Justice Professional, 14(4), 345-356.
Dexter denies his background as coming from the middle class and wanting to have more in life. He started as a fourteen year old golf caddie and was the best one around. Dexter one day while working thought to himself that he could have so much more than just being a golf caddie. Then and there he decided to quit his job and move on with his life. As Dexter grows up and moves out west to fulfill his dream, there is a duality inside of him that ultimately is his own downfall.
Little did Dexter know that Judy was going to play him like she has played every other man in town, dinner, dates, and get booted to the curb when she got bored. Judy preyed on Dexter’s so-called love throughout his childhood, adulthood, and his engagement with Irene. Dexter and Judy’s relationship was based off Dexter’s dream to have the prettiest girl even if she couldn’t be
The similarities between Jay and Dexter are quite apparent when reading each story. They both come from the Midwest and although Dexter’s family has some money, both are similar in the fact that they did not start out as wealthy, upper class men from rich families. Their hard work and determination to make their own wealth and acquire the luxuries and social status that come with it are completely by their own doing. Both men achieve their goals of the American dream at a relatively young age and are able to be a part of the high society they once observed from a distance. Their desire to amass wealth and the perks associated with it come with an ulterior motive, to win back the girls they desire that will only be with them if they have the wealth and status to bring to the table.
An analysis of the most famous murderers and serial killers in the Chicago area shows varying degrees of psychopathy or mental illnesses, which ultimately contribute to homicidal comportment. Analysis also shows that...
At work, Joshua Boren was a well-respected law enforcement officer, often referred to as a big "teddy bear."
Jack the Ripper, John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, the Boston Strangler, Jeffrey Dahmer. Despite the years of history that separate these names, they remain indelibly preserved within our collective societal consciousness because of the massively violent and calculated nature of their crimes. Serial killers, both men and women, represent social monstrosities of the most terrifying variety. They are human predators, cannibals in a figurative and, often, literal sense, and are therefore uniquely subversive to society's carefully constructed behavioral tenets. They frighten because they are human in form but without the social conscience that, for many, defines humanity. They capture the public eye because they terrify, but also because they elicit a sort of gruesome curiosity about the human potential for evil; as Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde alleges, wickedness lies within each heart, waiting only for the proper time and impetus to break free.
Dexter and Judy could have had a fairytale ending, but in the end both of their lives were lonely and depressing. Judy wanted Dexter, but not to fall in love with her. She wanted him because she knew she could have him and wanted to prove to herself that her beauty could get a man to do anything. She convinced a man to break off an engagement with a girl he could have been happy with. She didn’t even stick around Dexter long enough for him to even propose.
Serial murder, which is defined as “the unlawful killing of two or more victims, by the same offenders, in separate events”(Lubaszka & Shon, 2013, p. 1), is a term that American society has become quite familiar with. At a ripe age, parents begin teaching their children not to talk to strangers in hopes of shielding them from the potential evil our world has to offer, but what if I told you the serial killer may not always be the scary man driving a van and offering candy? Our society, like it does most things, has placed a stigma upon serial killers. Although not all implied labels are untrue, this stigma makes us vulnerable to the hidden deviance lurking behind us, dressed in sheep’s clothing. Over the course of this analysis, I will discuss and elaborate on Christine Lubaszka and Phillip Shon’s work, “The notion of victim selection, risk, and offender behavior in healthcare serial murders”. My evaluation will consists of a thorough description of Lubaszka and Shon’s article, followed by a brief critic explaining how their work relates to other forms of deviance, social control, and the material studied in this course, as well as stating a few of the drawbacks and benefits of the authors’ work and suggestions for future researchers.
Dexter had to keep himself from forgetting he cannot have Judy Jones. In the end of the story Dexter has come to a conclusion he could not have Judy, “When autumn had come and gone again, it occurred to him that he could not have Judy Jones. He had to beat this into his mind, but he convinced himself at last. He lay awake at night for a while and argued it over. He told himself the trouble and the pain she had caused him, he enumerated her glaring deficiencies as a wife”(p 974). While Dexter cared for Judy he felt that he need to forget her since he knew he could never really have her full attention. While he knew he could never have her he knew he could never have her he meet her again and falls for her all over again one last time and this time it was her that was convincing him to date once again. "I'm more beautiful than anybody else," she said brokenly, "why can't I be happy?" Her moist eyes tore at his stability--her mouth turned slowly downward with an exquisite sadness: "I'd like to marry you if you'll have me, Dexter. I suppose you think I'm not worth having, but I'll be so beautiful for you, Dexter"(p 977). While Dexter was not too sure how to feel he didn't know how to react to this, with Judy he
It is very rare these days to turn on the news and not hear about a crime or a murder. Crime is a common occurrence yet many times it is difficult to understand how someone could bring themselves to do these things. It does seem to make any sense why a young handsome man from a good family would want to kill someone and then be able to go through with it. This leads one to wonder if the brains of people who behave in socially unacceptable ways are different from everyone else's brains. There is a substantial amount of evidence that suggests some criminals do have differences in their brains that most likely contribute to their behavior. Many of these individuals have Antisocial Personality Disorder and some are considered sociopaths.
It is made clear by Dexter that he dreads the winter days and wishes for the cold barren season to end, The author Fitzgerald makes a great example of this when he states, “In the fall when the days became crisp and grey, and the long Minnesota winter shut down like the white lid of a box, Dexter 's skis moved over the snow that hid the fairways of the golf course. At these times, the country gave him a feeling of profound melancholy it often reminded him that the links should lie in enforced fallowness, haunted by ragged sparrows for the long season” (Fitzgerald 1). This quote used in the beginning describes a gloomy, and quiet atmosphere. The description of the cold seasons set a pensive mood, it also gives the reader an idea of Dexter’s character. The further present is a sense of Dexter’s hopefulness. Dexter seems to obviously not be fond of the cold and the elements leading alongside. But can very unclear as to why Dexter likes the months leading into winter As the narrator states, “Fall made him clench his hands and tremble and repeat idiotic sentences to himself, and make brisk abrupt gestures of command to imaginary audiences and armies. October filled him with hope which November raised to a sort of ecstatic triumph, and in this mood the fleeting brilliant impressions of the summer” (Fitzgerald 1). The reader can infer the coming of summer and the joys Dexter anticipates. This quote makes Dexter also seem a little emotional and somewhat sensitive. In the story, discovered was at some points into the story it can be difficult to tell if dexter likes a season. It’s almost as if the colder seasons have more of an effect on him. It is unclear as to dexter might not like spring or the season leading into summer, as opposed to liking it. The narrator tells an example when
Shortly after Harry was born a villain called Voldermont killed his parents. Somehow Harry did not die from Voldermont, but not only did he live, he almost killed this great dart magician. As the only survivor, a giant called Hagrid took him to his Aunt and Uncle Dursleys house and left them on the doorstep with a note. Ever since that day, he has been living in a blended family. That is a family whose members were once part of another.