Professor Snape Essay

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Undoubtedly, Professor Snape meets a portion of the criteria for ASPD by demonstrating a failure to conform to societal norms, repeated impulsivity, and a reckless disregard for his safety and the safety of others. However, because these behavioral patterns were not intended to bring personal profit or pleasure, he does not demonstrate a “pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others,” which is a quintessential characteristic in the criteria for ASPD. Severus Snape is no psychopath.
Further in the series, the viewer is offered a more intimate interpretation of Snape’s internal conflicts and desires which reveal a more complex, but nevertheless dysfunctional schizoid personality. According to the DSM-5, Schizoid Personality …show more content…

Yet, his hostility does not arise from a personal disregard of his immediate community. Instead, Snape is emotionally cold and detached simply because he is. While a multitude of the Professors at Hogwarts shower the meritful Harry Potter with appraisal, Professor Snape “treats [him] like any other student” (PoA, 2004). Severus Snape feels no need to interact with others in a way that would suggest attachment or kindness. Not only that, but he perceives those who are unable to control their emotions and those who are provoked easily as “fools” (OP, 2007). This cognitive pattern further emphasizes his flattened affectivity which is consistent with the criteria for …show more content…

Notably, this disorder most obviously impairs the Professor’s ability to form interpersonal relationships and limits his ties to the rest of the world. Suffering from SzPD significantly impairs an individual’s quality of life. It is possible that he additionally suffers from dysthymia, a mild but long-term form of depression that is commonly comorbid with SzPD. The functional impairments caused by this personality disorder may be further intensified as a result of this comorbidity.
It is difficult to assess the epidemiology of personality disorders because disorders such as SzPD are usually not reliably diagnosed. There is simply not enough data in order to determine the prevalence of SzPD in different races and ethnicities. For this very reason, it is impossible to determine whether Severus Snape fits into the cluster of individuals diagnosed with this

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