The Psychology of Dexter - Bella DePaulo [10]
In instances of severe trauma, the child disassociates from him/herself and the memory of the event is suppressed. When Dexter first becomes aware in a therapy session of the circumstances surrounding his mother’s death, he thinks, “No wonder I felt so disconnected my entire life. If I did have emotions, I’d have to feel this” (“Truth Be Told,” 1-11). Although Dexter is supposedly cut off from all human emotions, empathy is the emotion that he seems to most lack and long for. This lack of empathy, which is often cited as evidence of his psychopathy, can be a direct result of childhood PTSD. Childhood trauma has an impact on actual brain development: it can cause serious structural abnormalities in the frontal lobe, known as “the seat of emotion.” Brain researchers have found that these abnormalities often result in deep-seated personality deficits such as an inability to be empathetic.
Another characteristic of individuals suffering from PTSD is that they may be prone to aggression and dehumanization in the service of a cause that they find noble. The Code of Harry, which dictates that “killing should serve a purpose, otherwise it’s just murder,” provides Dexter with the moral justification and righteousness to see his acts of aggression and dehumanization as upholding a noble cause. Therefore, the code had an effect opposite to the one that Harry intended; rather than control Dexter’s violence, it may well have perpetuated it.
An additional common symptom of early childhood PTSD is post-traumatic play, in which children repeat themes or aspects of the trauma they experienced. For Dexter, this post-traumatic play was evident at a young age in his killing and dismembering animals. According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, this (or any) type of post-traumatic play does not relieve anxiety. By encouraging Dexter’s post-traumatic play with animals in the hope that it would curb his appetite to murder people, Harry only pushed Dexter further down the path toward homicidal violence. Had Harry sought psychological help for Dexter to deal with the underlying trauma instead of allowing him to continually recreate it in his play, he would have provided his son with more constructive guidance.
The Anti-Self: Identifying with the Aggressor
A few important questions remain unanswered: in suffering from PTSD, what exactly happened to turn Dexter into a killer? Where did his Dark Passenger come from? When childhood events are traumatic enough to cause PTSD, children dissociate from themselves as the helpless victim and identify instead with the aggressor. They identify with the very person who is hurting them, who they see as strong and not vulnerable to the type of pain they are experiencing. This is the only survival strategy available to the child. In Dexter’s case, he identified with his mother’s murderer. This is evident in his homicidal desires and in his literal reenactment of his mother’s murder by dismembering each of his own victims. For Dexter, dismemberment likely has significant meaning and is not simply a practical means of disposing of a body. Interestingly enough, Dexter’s brother, who also witnessed their mother’s murder and became