The Psychology of Dexter - Bella DePaulo [43]
Born in Blood or Self-Fulfilling Prophecy?
A key factor in the development of self is parental influence. In Dexter’s case, we see an early emotional shutdown caused by the traumatic loss of his original family. When Dexter discovered a newspaper article detailing the massacre that separated him from his mother and brother, his juvenile feelings of fright and loss overwhelmed him: “No wonder I felt so disconnected my entire life. If I did have emotions, I’d have to feel this” (“Truth Be Told,” 1-10). His adoption by the Morgans provided him with a surrogate family, and Harry helped shape Dexter’s personality. However, it can also be argued that Harry shaped Dexter’s homicidal tendencies. Harry’s experiences as a police officer, dealing with violent criminals who emerged from violent backgrounds, likely shaped his expectations about Dexter’s developmental course. When the teenaged Dexter showed violence toward animals, Harry was not surprised: “What happened to you changed something inside you. It got into you too early. I’m afraid your urge to kill is only going to get stronger” (“Dexter,” 1-1). As an adult, Dexter continues to accept Harry’s prediction as a binding truth:
DEXTER: I am who I am, and nobody’s going to change that.
LILA: Jesus, Dexter, what are you so fucking scared of? You make yourself into a monster so you no longer bear responsibility for what you do. ‘I can’t help it: I’m a monster.’ ‘Oh, of course I was going to do that: I’m a monster.’ (“See-Through,” 2-4)
For all of her faults, Lila raised an important point. The definition of self that we choose (or that is chosen for us) sets clear limits on our acceptable range of behaviors. The concept that expectation shapes action is a classic idea in sociology and psychology, and one that has gained popularity outside of academic discourse. You may have heard of the concept of a self-fulfilling prophecy (hereafter SFP), as coined by sociologist Robert Merton. 15 In an SFP, a perceiver (Harry) has an expectation (future interpersonal violence because of early trauma) about a target (Dexter), which leads the perceiver to act toward the target in a manner that befits the expectancy (encouraging Dexter to embrace his violent impulses toward people). The target tends to react accordingly (Dexter feels empowered to kill, and does so), thus behaving in a way that confirms the original expectation. The perceiver’s belief is now justified by external evidence (Dexter killed because he is a violent person), and the SFP cycle begins anew.16 Is what we see in the Harry/Dexter dynamic all that different than the parent who enrolls a child in piano lessons because they believe their child has (or should have) musical talent? At a basic conceptual level, I would argue that it is not. An originally subjective (and/or false) belief creates real behavior with real social consequences.
The dynamics of SFPs may make an existing problem even worse. In the episode “See-Through,” we saw in flashback that Harry actively tried to thwart an attempt to get professional treatment for Dexter. Harry’s wife, concerned that “something is off about him,” arranged for Dexter to be assessed by a psychologist. Harry coached Dexter to lie about his problems: “Whatever you think is right, is wrong. When he asks you a question I want you to think of your answer first, and then tell him the exact opposite.” Dexter was congratulated by Harry on his successful deception, and told to keep up the same ruse when dealing with others. One wonders how dramatically different Dexter’s life course would have been had he entered into treatment for his problems years prior to first taking a human life.
There is an implication in the TV series (and an outright declaration in the novels) that Rita’s children, Cody and Astor, have their own violent tendencies as a result of the early environment created by their abusive father.