Dexter

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Do you think Dexter Morgan from the show "Dexter" on Showtime is an Aspie?

He has no emotions except anger, he's completely obsessed about his interest, he fakes social situations, he's very logical and a he need a routine when he's doing his killings.

Sounds pretty Aspie to me.

I have not seen the show but have heard alot about it, and I do want to see it.

I dont think he is so much an aspie as he is a typical serial killer if their is such a thing. Many serial killers have a certain way they do things, they are meticulous so they have things planned and know how to do it. From what I understand the character is social in this show.

He better not be because I am sick and tired of all the aspie stereotypes.

There isn't enough info to say. As for him being a serial killer, he is trying to do justice. It is actually only recently that it started to deviate a bit, but even THERE he is going after people that are working against justice, etc...

Frankly, the show is just using another formula. An insider works to help justice from the inside using a special ability or clearance.

CBS will begin airing episodes on February 17th.
Cable shows will now take up air time because of the writer's strike.

I Love That Show. Dexter isn't an Aspie. He is A Sociopath.

He is definitely not a sociopath. People often say "sociopath" without knowing what it means.

Here's the checklist for antisocial personality disorder (AKA sociopathy).


1. Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest;
Other than his obvious hobby, Dexter obeys the law as well as anybody else. Sociopaths enjoy breaking rules. Dexter is very meticulous and rule oriented.


2. Deceitfulness, as indicated by repeatedly lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure;
This one Dexter does match, but only because he was taught in this way. If Dexter grew up without the social skills training of Harry, his aspie traits would be more recognizable(he never smiled as a child, which is an autistic trait). Also if you pay attention, Dexter very rarely lies. He plays with words much like I do. Rita-"What are you doing?" Dexter-"Just finishing up a little project". Dexter tells Rita almost everything he does wrong (hitting Paul, sleeping with Lila).


3. Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead;
He is very rarely impulsive, and regrets when he is. He plans ahead quite well.


4. Irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults;
He almost stabbed a bully in school, but that does not point to sociopathy. I'm sure many people on wrongplanet have had similar thoughts.


5. Reckless disregard for safety of self or others;
Dexter is anything but reckless. He is careful in most things he does.


6. Consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations;
He is good at maintaining jobs obviously. He doesn't appear to suffer financially either.


7. Lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another.
Can also be linked to Asperger Syndrome, but he is capable of remorse. Remember his brother?

*One other symptom common in sociopaths is a provocative sexual nature. Dexter is disgusted by sex.



Remember, killing doesn't make someone a sociopath. I'm sure a lot of people here are capable of murder.

Being a sociopath (or psychopath) is no more a checklist than Aspergers. Dexter is presented as a psychopath. (No debates about which is correct or whether they're the same thing.) Wikipedia states that clinical research measures these factors to determine the extent a person is a psychopath:

Factor1: Aggressive narcissism

1. Glibness/superficial charm: check.
2. Grandiose sense of self-worth: check.
3. Pathological lying: check.
4. Cunning/manipulative: check.
5. Lack of remorse or guilt: check.
6. Shallow: check.
7. Callous/lack of empathy: check.
8. Failure to accept responsibility for own actions: fail.
9. Promiscuous sexual behavior: fail.

Factor2: Socially deviant lifestyle

1. Need for stimulation/proneness to boredom: check.
2. Parasitic lifestyle: fail.
3. Poor behavioral control: check, but with a twist.
4. Lack of realistic, long-term goals: debatable.
5. Impulsivity: check. (He acts impulsively when breaking the law, e.g. hacking.)
6. Irresponsibility: fail.
7. Juvenile delinquency: check.
8. Early behavior problems: check.
9. Revocation of conditional release: fail.

The most important point is that he is not real. He's psychopath with a clever twist. Makes for great entertainment, but isn't overly realistic. And they have to toy with you about whether he really is, (in the show at least), to keep you hooked.

In my opinion, Aspies aren't charismatic enough to be successful serial killers. But you never know.

But I wouldn't classify Dexter as a sociopath or an Aspie. Being meticulous and rule-oriented make you meticulous and rule-oriented, not Aspie.

I haven't seen it, but someone said "disgusted by sex" in regards to the character.

That's a symptom of Schizoid PD, which is probably the same thing as AS in reality, but less impaired in the ways of independence and executive functioning.

Killing people who one deems as deserving of death isn't a sign of mental illness; soldiers do it all of the time (whether they're government paid or not).