"Lestat" 1998 Chapter 18

Analysis of Lestat - Part II - look at Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD)

According to the DSM, someone who exhibits characteristics consistent with APD has at least three of the following, (in addition to a history of such behaviors in childhood):

failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest

deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure

impulsivity or failure to plan ahead

irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults

reckless disregard for safety of self or others

consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations

lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another

Lestat displayed at at least FOUR of the above: deceitfulness, impulsivity, disregard for the safety of self or others, and lack of remorse. I do not remember what he told me about his childhood, so I can't say if he exhibited such behaviors early on.

At the heart of APD is a lack of remorse. Lestat's blatent disregard for the impact he had on others epitomizes such lack of remorse. He would simply move on to the next target when he got caught.

Interestingly, one of the differences between Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) and APD is that in APD there is a lack of ability to empathize with others - hence the lack of remorse. With NPD this is not necessarily the case. People with NPD usually have quite a bit of emotional expression because they feel such narcissistic pain when not treated "properly" by others. His pervasive deceitfulness also points to APD as he lied in order to gain personal pleasure (i.e., need for sex, love, adoration, etc.). Impulsivity also plagued his character as he did not plan ahead when acting out: he had no thought of the consequences to himself or others when engaging in his devious acts. The disregard for the safety of others comes to light in his insistence to forego the use of condoms while sleeping with multiple women. He had no care for diseases he might contract or spread to his multiple partners. Furthermore, he had no regard for the "emotional" safety of others he caught in his web.

Again, the lack of empathy and remorse is what makes this personality disorder stand out. Usually we see such people in the media: career criminals, serial killers, and the like. However, one does not have to be a career criminal or serial killer to fit such a profile. Remember, a person has to have only THREE of the criteria to qualify (along with the requisite childhood history).

Most of us will not encounter such a person in our lifetime. I thought I would be one of those people - to never be personally involved with someone of such character. However, having had such an experience, I now have intimate knowledge of what such a person looks and feels like. My NPD and APD "radar" is acutely sensitive and I can spot such a character a mile away. I now know to "run like hell" if I see such flags that indicate such a person is in my sphere.

Some people would say that people with APD have a need for excessive stimulation, because they simply don't "feel." If a person is without feeling, they would likely engage in risky or thrill-seeking behaviors, in order to avoid boredom. Such a person does not feel emotionally connected to others. So in order to "feel" something, they kick things up a notch to make life interesting. So, in Lestat's case, he made life interesting by engaging in risky behaviors with several women all over the United States. He could have easily been found out by his co-workers and family, because many of his women (including me) actually met these people. He ran the risk of us "outing" him to those with the power to impact his life negatively. This risk may have been exciting to him (i.e., like the feeling of excitement one gets when having sex in public). This risk would NOT be repellent to Lestat, like it would be for most people. This risk would be exciting, fun, thrilling, and be much of a game to him at a pathological level.

People with APD may view their life as a game: how to get away with as much as possible before getting caught. This thrill is what makes life worth living. So in Lestat's case, his game became: "let me see how many smart, beautiful, intelligent and faithful women I can be with for as long as possible, while making them believe I am not who I am, before they find me out."

What would lead to someone developing APD? Typically someone with APD has an early history of trauma and abuse. Take Charles Manson: his early life was riddled with abandonment and multiple placements in foster care and eventual incarceration. What kind of effect does this have on a person? Theoretically, someone who has been traumatized in such a way, might NOT develop the normal healthy attachments to other human beings. They would become numb to human bonding and therefore would be unable to develop empathy or remorse.

So, what happened to Lestat in his early life? Well, I can't say for sure. But as I mentioned before, he did suffer abuse in his family growing up. However, not everyone abused will grow up to be narcissistic or antisocial. Something more profound would have to occur to make the shift into future maladaptive patterns of functioning and relating.

I can only speculate. My guess is, the type of abuse and neglect he experienced growing up, had the effect of disrupting natural bonding and attachment with his family. The trauma would have to be severe enough in his experience to cause such a fracturing of his ability to attach to others in a loving, healthy manner.

So, in a way, it's not his fault???? Well, not really. One may be able to argue that as a child, he was a victim--leading to his adult behavior. However, as an adult he still possesssed the power of free will to decide how to treat others. Such and understanding of his character helps explain why he is the way he is, but does not in any way give him permission to hurt others.

Such an understanding gives me (and hopefully others as well who have encountered such people in their own lives) the ability to empathize and understand, so as to NOT completely judge him. Okay, maybe just a little:). What I mean is, even though Lestat was the "worst" person I have ever met, I understand there is a reason for why he is the way he is. He is as much a product of his upbringing and environment as well all are.

So the moral of the story is: stay away from people with APD because no matter how much you love them, they will be incapable of loving you back. They will use you to serve their own personal gain. Rehabilitation for such a person is well-documented as extremely difficult to accomplish. Don't try to change such a person. Just get them out of your life quick!

Signs that you might be involved with someone with APD:

Persistent lying and deceit for personal gain and profit (i.e., compulsive lying about unimportant things; lying about aspects of identity; creating scenarios simply for the purpose of "getting away" with deceiving others)

Impulsive behaviors without regard of consequences (i.e., reckless/dangerous behaviors, or behaviors that have the possible consequence of damaging someone else's person, property, or self-esteem)

Lack of ability to empathize with others, and lack of remorse for behaviors that hurt others

Engaging in behaviors that go against society's norms (i.e., law-breaking behaviors)
Any questions?