Psychological Profile of Camus' The Stranger
In the novel The Stranger by Albert Camus, the main character is Meursault. He is a man who has strange views and behaves different from what people think of as normal. I believe that this is because Meursault has a condition known as Antisocial Personality Disorder. In order to claim someone is a sociopath you must understand the diagnostic criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder. The diagnostic criteria as stated in the DSM-IV (diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders) for antisocial personality disorder is as follows: A. There is a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others occurring since age 15 years, as indicated by three (or more) of the following:[1] failure to conform to social norms and respect lawful behaviors [2] deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases or conning others for personal profit or pleasure
Meursault's boss thought that he would be perfect for a position in the new office. Meursault's "impulsivity and failure to plan ahead" are another tell tale sign of his disorder. Right from the beginning of the novel it is clear that something isn't right about Meursault. When the incident first begins you learn that the Arab has a knife, which Meursault obviously feels threatened by. ------------------------------------------------------------------------**Bibliography**BIBLIOGRAPHY1. The most obvious indication of Meursault's problem is how he kills the Arab and his behavior about it afterwards. having hurt or mistreated another," is the most obvious sign of Antisocial Personality Disorder. These are instances which clearly represent "a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others. Meursault continues to shoot him four more times. " Since Meursault has at least three of the symptoms for the disorder, he can be almost positively diagnosed as a sociopath. When he approached him with the idea, Meursault tells him that he is quite content in the position that he has already. He does not cry, which for some is not strange, but later on we learn that this is because he is trying to stay awake.
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