The Dexter T.V. Show

Dexter Morgan is a fictional character from the TV show, Dexter. The show tells a story of a man named Dexter, who is a brilliant blood spatter analyst by day and a serial killer of criminals by night. Throughout the day, he stalks his victims and at night he captures them and follows a code of conduct and ritual set by his adopted father before killing them. To figure out what diagnosis to give Dexter, an analysis of his childhood must be conducted.

Dexter has no clear memory of his biological family, but was very close with his adoptive family, the Morgans. The start of his abnormal behavior probably started when he was three years old. Dexter and his biological brother, Brian, were trapped in a storage container located in the docks of Miami for two days. They sat in two inches of blood and were surrounded by corpses, one of them being their biological mother. Both brothers witnessed her murder, causing them to suffer both emotional and psychological damage. The decapitation and mutilation of their mother’s body may have led to Dexter’s method of removing a body. After being adopted by the Morgans, Dexter’s adoptive father, Harry, realized Dexter was killing animals when he discovered a grave site. Throughout Dexter’s teenage years, Harry taught Dexter “The Code,” a set of rules for Dexter to follow to control his urges to kill on those who deserve to die. Harry later passes away and in Dexter’s adult years, he continues to follow Harry’s code and goes after people who have escaped justice. He kills to satisfy an inner voice called “The Dark Passenger.” During each kill, he collects a small blood sample onto a medical slide as a souvenir. (Dexter’s Serial Killer Profile, 2011).

A specific diagnosis for Dexter would be Postt...

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... correct help and course of treatment, Dexter will be able to get better if he is willing to put in the time and effort.

Works Cited

Beidel, D. C., Bulick, C. M. & Stanley, M. A. (2013). Abnormal psychology (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Dexter's Serial Killer Profile - Dexter. (2011, May 30). Dexter's Serial Killer Profile - Dexter. Retrieved April 23, 2014, from http://www.dexterwiki.com/page/Dexter's+Serial+Killer+Profile

Kathleen, M. (2011, July 22). The Science Behind Dexter (TV): The Psychology of a Survivor.HubPages. Retrieved April 23, 2014, from http://megan-kathleen.hubpages.com/hub/The-Science-Behind-Dexter-Deb-the-Survivor

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms, Causes, Treatment - What is the treatment for PTSD? - MedicineNet. (n.d.). MedicineNet. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://www.medicinenet.com/posttraumatic_stress_disorder/page6.htm