I am currently taking a psychology class at the University of Illinois, which primarily focuses on the specific diagnostic criteria for different mental disorders. While reading The Stranger, I was continuously drawing parallels between one disorder and Meursault: Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD). According to the DSM-5, here are the basic diagnostic criteria:
· *Main feature: disregard for and violation of the safety/rights of others (3+ of the following)
o Failure to conform to social norms
o Manipulative/Deceitful
o Impulsivity
o Irritability and aggression
o Reckless disregard for safety of self/others
o Unwillingness to take responsibility for one’s actions
o Lack of remorse
· Age 18 or older & history of a Conduct Disorder by 15 years old*
While I believe Meursault fits more than 3 symptoms, I will only be discussing 3, as that is the minimum needed for a diagnosis.
(1) Failure to conform to social norms: As we have seen multiple times throughout the book, Meursault does not fit the “normal” emotional responses to major events. When his mom dies at the very beginning of the novel, he seems to have no reaction. Even mentally, he moves on quickly, saying that “the case will be closed” once the funeral is complete (Camus 3). As humans, this is a very disarming response to read. We would expect Meursault to have some negative emotional reaction, such as crying, but he seems unbothered. Therefore, he does not fit the “social norms”.
(2) Reckless disregard for safety of self/others: Starting earlier in the book, we see Meursault ignore the physical danger he poses to others. When Raymond tells him about beating his mistress, Meursault has no negative reaction, and even helps Raymond exact revenge on her. I understand that this book is set in a different time, where abusive relationships were more common, but that does not excuse his participation in the matter. Again, later in the book, Meursault shoots an Arab man. He does not seem to understand at the time what a major and life-changing decision this is (both for him and the other man), and seems to do it on a whim (also relating to the impulsivity symptom). Overall, Meursault doesn’t appear to care about others safety, and has no strong feelings against hurting others.
(3) Lack of remorse: We clearly see this symptom after Meursault kills the Arab man. When the magistrate asked him if he felt sorry for killing the man, “[Meursault] thought about it for a minute and said that more than sorry [he] felt kind of annoyed” (Camus 70). Later, he also admits to not feeling remorse. As killing someone is one of the worst crimes a person can commit, it is shocking and extremely unsettling to hear that Meursault feels no guilt from it. Overall, this would fit the “lack of remorse” symptom.
We obviously cannot tell if Meursault had a conduct disorder, as the book reveals very little about his childhood years, but he is over 18, so if he had a conduct disorder, he would fully fit an ASPD diagnosis. While this cannot excuse his behavior, it may help explain some of the descriptions we read and why they were so difficult to hear.
*Taken from Han, J. (2022). Personality Disorder Cluster B. [PowerPoint Presentation].
It would have been really interesting to see what this book would have been like had it been set in modern times with all of our knowledge about mental health. Meursault probably would have gotten a lighter sentence, and I also wonder whether such a diagnosis would have made him reflect internally as well. He seems to think he is just like everyone else but if he was told in this very direct way that he is not, I wonder how he might face that.
ReplyDeleteSuper cool! You used the knowledge you've accumulated to your advantage. Are there any other mental disorders you considered in your diagnosis?
ReplyDeleteI love how you used your knowledge from your UI classes and connected it to the book! I agree with your diagnosis of Mersault's ASPD disorder. While we can't ever certainly diagnose Mersault because we know little about his life before the age of 15, your diagnosis based on his later years makes complete sense and explains a lot of his actions throughout the book. Great post!
ReplyDeleteYour connection of Meursault to mental health disorder is meaningful and interesting! It explains unique characteristics of his identity and self-expression that we grappled with while reading. I do wonder if he had a conduct disorder in the past, and after acknowledging that he might have ASPD, I really wish we were given a glimpse of his childhood. I think knowing how he grew up would help us better understand his identity.
ReplyDeleteThis is really cool post. Your diagnosis of Meursault, helps just to understand Meursault. As, well, it does help is understanding more of why he killed the Arab man. It's really interesting to think about, how different it was back then, and how his case would've been handled if it was in a more modern time.
ReplyDeleteThis is a super unqiue and interestinng post! I think all of your criteria are pretty accurate for Mersault. I especially thought that your second diagnosis of Mersault as having little empathy and a disregard for others' safety was very accurate. As a firsthand witness to Raymond abusing his mistress, Mersault feels no moral obligation to step up and and as such it makes him implicitly involved in this crime. On top of him doing nothing to intervene and call out Raymond for his actions, Mersault then carelessly befriends Raymond and gets mixed up in a dangerous group. This is definitely the same carelessness and lack of empathy that eventually leads him to shoot the Arab man and end up on death row.
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