Examples of Psychopaths in Hollywood Films

Evaluation of a Hollywood Psychopath

Summary of the Film Split

Split opens with the abduction of three girls by Kevin. Kevin is not really in possession of himself, however: he has multiple personality disorder and the personality of Dennis is the one doing the kidnapping. There are other personalities that manifest themselves during his sessions of therapy, but for the most part these personalities are able to convince the doctor that they are harmless. Kevin’s captives, however, see another side of him, and as a new personality emerges in Kevin—the Beast—things turn violent. Split ends with Kevin becoming “the Beast,” a kind of comic-bookish animal-monster hybrid (Kevin is somehow able to scale walls when the Beast takes over). Kevin’s personality disorder stems from childhood abuse, so the doctor believes—and as he is about to kill the final captive he sees that she too is a victim of abuse and he spares her out of sympathy. This demonstrates at least some sign of humanity in Kevin not typically found in most true psychopaths. Before transforming totally into the Beast, Kevin emerges from deep within—when his name is called (as though this were some kind of magic act of conjuring)—but then the other personalities quickly pull Kevin back and bury him deep within himself. This suggests that Kevin is not a genuine psychopath since he appears to be more the victim of a hostile takeover of spirits than anything else.

Is the Beast a Good Example of a Psychopath?

Is the Beast a Good Example of a Psychopath? Not really. Kevin suffers from extreme multiple personality disorder with 24 personalities identified by his doctor. The personality of Dennis is abusive towards women, and the Beast is homicidal and cannibalistic, but personalities like Patricia are calm and empathetic, while Hedwig is childlike. All of these personalities are inside Kevin, who is actually trapped and overwhelmed by them. Kevin as himself is not really in control of his own thoughts or actions. Therefore, Kevin is not, strictly speaking a good example of psychopathy—although it can be argued that all psychopaths have a split personality: one personality or façade that they show to the world, and the other that is revealed only to their victims. This is certainly true of Kevin, although the personality that is typically shown to the world is usually that of Barry or Dennis. Barry is usually the dominant personality—but Dennis emerges to abduct the girls and sacrifice them to the 24th emerging personality, the Beast.

A better example of a psychopath might be someone like Ted Bundy or even Norman Bates from the film Psycho. Kevin probably could not be considered even a borderline psychopath based on his 24 score in the PCL-R. The reason for this, to some extent, is that not enough is known about Kevin’s early life; but also that he has personalities within him that are genuinely empathetic and sympathetic to others (after all, he spares the girl at the end because he recognizes in her the signs of one who has been abused—and this kind of empathy is not typical of a psychopath). In many ways, he comes across as a possessed person. Possession is described in the DSM-5, so it is considered something real by psychologists. However, if more were known about Kevin, it might be shown that he is indeed a psychopath. Perhaps in the sequel to the film, there is more information that could be drawn upon.

Hits and Misses on the PCL-R

Kevin certainly scores some 2’s on the PCL-R but he also scores some 0’s. He does not meet the threshold 30 score for a conservative diagnosis of psychopathy. But at a score of 24 it might be said that he is leaning in that direction. However, other diagnoses would probably be better applied. Here are 10 of the 20 scores that help to explain why Kevin is something of a mixed bag when it comes to psychopathy:

1. Kevin definitely demonstrates glibness at times—particularly in his sessions with his therapist where he tries to act coy and more in control (so as to deceive her) than he really is; so this is a direct hit and score of 2 on the PCL-R test.

2. Grandiosity may be part of Kevin’s personality, but it is unclear. He seems to have plans—or at least his personalities seem to have plans for themselves (particularly with making a sacrifice to “the Beast”)—but Kevin, himself, is locked somewhere deep below and appears just as much a captive as the girls who are kidnapped by “Dennis”—so it is hard to say to what degree this grandiosity is evident.

3. Kevin definitely comes across as conning and manipulative—or rather “Dennis” does (by kidnapping the girls, for instance)—but other personalities, like Hedwig, are trusting and naïve; so, this is a 2 score but with an asterisk.

4. In terms of lack of remorse and guilt, this is only evident at times—like when the Beast is in control. When Kevin himself finally emerges he begs to be put out of his misery; additionally, Kevin shows sympathy for his victim and spares her, a sign perhaps of remorse. This is a 1 score.

5. The same goes for lack of empathy or callousness. Kevin only at times shows this trait. At other times (as described above) he shows plenty of empathy—particularly when he is Hedwig or Patricia. This again is a 1 score—but mainly because it is difficult to rate Kevin on this since he has so many different personalities and they all have their own traits.

6. For parasitic lifestyle, Kevin is scored a 0 because it is not made clear in the film that he has this type of trait at all.

7. Poor behavior controls certainly rates a 2 score because this describes Kevin very well, since he is unable to control himself in most cases.

8. In terms of promiscuous sexual behavior, Kevin scores a 2 but only because of what is known about “Dennis” and his fondness for abusing women.

9. Kevin scores a 0 on many short-term relationships or marriages because it is not known if he has had any of these.

10. Kevin also scores a 1 on failure to accept responsibility for his own actions. He does accept responsibility when he himself emerges at the end—but it is so brief that it is hard to rate this a 2 or 0, one way or the other.

Overall, it is difficult to accurately assess Kevin using the PCL-R because there are so many different personalities to consider. Kevin himself is only seen for a moment at the end, and there is just not enough time to understand his real personality before it is buried. Perhaps one could argue that Kevin’s real personality is “Dennis” or Patricia or the Beast—but if one says this one is admitting that Kevin has multiple personality disorder, which is not the same thing as psychopathy.

How Accurately Kevin Portrays the Traits of a Psychopath

To be fair, Kevin does not very accurately display the traits of a psychopath. Joe Pesci’s character in Goodfellows is much more accurate in terms of demonstrating the traits of psychopathy. Even though Kevin’s actions are wilder and more outlandish (thus making one immediately think he is a psychopath), the reality is that there are better psychological explanations for Kevin’s behavior. By definition, he just does not fit the bill of a psychopath. He demonstrates multiple personality disorder; the real Kevin has anxiety over what has happened to him and he even begs his captive to kill him; and some of his personalities are sympathetic to those who have been abused like him. Kevin is part Hollywood fantasy and part psychological nightmare. For a real depiction of a psychopath in a Hollywood film, one might do better to look at realistic films, or films like Batman, where the Joker is always depicted as a fairly believable psychopath—one who has no empathy for others, has grandiose ideas for himself, and kills without compunction.

Conclusion

Kevin definitely comes across as a Hollywood psychopath—that is, a superficial and somewhat exaggerated notion of a psychopath. However, his traits do not fully correspond with true psychopathy; his character is too conflicted, and there are too many personalities evident inside him for a diagnosis of psychopathy to be accurate. Kevin is a conflicted human being, capable of deceiving others, but also capable of feeling guilt. He kills, but it would be difficult to ignore the fact that Kevin seems to be suffering from spirit possession. Kevin’s situation might indeed best be understood as a case of possession, according to the terms of DSM-5. That diagnosis might be debated, of course; but for a differential diagnosis it is certainly one that gives a better picture of Kevin’s overall situation. When Kevin’s true personality does emerge, it is hardly that of a psychopath—and more that of a victim.

Appendix

PCL-R Scores

1. Glibness or superficial charm This item describes someone who tries to make a favorable impression of others by engaging them with stories or interactions that place them in a favorable light. When they want to, psychopaths can be very charming and likable, but often this is only an act.

a. 2

2. Grandiosity Psychopaths often have an inflated view of themselves and their accomplishments. It is also very likely that they will go out of their way to make sure you are aware of these accomplishments, too.

a. 1

3. 3. Need for stimulation and proneness for boredom This item describes the manner in which psychopaths live for excitement and adventure. They are easily bored and thus might have a difficult time following through on monotonous tasks.

a. 1

4. 4. Pathological lying Psychopaths lie frequently and often will choose to lie even when there is nothing to really gain by lying.

a. 1

5. 5. Conning and manipulative Using their well-developed lying skills, psychopaths are experts at deceiving and defrauding others for their own personal gain.

a. 2

6. 6. Lack of remorse or guilt Despite what they might say, psychopaths are never truly sorry for their actions. They are unable to empathize with others or feel any guilt for their actions. This allows them to move from one con to the next without being bogged down with emotion.