"What the Hale Is Going on in Peter's Head?" â An In-Depth Examination
To fandom, Peterâs anything and everything. Heâs a Chaotic Neutral, a psychopath, a sociopath, a tragic victim, an Evil Mastermind, a Bad Guy, an antihero, Tom Riddle 2.0. It seems like no one can decide what Peter is.
We could say heâs a wild card and leave it at that, or we could try to figure him out. And to do that, we need to find out what he wants. What is it that drives him? What is his motivation?
Before we can even start to delve into the mystery that is Peter Haleâs motivation (*cough* revenge *cough*), we have to first ask ourselves: What is he capable of wanting? I hear fandom most commonly refer to him as a psychopath, but what exactly is a psychopath?
No psychiatric or psychological organization has sanctioned âpsychopathy" as an official diagnosis, but in common conversation and in pop culture especially, psychopathy is typically synonymous with âAntisocial Personality Disorder", at least in the USA. (Psychiatrists and psychologists in the USA use the DSM, or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; meanwhile, almost everyone else in the world used the ICD, or the International Classification of Diseases. Weâre gonna go with the DSM because Teen Wolf takes place in California.)
Based off the DSM, if I had, you know, an actual psych degree (disclaimer: I donât), I could diagnose Peter with Antisocial Personality Disorder, but I wouldnât say the diagnosis fits him very well. I donât own a DSM; itâs pretty expensive, but Iâd say the internetâs good enough in this case. Hereâs an edited screenshot from mentalhealth.com:Â
He qualifies for at least 3 of the criteria, so clearly we can diagnose him. However, he doesnât fit the mold for the classical case of APD. (And he and the writers know it, too.)
The hallmarks of APD are a lack of empathy and the inability to love. Think Hannibal Lecter. Now, can Peter empathize and/or love? Thatâs debatable. TL;DR.Â