4 ms·

Spoliers Draper isn't really sociopathic, you'd notice he's a lot more relaxed when he is with the original mrs.draper, and pretty much any sort of flashback s

by elai 16y ago

Spoliers Draper isn't really sociopathic, you'd notice he's a lot more relaxed when he is with the original mrs.draper, and pretty much any sort of flashback sequence before his current job and marital situation. He is constantly living a lie and must put up a conscious pretense. He feels very guilty about what he done, and as a result he is constantly tense and always having few words and choosing them carefully.

lwhi 16y ago
(... in your opinion.) spoilers Don Draper chooses to lie, he chooses to monopolize on his ability to deceive and he steadfastly places to his own whims above all others. He's manipulative and cunning. He believes he has the right to pay people off to get his own way. He's incredibly secretive - leading double (in some cases, triple lives). He has no true friendships and while he occasionally wrestles with morality, actually cares very little about the majority of those around him. The one person who is closest to a friend (Peggy) has been treated ridiculously badly at times. He fears virtually no situation and has a tendancy to act rashly. He enjoys and seeks out dangerous / risky situations. Black and white can't be used to paint a full picture, and occasionally his character shows traits which describe another side to his personality. Even so, his character would certainly fit the standard definition of a sociopath / narcissist. It just happens that the attributes Don Draper has been ascribed, also align with western society's view of 'the perfect man'; which is quite telling itself. Down-voting based on a difference in opinion would be a little bit Draper-like ;)
- aaronblohowiak 16y ago
  nit-pick: you are right that he is a narcissist, but due to his apparent capacity for empathy, he is not a sociopath in the clinical sense. That he chooses to disregard this and place himself first above all else in order to preserve his own sense of inner comfort makes him a narcissist.
  - lwhi 16y ago
    +1 yep, he's a narcissist .. but I'd say he definitely has anti-social tendencies. Even people who are classed as sociopathic display what looks like empathy, it's their actions which prove otherwise.
  - lwhi 16y ago
    If the advertising industry could be personified, I'm sure the resulting person would lack real empathy - within the industry, empathy is only used as a device to provide people with what they require. I think the fact Don Draper's character has been written in this way is the crowning glory of Man Men; showing how the modern world has been defined by people who are built a certain way - and showing how the dawn of the advertising industry was pivotal in shaping the world as it is now.

by elai 16y ago

lwhi 16y ago

(... in your opinion.) spoilers Don Draper chooses to lie, he chooses to monopolize on his ability to deceive and he steadfastly places to his own whims above all others. He's manipulative and cunning. He believes he has the right to pay people off to get his own way. He's incredibly secretive - leading double (in some cases, triple lives). He has no true friendships and while he occasionally wrestles with morality, actually cares very little about the majority of those around him. The one person who is closest to a friend (Peggy) has been treated ridiculously badly at times. He fears virtually no situation and has a tendancy to act rashly. He enjoys and seeks out dangerous / risky situations. Black and white can't be used to paint a full picture, and occasionally his character shows traits which describe another side to his personality. Even so, his character would certainly fit the standard definition of a sociopath / narcissist. It just happens that the attributes Don Draper has been ascribed, also align with western society's view of 'the perfect man'; which is quite telling itself. Down-voting based on a difference in opinion would be a little bit Draper-like ;)

aaronblohowiak 16y ago
nit-pick: you are right that he is a narcissist, but due to his apparent capacity for empathy, he is not a sociopath in the clinical sense. That he chooses to disregard this and place himself first above all else in order to preserve his own sense of inner comfort makes him a narcissist.
- lwhi 16y ago
  +1 yep, he's a narcissist .. but I'd say he definitely has anti-social tendencies. Even people who are classed as sociopathic display what looks like empathy, it's their actions which prove otherwise.
- lwhi 16y ago
  If the advertising industry could be personified, I'm sure the resulting person would lack real empathy - within the industry, empathy is only used as a device to provide people with what they require. I think the fact Don Draper's character has been written in this way is the crowning glory of Man Men; showing how the modern world has been defined by people who are built a certain way - and showing how the dawn of the advertising industry was pivotal in shaping the world as it is now.