Bugsy and Antisocial Personality Disorder Term Paper

In one scene in the movie he is shown making his daughter a birthday cake, but in the next leaving the house with no regard for his daughter's feelings, thereby demonstrating "lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another" (DSM- IV and DSM IV TR: Antisocial Personality Disorder, 2007).

In addition, in order for Antisocial personality Disorder to be diagnosed, "The individual is at least age 18 years"; and "[T]here is evidence of Conduct Disorder with onset before age 15 years." Further "[T]he occurrence of antisocial behavior is not exclusively during the course of Schizophrenia or a Manic Episode" ("DSM- IV and DSM IV TR: Antisocial Personality Disorder"). Based on the movie Bugsy (1991) and available biographical information on Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel combined, Siegel's behavior meets all of these criteria. First, Siegel's behavior as an adolescent, according to biographies of him, shows evidence of Conduct Disorder (according to DSM-IV criteria) before age 15. For example "When he was 14 years old he was running his own criminal gang" (Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel, 2007).

DSM-IV criteria for Conduct Disorder include that a person "often bullies, threatens, or intimidates others"; "often initiates physical fights"; "has used a weapon that can cause serious physical harm to others (e.g., abat [sic], brick, broken bottle, knife, gun)"; "has been physically cruel to people"; "has deliberately engaged in fire setting with the intention of causing serious damage"; "has stolen while confronting a victim (e.g., mugging, purse snatching, extortion, armed robbery)"; and "has forced someone into sexual activity" (DSM-IV: Conduct Disorder, 2007).According to the article Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel (2007):

Employing tactics that were a foreshadowing of what was to come, Siegel began his gang by offering, in return for regular payments for his services, to protect" pushcart peddlers' carts and goods from the frequent burglaries and vandalism that plagued them. The unsuspecting and penniless cart owners would almost always initially turn down Siegel's offer. Flying into a rage,

Siegel would douse the carts in kerosene, light them on fire, and demand payment. The peddlers, having little choice, would pay Siegel, falling under his "protection."

In addition, Bugsy Siegel is known to have stalked and raped a woman as a young Mafioso (Benjamin Siegel (1906-1947, 2007).

However "[T]he occurrence of antisocial behavior is not exclusively during the course of Schizophrenia or a Manic Episode" ("DSM- IV and DSM IV TR: Antisocial Personality Disorder"). Therefore, based on portrayal of his antisocial conduct within Bugsy (1991) and biographical accounts it appears that gangster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel indeed meets the diagnostic criteria for Antisocial Personality disorder onscreen as well as in real life.

References

Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel. (2000). Las Vegas: An Unconventional History. 25 Nov 2007. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lasvegas/peopleevents/p_siegel.html.

Benjamin Siegel (1906-1947). (2007). Seize the Night. 24 Nov 2007. http://www.carpenoctem.tv/mafia/siegel.html.

Bugsy. (1991). With Warren Beatty and Annette Bening. Dir. Barry Levinson.

TriStar.

DSM-IV: Conduct Disorder. (2007). BehaveNet Clinical Capsule. http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/cndctd.htm

DSM- IV and DSM IV TR: Antisocial Personality Disorder. (2007). BehaveNet

Clinical Capsule. http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/antisocialpd.

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