Primal Fear: Dissociative Identity Disorder

While the ending of Primal Fear suggests that Aaron Stampler (or Roy) does not have DID, it is hard to deny the fact when you consider the logic of his situation. A disorder of that degree would be difficult to emulate in his situation to the point to where he would be able to convince a psychiatrist of his having the disorder, and even if he did not have it, the dedication would imply the existence of another disorder. If Aaron’s childhood and life in the church are as it is said in the movie, then a disorder of that extent would be psychologically possible. To fully understand the situation, one must understand the nature of DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) as a disorder. It is a trauma disorder caused by repetitive childhood abuse,

To protect himself from these scenarios, his brain fractured Roy. Alters formed for the primary purpose of protection are referred to informally as Protector Alters, or Protectors. A Protector would do anything to keep themselves and other alters out of harm’s way, including things that can be seen as unethical, such as lying, isolating themselves, snapping at people when they feel threatened, or even fighting on occasion. While people with DID are not typically violent, it is not impossible for someone to do violent things in the name of protecting themselves. Having a mentally ill character commit acts of violence is also common, so it heightens the

In his childhood, he was abused by his father, and his mother was gone. Later on in life, at an unspecified time, he was homeless and begging on the street. After being found (still all before his 18th birthday), he was taken into the cult-like family of the Archbishop’s church choir. A child in these situations would likely not have the resources, time, or ability to fully research a complex disorder and be able to perfect a mirror image of it, even if it was stereotypical. Even if he were to do this, it is more likely that he would take on a more commonly diagnosed psychotic disorder or disorder with psychotic symptoms, such as Schizophrenia or Bipolar I Disorder. While not impossible, the perfect appearance of this disorder in Aaron and Roy is unlikely to be fake. Even if it was, the desire to do something like this, even to protect oneself from an event like this, implies the existence of another disorder, such as Factitious