Many people are shocked by the apparent suicide of Aaron Hernandez, because it does not seem to make rational sense, and he was not deemed to have suicidal ideology by the staff at the maximum security prison in Shirley, Mass. His agent proclaims disbelief and several of his supporters are implying that Hernandez was murdered. However, his death by suicide does make sense when we consider his personality issues. It is clear that Hernandez had a long history of not living by the usual standards of society, but chose to live by his own set of rules.
According to the APA Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) “the essential feature of antisocial personality disorder is a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of the rights of others... Individuals with antisocial personality disorder frequently lack empathy and tend to be ...contemptuous of the feelings, rights, and sufferings of others”. This profile would seem to fit Aaron Hernandez, as well as several of the diagnostic criteria including: a) “failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors”, b) impulsivity or failure to plan ahead”, c) “reckless disregard for the safety of self or others”, and d) “lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated or stolen from another”.
Hernandez seemed flippant about life and operated as a loose cannon, especially when he felt disrespected. This was a central feature in his functioning, and under such circumstances he could become explosive and excessively revengeful. He seemed to experience disrespect as shattering to his grandiose self image.
We might wonder about how background factors contributed to Hernandez’s pathology. One factor may relate to the impact of his father’s death when he was a teenager, which removed the external presence and constraint which had required him to behave in an appropriate way. This familial dynamic was of central importance many years ago in the plight of basketball legend Jack Molinas, who pursued a criminal career when he was no longer accountable to his deceased father.
After last weeks acquittal of two additional murder charges, Hernandez docilely left the courtroom with no outward sign of emotion; but possibly he was already contemplating suicide. Perhaps, psychologically he perceived the verdict as a defeat rather than a victory, because his conviction on one of the lesser charges in the case added an additional four years to his existing life sentence. It is consistent with his life style of doing the world on his terms, that he chose to die by suicide rather than the according to the law; where he foresaw that he would rot away in prison.
Ironically, he officially dies as an innocent man, because his legal team had not exhausted their appeals in his life without parole conviction.
Stanley H. Teitelbaum, Ph.D.Author of “Athletes Who Indulge Their Dark Side”