"They spend most of their time fixated on their decisions. "Did I choose the right person to marry?" "Do I really hate my job?" "Can I do better?" While the questions appear to be simple, their answers, unfortunately, aren't as evident. But people tend to repeat the same mistake: They seek out clear and objective conclusions. So, they may present a dataset to a therapist and ask, "Is this a good or a bad decision?""
"Life, however, is chronically secretive about those sorts of answers, mockingly providing one counterexample after another for our need for certitude. The 1986 film Manhunter, about an FBI profiler named Will Graham, who's in search of a serial killer, presents us with a vivid portrait of the cloudiness of human personality and, more broadly, human nature. Will seeks out the counsel of the notorious Hannibal Lecter for insights into the killer's mind. Initially, Lecter, still resentful for having been arrested by Graham, refuses to cooperate."
Obsessive patients often seek clear, objective conclusions about their major life choices, repeatedly asking whether decisions like marriage or career were correct. They present evidence and expect certainty, but life rarely supplies definitive answers, offering counterexamples that undermine certitude. The film Manhunter illustrates the ambiguity of human personality through FBI profiler Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter, whose resentments and manipulations blur moral lines. Lecter's belief in kinship with Graham and his deceptive cooperation show that personality profiles fail to capture full complexity. Accepting the capacity to reassess choices and actively work on relationships creates possibility and freedom.
Read at Psychology Today
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