3. Conduct Disorder (CD)
Conduct disorder is a behavior disorder, sometimes
diagnosed in childhood, that is characterized by
antisocial behaviors which violate the rights of others
and age-appropriate social standards and rules.
People with CD may attribute:
● Aggressive behaviors
● Destructive Conduct
● Deceitfulness
● Violation of Rules
5. Joffrey Baratheon is the supposed son of Robert Baratheon and Cersei Lannister,
who are the rulers of the seven kingdoms. Joffrey is their eldest son, which makes
him the natural heir to the throne.
King Robert & Queen Cersei
Joffrey
6. Joffrey has been arranged to marry Sansa Stark, the daughter of Ned Stark who is
the lord of a strong and respected house and warden of the North. Robert had
traveled North with his family to offer Ned Stark the position of Hand of The King,
and to propose the marriage offer in a hope to join their two families.
Ned Stark
Sansa Stark
7. Ned Stark reluctantly accepted the new title and the arranged marriage. He then
joins the king’s convoy and travels back to the capital, alongside his two
daughters Sansa and Arya. The events in this episode i'll be focusing on are during
their journey back to the capital, when their convoy stops at an Inn
Arya Stark
9. Joffrey begins showing signs of Conduct Disorder very early in this
show, the first event I could find was an incident involving physical
violence and bullying. Joffrey was taking a walk with Sansa when
they came upon her sister Arya play fighting with a another kid
using sticks. Joffrey almost immediately began to abuse the boy
Arya was playing with, poking fun at his social status and degrading
him. He eventually told the boy to pick up his stick, at which point
he drew his own sword, which was real, and attacked. When the boy
gave up, he was scared and pleading with Joffery to stop. Joffrey
enjoyed the control he had over the other boy, he even ran his
sword across the kid's face, seeming amused by it. He was only
stopped when Arya’s pet wolf bit him on the hand.
Aggressive behavior is a symptom of CD, this could be
characterized as threats, intimidating others, initiating physical
fights, and being physically cruel to people or animals. I think
Joffrey exhibited multiple of these traits in this scene alone.
10. In a scene that shortly follows, Joffrey is
shown lying to his parents about the
incident, claiming that he was the one who
was attacked. They held a hearing over the
matter, where Joffrey allowed that lie to
manifest until others were punished for his
actions.
Deceitfulness is another characteristic of
CD, I believe his constant lying and
delinquency are by-products of this.
11. Conclusion
Conduct Disorder can be traced back to a number of different factors, one being a
dysfunctional family life. His father is a neglectful alcoholic who is shown to
abuse his mother, and is absent from his life. Joffrey had few healthy role models
and was very rarely given any form of discipline, being the son of a king everything
was handed to him. His conduct only got worse when he became King himself, he
had little empathy for others. He became sexually abusive to women at a young
age, enjoyed playing disturbing pranks, and found humor in sadistic activities.
Almost appearing to have Antisocial Personality Disorder, but he was still shown
to express emotions occasionally, including fear and grief, which means it most
likely did not get to that stage. I believe that his lack of nurture at a young age and
the chaotic environment he grew up in were more to blame.
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