Cardassian/Hebitian Psychology

The sensitive Cardassian brain

Disclaimer: The way the Cardassian psyche functions cannot constructively be compared to that of a human, but common terminology cannot be avoided.


Memory Processing and Societal patterns
As described in A Stitch in Time, the Cardassian memory differs from human memory in that all memories are relevant, active and influencial at all times. Now, according to Garak it functions in a way that would drive a human being to dysfunction, to which we have to annote two points of criticism: For one Garak is not a psychologist, and for two, from what we see of the functionality of Cardassian society, it is feasable to say that Cardassians actually are impaired by the way their memories function.

As we know, a lot of Cardassian culture and society revolves around repetetive patterns and consequent ritual. Societal patterns are often a reflection of the mindset of the people of said society, and in the case of the Cardassians, the state is striving for a balance between development and security, continuity.

The repetitiveness of Cardassian literature and life-/family patterns can be interpreted as a way to ease the processing of the Cardassian brain in regards to memory functions and a largely reptilian mindset. In order to decrease the stress it takes to analyze separate memories and separate events, these memories and events are streamlined, so to induce calm and avoid overwhelming the individual.

As we know, trials always follow the same pattern, with sentences decided ahead of the trial – this is very clearly a means to show the public that security and justice reign supreme, but is also a means to show this without causing trauma and discomfort, discomfort being found in deviances from what is to be considered orderly, consequent and normal. A deviance in trial rituals might be easily forgotten by a human population, but would be forever ingrained, and disturbing, to a Cardassian, who will forever walk around feeling as though he has a grain of stone in his shoe.

Nobody likes discomfort, and Cardassians especially are sensitive to discomfort, because they get discomfortable so easily. They themselves interpret this as a sign that they are superior and, as a result, unfit for activities such as physical labor (which is reserved for aliens and criminals to the state). Because of this tendency, it would be logical to assume that Cardassians are indeed drawn towards totalitarian regimes, as they provide them with a stress-free environment in which they don’t have to deal with chaos as much as they otherwise would. That does not mean they are incapable of undergoing change of their previous values and skills, but it means that it takes more effort for a Cardassian to do so than it would for a human.


Leadership, followship
Because of their bottomline anxious tendencies, Cardassians are drawn to strong leadership, clear rules and black-and-white reasoning. They see these as superior structures, due to their difficulties, and fear of, processing anything more multifacetted. As a general populace, Cardassians are submissive and make very poor leaders (arguably, females make better leaders due to a deeper psychological insight – during the times when the Oralian Way was more dominant and parts of the Cardassian people were referred to as Hebitians, females typically sported leadership roles, which is why it’s rare for a male Cardassian to be allowed to be a religious leader, most of them are simply unfit).

Due to the massively submissive populace, the leadership characters who do get in charge have a tendency to be ruthless, calculating and abusive, and get their positions either because they were born into a class that is inherently used to leadership and therefore unprepared to live as normal citizens (such as Skrain Dukat), or because they are greedy and prone to climb the social ladders by all means necessary. Because these personality types rarely posess a functional theory of mind, they end up treating their underlings like the threat they would themselves be to their own position. These personality types also tend to have a greater-than-average scoring in tendencies towards paranoia, which furthers abusive behavior due to distrust. And because the general populace is submissive, it is unlikely for someone not harbouring those traits (as in being very trusting that things are as they should be, and why would you question it) to climb to such a position. These kind of personality types usually end up as second in command (such as Corat Damar).


Do Cardassians have a Paracortex?
There are strong indications in A Stitch in Time and the series (the episode where Skrain Dukat shields his mind to avoid mind melding with the Vulcan maquis) that points towards certain parts of the Cardassian populace (in particularly those who evolved largely from the original Hebitian half of Prime’s inhabitance) have empathic abilities, possibly also tuned in with the magnetic field. I theorize therefore, that the Cardassian brain has the potential for empathic abilities, and something akin to a paracortex. This might be one of the many reasons why they are so protective of their medical secrets, and it is not something the general civilian would know.

It is very likely that most individuals harboring these traits (see Elim Garak) are scouted and recruited by the Obsidian Order at a young age, sponsored into the Bamarren Institute by age ten by decree of the Order. What better way to both neutralize a threat to order and to utilize natural gifts, than to hone them into your own personal weapon?

The Hebitian religion the Oralian Way speaks of some sort of soul, almost like a hivemind of sorts, and it can be assumed that the reason the militaristic Cardassians managed to eventually overthrow the ecologically self-sufficient Hebitians, was because of the tie between empathic ability and the sensitivity to the magnetic field. Whether the Cardassians induced a shift in the magnetic field, or if it happened naturally, is impossible to say, but one can guess. The Hebitians were eventually an easy target, most possibly due to the mental shock – hence why the empathic abilities would remain secret to the general Cardassian populace, as it poses a not so insignificant threat to the entirety of their specie.


Curiosity
One could easily mistake their sensitivity to change as an absence of curiosity – however this is not reflective of the ingenious Cardassian brain, which is easily intellectually understimulated. In particular women have a greater affinity for curiosity and invention, as they are more psychologically durable than their male counterparts. In contrast, militaristic males are polar opposite, and require rigid, conservative patterns to stay mentally healthy (see Skrain Dukat’s subsequent breakdown after things change too much for him to handle it).

It is very likely that Cardassians could become more psychologically durable if they just got the right mental training as young (not entirely unlike the Vulcan’s need for meditative self insight and logical approach). But it doesn’t serve the Union to strengthen the citizens in this way, because it could lead to individualism, chaos and a loss of power for the leadership (it is mostly the last one that’s the real reason).

With clear guidance and influence from cultures such as the Vulcan culture, the Cardassians could likely bloom into a progressive society where both tradition can be preserved (as seen with Vulcans) and change can be embraced. Whether they would be willing to accept this help is another issue onto itself.


Relationships and Family
It is more likely than not that the Cardassian mind is not inherently monoromantic, and that there’s a psychological need for multiple partners. This is especially prevalent in individuals such as Skrain Dukat, but also evident in the cultural inclusion of so called Comfort Women (and Comfort Men, no doubt) who are not to be mistaken for prostitutes, as they serve more the role of a personal therapist and psychologist, to whom you can tell dangerous secrets that you cannot share with your wife (or husband) without endangering her (or him).

As connections with Comfort Women and more or less courting and adoring your friends or superiors (see Corat Damar towards a very obvlivious and self absorbed Skrain Dukat) do not have an adverse impact on ones affection and love for ones significant other, it is feasable to draw the conclusions that Cardassians are in fact geared towards polyromantic constellations, and would fare much better if surrounded by a larger group of lovers with whom they can let down all their psychological shields. This act would furthermore provide the individual with a sense of security that would displace the need for an absolute protective state, which is why monoromantic relationships are forced by the Cardassian State.

Connecting onto that, Family serves as a Cardassian’s circle of trusted ones. Not all families provide this very efficiently, and it is likely to assume that the higher ranking the family name, the more adverse the interpersonal relationships. But without family on Cardassia, you have no one, and that kind of stress might ultimately lead to death-by-suicide.

A Cardassian parent might seem unloving by an untrained eye, but all Cardassians harbor a deep instinct to protect those they believe are their biological young (see Skrain Dukat, and Enabran Tain). Sometimes, in order to protect that child, you must place a wedge between yourself and them, and sometimes a parents’ drive to protect their child become so strong that it’s ultimately going to shield the child from experiences of failure needed for personal growth, ultimately placing them in the mental state of a child or teenager, permanently so (see Elim Garak).


Courting
Qualities a Cardassian find to be attractive are largely based on their surrounding society and norms. With heavy emphasis on survivalism, skills valued are skills that predict a long and durable life. Therefore, it doesn’t matter to a Cardassian if their love interest is into illegal or questionable things, as long as he or she is an apt liar who can protect their own hide.

Another thing worth to note is that a Cardassians only understand what they understand, and are not prone to courting those who have skillsets or careers too dissimilar from their own. Intelligence is perceived as a good survival skill, but everyone’s definition of intelligence differs, especially in regards to personal expertise (example: Miles O’Brien and the Cardassian scientist, Ulani Belor, having a cultural clash due to their common intelligence and skillsets).

Cardassians will argue and debate only with people they trust or consider harmless. As such, arguments and intellectual debate are part of courting not as a display of strength, but as a display of common vulnerability. Easing into this stage of courting often takes a long amount of time – where you begin admirant of the other’s skills, and gradually sink into a more conversational level, until both you and your love interest are ready for a full-on, passionate debate. Some people, such as Skrain Dukat, is notoriously bad at the finer points of argumentative courting, which is why he has a weakness for Bajorans – from his point of view, they skip all that flimsy-flamsy cold talk and go right to the business, which is convenient and rewarding to him, since he can easily interpret it as yet another piece of proof that he’s a positively irresistible partner.

While most conscious points of attraction pertains to the modern Cardassian living in the contemporary world, it is worth to note that basic survival skills will always be a good card to have up your sleeve. To have an aptitude for sneaking undetected, is to be a highly desirable mate. To prove this skill, a Cardassian who is certain of the other’s interest, will prove him or herself by sneaking into their love interest’s home, often in the middle of the night, avoiding the attention of the entire family except for the love interest (example: Elim Garak “violating” Julian Bashir’s privacy). The ones with the finest of these skills will attempt to slip into the other’s bed and sleep, so that their love interest will wake up to their very obvious presence.


Gender
Yet another reason why Cardassians are protective of their medical details, is the high prevalence of infertility and intersexism. It can be assumed that this intersexism oftentimes is entirely naturally and intentionally present and is actually not as hugely due to pollution as originally speculated.

It is highly likely that Cardassians carry a heritage featuring more genders than the traditional female/male subsets, but that the State would reduce the gender roles so to more easily fit a totalitarian agenda, rule enforcement and order. It is easier to maintain two genders than, say, six or eight. Reintroducing this concept to the Cardassian mind might either be more difficult, or more easy than one would assume, and it likely depends a great deal on whether that populace comes from a city-planet (like Prime) or a village planet (like Soukara), and the median age of the group.

As a result of suppressed gender identities, there’s likely a large portion of Cardassians suffering from gender dysphoria. Without knowing what it is, it might be labeled as any number of other psychological states, and might additionally lead to undesirable-by-the-state behaviors. It is likely not uncommon for these individuals to get institutionalized based on other diagnoses.