The disturbing world of psychopaths among us
Robert D. Hare, 1993
Diagnose
s. ix
Like any psychiatric disorder, diagnosis is based on the accumulation of evidence that an individual satisfies at least minimal chriteria for the disorder.
Beskrivelse
s. xi
Psychopaths are sosial predators who charm, manipulate, and ruthlessly plow their way through life, leaving a broad trail of broken hearts, shattered expectations, and empty wallets. Completely lacking in conscience (samvittighet) and in feelings for others, they selvfish take what they want and do as they please, violating social norms and expectations without the slightest sense of guilt or regret.
Årsak
s.1
Some of the brain wave recordings were indeed odd, but we hadn´t gathered them form aliens and we sertainly hadn´t made them up.
Kjennetegn
s.1
Their hallmark (kjennetegn) is a stunning lack of conscience (samvittigfhet), their game is self-gratification at the other person´s expense. Many spend time in prison, but many do not. All take far moore than they give.
Forekomst
s.2
Far from being an esoteric, isolated problem that affects only a few people, psychopathy touches viritoully every one of us.
Sammenligning
s.2
However, the scope of the personal pain and distress associated whith schizophrenia is smal, compared to the extensive personal, social and economic carnage wrought by psychopaths. They cast a wide net, and nearly everyone is caught in it one way or another.
Mangler
s.2
If you think about it, you will realize that what is missing in this picture (psykopatens væremåte) are the very qualities that allow human beings to live in sosial harmony. It is not a pretty picture, and some express doubt that such people exist.
Ikke gale
s.5
Psychopatic killers, however, are not mad, according to acepted legal and psychiatric standards. Their acts result not from a deranged mind, but from cold, calculating rationality combined with a chilling inability to treat others as thinking, feeling, human beings.
Empati
s.6
… case histories of all psychopats: a deeply disturbing anability to care about the pain annd syffering experienced by others – in short, a complete lack of empathy, the prerequisite (nødvendig forutsetning) for love.
Gjenkjenne
s.6
…. If we can´t spot them, we are doomed to be their victims, both as individuals and as a sosiety.
Løgn, bedra
s.12
Ray had an incredible ability to con not just me but everybody. He could talk, and lie, with a smoothness and a directness that sometimes momentarily disarmed even the most experienced and cynical of the prison staff.
Løgn, skifte tema
s.13
He lied endlessly, lazily, about everything, and it disturbed him not a whit whenever I pointed out something in his file that contradicted one of his lies. He would simply change the subject and spinn off in a different direction.
Ubehagelig
s.13
I turned down Ray´s request (om jobb) – and was shaken by his nastiness at my refusal.
Falskhet
s.14
Perhaps what fascinated me most was that Ray remained absolutely unflappable even after his deceit (falskhet) was revealed – and that my colleague was clearly going for the ride. What in his psychological makeup, gave Ray the power to override reality, aparently without compunction (skrupler, betenkligheter, samvittighetsnag) or consern?
Psykopati
s.22
Psychopathy means ”mental illness” (from psyche=mind and phatos=disease)
Most clinicians and researchers don´t use the term in this way. They know that psychopathy cannot be understood in terms of traditional views of mental illness. Psychopaths are not disoriented or out of touch with reality, nor do they experience the delusions, hallucinations, or intense subjective distress that characterize most other mental disorders. Unlice psychotic individuals, psychopaths are rational and aware of what they are doing and why. Their behaviour is the result of choise, freely exercised.
Sosiopat
s.23
Thus, some clinicians and researchers – as well as most sociologists and criminologists – who belive that the syndrome is forged by sosial forces and early experiences prefer the term sociopath.
Antisosial PFS
s.24
The diagnostic criteria for antisosial personality disorder consist primarily of a long list of antisosial and criminal behaviours. When the list forst appeared it was felt that the average clinician could not reliably assess personality traits such as empathy, egicentricity, guilt and so forth. Diagnosis therefor was based on what clinicians presumably could assess without dificulty, namely objective, sosially deviant behaviours.
Psykopati
s.25
Psychopaty on the other hand, is defined by a cluster of both personality traits and sosially deviant behaviours.
Psykopati definisjon
s.27
Harvey Clerkley, Thae Mask of Sanity, 1941
The psychopath is unfamiliar with the primary facts or data of what might be called personal values and is altogether incapeable of understanding such matters. It is impossible for him to take even a slight interest in the tragedy or joy the striving humanity as presented in serious lieratur or art. He is also indiferent to all these matters in life itself. Beauty and ugliness, evil, love horror, and humor have no actual meaning, no power to move him. He is , furthermore, lacking in the ability to see that others are moved. It is as though he was colorblind, despite his sharpe intelligence to this aspect of human existense. It cannot be explained to him, because there is notthing in his orbit of awareness that can bridge the gap with comparison. He can repeat the words and say glibly that he understands, and there is no way for him to realize that he does not understand.
Fordreining
s.30
Moreover the psychopaths among them were expert at disorting amd molding the truth to suit their purposes. Impression management was definitely one og their strong sides.
Manipulering
2.31
… many criminals are able to fake the results of psychological test without too much dificulty. Resently, an inmate in one og my research projects had an institutional file that contained three completely different MMPI profiles. Obtained about a year apart, the first suggested that the man was psychotic, the second that he was perfektly normal, and the third that he was mildly disturbed.
Symptomer
s.34
Glip (glatt) and superficial
Egosentric and grandios
Lack of remorse ore guilt
Lack of empaty
Deceitful and manipulative
Shallow emotions
Impulsive
Poor behaviour controls
Need for exitement
Lack of responsebility
Early behaviour problems
Adult antisocial behaviour
Psykopati
s.34
Also, be aware that people who are not psychopaths may have some of the symptoms described here. Many people are impulsive, or glibb, or cold and unfeeling, or antisosial, but this does not mean they are psychopaths. Psychopathy is a syndrome, a cluster of related symptoms.
Glatt og overfaltisk
s.34
psychopaths are often witty and articulate. ….amusing and entertaining conversationalists ….unlikely but convinsing storries that cast themselves in a good light. They can be very effective ion presenting them selves well and are often very likeable and charming. To some people, however, they seem too slick and smooth, too obviousley and superficial.
Egosentrisk og grandios
s. 38
Psychopaths have a narsistic and glossy inflated view of their self-worth and importance, a truly astonishing egocentrisity and sense of entitlement, and see them selves as the senter of the universe, as superior beings, who are justified in living acording to their own rules.
Arroganse
s.38
Psychopaths often come across as arrogant, shameless braggrts-self-assured, opinionated, domineering, and cockey.
Mål
s.39
… they have no idea how to achieve their goals and little or no chance of attaining them.
Evner
s.39
Psychopaths feel that their abilities will enable them to become anything they want to be. Given the right sircumstances – opportunity, luck, willing victims – their grandiosity can pay off spectacularly.
Selvmotsigende
s.40
… with the psychopaths characteristic ability to contradict himself from one sentence to the next. His long conviction record reflected not only his criminal versatility, but his clear inability to learn from past experience.
Relistisk planlegging
s.40
Equally dazzling was Jack´s distinkt lack of realistic planning.
Manglende anger og skyld
s.40
psycopaths show a stunning lack of concern for the devatating effects their actions have on others. Often they are completely forthright about the matter, calmly stating that they have no sense of guilt, are not sorry for the pain and destruction they have caused, and that there is no reason for them to be conserned
Asked if he regretted any of his crimes, he said, ”I don’t regret nothing, what´s done is done. There must have been a reason why I did it at that time, and that is why it is done”
”Guilt?” he remarked in prison, ”it is the mechanism we use to control people. It´s an illusion. It´s a kind of social control mechanism – and it is very unhealthy. It does terrible things to ouer bodies. And there are much better ways to control our behaviour than rather extraordinary use of guilt.”
On the other hand, psychopaths sometimes verbalize remorse but then contradict themselves in vords or action.
Anger
s.42
Psychopaths lack of remorse or guilt is assosiated width a remarkable ability to ratianalize their behavioyr and to shrug of personal responsibility, for actions that cause shock and disapointment to family, friends, associates and others who have played by the rules. Usually they have excuses for their behaviour, and in some cases they deny that it happened at all.
Hukommelsestap
s.43
Memory loss, amnesia, blackouts, multiple personality, and temporary insanity crop up constantly in interrogations of psychopaths.
Konsekvenser
s.43
Althoug sometimes a psychopath will admit to having performed the actions, he will greatly minimize or even deny the consequences to others.
Offer
s.43
In an ironic twist, psychopaths frequently see themselvs as the real victims.
Empati
s.44
Many of the characteristics displayed by psychopaths……. are closely associated with a profound lack of empathy.
The feelings of other people are of no consern to psychopaths.
Psychopaths view people as little more than objects to be used for their own gratisfaction. The weak and the vulnerable – whom they mock (latterliggjør), rather than pitty – are favorite targets.
Psychopaths however display a general lack of empathy.
Eiendeler
s. 45
If they do maintain ties with their spouses or children it is only because they se their family members as possessions, much like their stereos or automobiles.
Følelser
s.45
because of their inability to appreciate the feelings of others, some psychopaths are capable of behaviour that normal people find not only horrific but baffling (forvirrende).
Ufølsomhet
s.45
Their callousness typicaly emerges in less dramatic, though still devasting ways, parasitically bleeding other people of their posessions, savings and dignity, aggressively doing and taking what they want, shamefully neglecting the physical and emotional welfare of their families, engaging in an unending series of casual, impersonal, and trivial sexual relationships, and so forth.
Svikefull og manipulativ
s.46
Løgn, deceving and manupulation are natural talents for psychopaths. With their powers of imaination in gear and focused on themselves, psychopaths appear amazingly unfazed by the posebility, or even the sertainty, of being found out. When caught in a lie or challenge with the truth, they are seldom perplexed or emberresed, their simply shange their storries or attemt to rewoek the facts so that they appear to be consistent with the lie. The result is a series og contradictory statements and a thoroughtle confused listener.
Manipulasjon
s.47
Like all psychopaths she showd a remarkable ability to manipulate the truth to suit her own purposes…..the lines between truth and fiction, between good and evil, between right and wrong did not matter.
Løgn
s.47
Psychopaths seem proud of their ability to lie…. Many observers get the impression that psychopaths sometimes are unaware that they´re lying, it is as if the words take on a life of their own, unfettered by the speakers knowledge that the observer is aware of the facts.
Løgn
s.49
Given their glibness and the facility with which they lie, it is not suprising that psychopaths sucessfully cheat, bilk, defaud, con, and manipulate people and have not the slightest compunction about doing so.
Svakheter
s.49
In addition they can be very astute at determining what those weaknesses are and at using them for their own benefits.
Grunne følelser
s.52
Psychopats seem to suffer a kind of emotional poverty that limits the range and depth of their feelings. While at times they appear cold and unemotional, they are prone (ligger flate for) to dramatic, shallow and short-lived displays of feeling.
Sometimes they claim to experience strong emotions but are unable to describe the subtleties (særpreg) of various affective states. For example they equate love with sexual arousal, sadness with frustration and anger with irritability.
Redsel
s.54
laboratory experiments using biomedical recorders hav shown that psychopaths lack the physiological responses normaly associated with fear.
Konsekvenser
s.54
…it is emotional awareness of the consequences that impels us to take particular course of action. Not so with psychopaths, they merrily plunge on, perhaps knowing what might happen but not really caring.
Redsel
s.56
These bodily sensations (svette hender, hjerteslg, tørr munn) do not form part of what psychopaths experience as fear. For them, fear- like most other emotions - is inkomplete, shallow, largely cognitive in nature, and without the physological thurmoil or ”coloring” that most of us find distinctly unplesent and wish to avoid or reduce.
Personalitet
s.57
…. emotional / interpersonal symptoms and ..… a chronically unstable and aimless lifestyle marked by casual and flagrant violations of social norms and expectations. Together these two facets – one depicting feelings and relationships, the other social deviance – provide a comprehensive picture of the psychopathy personality.
Impulsive
s.58
Psychopaths are unlikely to spend much time weighting the pros and cons of a course of action or considering the posible consequences.
Egne behov
s.58
More than displays of temper, impulsive acts often result from an aim that plays a central role in most of the psychopats behaviour: to achieve immidiate satisfaction, pleasure or relief. ”The psychopath is like an infant, absorbed in his own needs, vehemently (voldsomt) demanding satisfaction” wrote psychologists William and Joan McCord.
Planlegging
s.59
Psychopaths tend to live day by day and to change their plans frequently. Thei give little serious thought to tha future and worry about it even less. Nor do they generally show much consern about how little they have done with their lives.
Dårlig selvkontroll
s.59
besides being impulsive – doing things spur of the moment – psychopaths are higly reactive to percived insults or slikhts. Most of us have powerful inhibitory controls over ouer behaviour, even if we would like to respond aggressively we are usually able to ”keep the lid on”. In psychopaths, these inhibitory controls are week, and the slightest provocation is sufficient to overcome them. As a result, psychopaths are short tempered or hotheaded and tend to respond to frustration, failure, disipline, and chritisism, with sudden violence, threats, and verbal abuse. They take offense easily and become angry and aggressive over trivialities, and often in a context that appear inapropriate to others. But their outburst, extreme as it may be, are generally short-lived, and they quicley resume acting as if nothing of the ordinary has happened.
Kjedsomhet
s.61
Some psychopats use a wide variety of drugs as a part of their general search for something new and exiting, and they often move from place to place and job to job searching for a fresh buzz.
The flipside of this yearning for exitement is an inability to tolerate routine or monotony. Psychopaths are easily bored. You are not likely to find them engaged in occupation or activities that are dull, repititive or that require intense consentration.
Manglende ansvar
s.62
Obligations and comitments mean nothing to psycholpaths. Their good intentions . ”I´ll never cheat on you again”, are promises written on the wind.
Uansvarlig foreldreadferd
s.63
… Ann Rule describe a pattern of irresponsible parental behaviour that is typical of psychopaths. Diane Downs (a psychopat) would often leave her young children alone when there was no babysitter availible.
This indifference to the velfare of children – their ovn as well as those of the man or woman they happen to be living with at the time – is a common theme in ouer files of psychopaths. Psychopaths see children as an inconvinience. Some like Diane Downs insist that they care a great deal for their children, but their actions belie their words. Typically, they leave children on their own for extended periods or in care of unreliable sitters.
Utnyttende
s.63
Psychopaths do not hesitate to use the resources of family and friends to bail them out of difficulty.
Psychopaths are not deterred by the possibility that their actions may cause hardship or risk for others.
Tidlig problemer ved oppførsel
s.66
Most psychopaths begin to exhibit serious behavioural problems at an early age.
Early cruelty to animals is usually a sign of serious emotional or behavioural problems.
Cruelty to other children – inkluding siblings – is often part of the young psychopath´s inability to experience the sort of empathy that checks normal people´s impulse to inflict pain, even when enlarged.
Although not all adult psychopaths exhibit this degree of cruelty in their youth, viritually all routinely got themselves into a wide range of difficulties: lying, theft, vandalism, promiscuity and so forth.
Antisosial oppførsel
s.67
Psychopaths consider the rules ond expectations of society inconvinient and unreasonable, impediments to the behavioural expression of their inclinations and wishes. They make their own rules, both as children and as adults.
The lifelong continuity of the self-serving antisocial behaviour of psychopaths is truly amazing.
Not all psychopaths end up in jail. Many of the things they do escape detection or prosecution, or are on the shady side of the law. For them, antisocial behaviour may consist of ….unethical….emoutional neglect of family members.
Bryter regler
s.75
It is no overstatement to say ouir internal control make society work.
Such people (psychopaths) don´t have an inner voice to guide them, they know the rules but follow only those they choose to follow, no matter what the repercussions for others.
Samvittighet
s.76
Psychopaths have little aptitude for experiencing the emotional responses, fear and anxiety, that are the mainsprings for conscience.
Konsekvenser
s.77
Psychopaths have a weak capasity for mentally ”picturing” the consequences of their behaviour.
The mental image of the consequences for the victimsare particulary fuzzy.
Utvelgende
s.78
Of course psychopaths are not comletely unresponsive to the myriad of rules and taboos that hold society together. After all they are not automatons, blindly responding to momentary needs, urges, and opertunities. It is just that they are much freer than the rest og us to pick and choose the rules and restrictions they will adhere to.
Loyalitet
s.85
Unlike some other criminals, psychopaths show no loyalty to groups, codes or principels other than ”look out for number one”.
Personlighet
s.87
The truth is , the personality structure of the psychopath spells trouble for the rest of us.
Aggressivitet
s.88
Even moore troubling than their heavy involment in crime is the evidence that both male and female psychopaths are much more likely to be violent and aggressive than are other individuals.
While most of us have strong inhibitions about psysically injuring others, psychopaths typically do not.
Vold
s.92
The violense of the psychopaths frequently occurred during commission of a crime or during a drinking bout, or was motivated by revenge or retribution.
In general psychopathic violence tends to be callous and coldblooded, and more likely to be straight forward, uncomplicated, and businesslike than an expression of deep-seated distress or understandable precipitating factors.
Sexuell vold
s.93
perhapes half of the repeat or serial rapists are psychopaths. Their acts are the result of a potent mixture; uninhibitetd expression of sexual drives and fantasies, desire for power and control, and perception of the victims as objects of pleasure or satifaction.
Forutsigbarhet
s.96
A good predictor of what someone will do in the future is what he or she has done in the past.
Voksne psykopater
s.98
… theu remain egocentric, shallow, manipulative, and callous. The difference is that they have learned to satisfy their needs in ways that are not as grossly antisosial as before. However this does not mean that their behaviour is now moral and ethical.
Forvrengning
s.105
….. a caracteristic typically found in psychopaths : facile (overflatisk) distortions (forvrengning) of reality even when they know that others are aware of the facts.
s.106
Gramblings ability to rationalize his behaviour is typical of the attitude that psychopaths have toward their victims. In addition to his wish to be ”liked by everyone” his euphemistic view of himself as a ”financial architecht” and his ”fear of losing face”, he considered his crimes logical responses to frustration and pressure, or more the victims fault than his ovn. ”In Gramblings mind, anyone who is stupid enough to trust or belive him deserves the consequences”, said Rosner.
Personlighet
s.108
Given their personality, it comes as no surprise that psychopaths make good imposters.
When things begin to fall apart, as they usually do, they simply pack up and move on.
Ufølsomhet
s.110
The most terrifying of the abusers are psychopaths, who think nothing of inflicting devastating physical and emotional damage on the children in their care.
Godtroendhet
s.110
Their job is made a lot easyer simply because a lot of people are suprisingly gullible (godtroende), with an unshakable belif in theinherent goodness of man.
Løgner
s.111
A good lier is a good judge of people.
Manipulasjon
s.111
Perhaps yhe most remarkable in this account, although by no means unusual, was the fact that far from decrying this fellows outragous program of deception, the local community he had conned so thoroughtly rushed to his suport. And it was not merely token support they offered. ”I assess his genuineness, integrity, and devotion to duty to rank alongside of President Abraham Lincoln”, wrote the republican party chairman.
… perhapes he or the rest of the community, could not come to grips with the fact that they had been taken.
Ufølsomhet
s.112
”Most of us would be devastated and humiliated by public exposure as a lier an a cheat, but not the psychopath.
Manipulasjon
s.112
Ironically, I had spent quite a bit of time with this man, at a luncheon hekld just before my talk and later in a bar. I detected nothing unusual or suspicious about him, my antenna failed to twitch in his presence.
Ikke kriminelle
s.113
However many psychopaths never go to prison or any other facility.
These individuals are every bit as egocentric, callous, and manipulative as the average criminal psychopath, however, their intelligence, family background, social skills, and circumstances permit them to construct a façade of normalcy and to get what they want with relative impunity.
Engang psykopat alltid psykopat
s.115
They were the same people before they were caught as they were afterward. They are psychopaths now and they were psychopaths before. This is a disturbing thought, because it suggests that the cases that come to the public´s attention represent only the tip of the very large iceberg.
Falsk fasade, offer
s.115
Millions of men, woman, and children daily suffer terror, anxiety, pain and humiliation at tha hands of psychopaths in their lives. Tradgically, these victims often cannot get other people to understand what they are going through. Psychopaths are very good at putting on a good impression when it suits them, and they often paint their victims as the real culprits (skyldige).
Gi andre skylden
s.115
He had them so convinced that he was the great guy and that I was going mad, I began to belive it myself. Even when he cleaned out my bank account and ran of with a seventeen-year-old student, a lot of people couldn´t belive it, and some wanted to know what I had done to make him act so strangely.
Firma psykopat
s.117
Dave´s covorker were consistent in their descriptions – they found him rude, selfish, immature, selfsentered, unreliable, and irresponsible.
Psykopat beskrivelse
s.121
Psychopaths have what it takes to defraud and bilk others : They are fast talking, charming, selfassured, at ease in social situations, cool under pressure, unfazed by the possibility of geing found out, and totally ruthless.
Offere
s.124
Some people are simply too trusting and gullible for their own good – ready targets for any smooth talker who comes along
Few people are such sophisticated and perceptive judges of human nature that they cannot be taken inn by the machinations of a skilled and determined psychopath. Even those who study them are not immune, as I´v indicated in previous chapters, my students and I are sometimes conned, even when aware that we´re dealing with a probable psychopath.
Løgn, selvmotsigelser.
s.125
Of course, phatological lying and manipulation are not restricted to psychopaths. What makes psychopaths different from all others is the remarkable ease with wich they lie, the pervasiveness of their deception, and the callousness with witch they carry it out.
But there is something else about the speech of psychopaths that is equally puzzling, their frequent use of contradictory and logically inconsistens statement that usually escape detection.
Selvmotsigelser
s.126
Think about this for a moment – not only lies but several contradictory statements in the same breath. Very perplexing. It is as if the psychopaths sometimes have dificulty in monitoring their own speech, and they let loose with a convolluted barrage of poorly connected words and thoughts.
Of course, words don’t simply pop out of ouer mouths of their awn accord. They are the end product of very complicated mental activity. This raises the interesting possebility that, like much of their behaviour, the mental prosesses of psychopaths are poorly regulated and not bound by conventional rules. This issue is discussed in the following sections, which outline evidence that psychopaths differ from others in the way their brains are organized and in the connections between words and emotion.
Hjernen
s. 127
In most people the two sides of the brain have different, specialized functions. The left cerebral hemisphere is skilled at prosessing information analytically and sequentially, and it plays a crucial role in the understanding and use of language. The right hemisphere processes information simultaneously, as a whole; it plays an important role in the perception of spatial relations, imagery, emotional experience, and the processing of music.
Motstridende utsagn
s.128
New experimental evidence syggests that bilateral language processes are also charachteristic og psychopathy. This leads me to speculate that part of the tendency for psychopaths to make contradictory statements is related to an inefficient ”line of authority” – each hemisphere tries to run the show, with the result that speech is poorly integrated and monitored.
Følelser, hule ord
s.128
Psychopaths seem to know the dictionary meanings of words but fail to comprehend their emotional value or significance.
Følelser, hule ord
s.129
These clinical observations get right to the heart of the mystery of psychopathy : language that is two-dimentional, lacking in emotional depth.
Like the color-blind, the psychopath lacks the important element of experience – in this case, emotional experience – but may have learned the words that other use to describe or mimic experience that he cannot really understand.
Følelser
s. 130
Like most people, psychopaths sometimes say and do things solely to impress or shock. However, because of their sparce emotionally life they don´t intuitively realize the impact on others of what they say. They use their listeners reactions as ”cue cards” to tell them how they are supposed to feel in the situation.
When we use this laboratory task with prison inmates, the nonpsychopaths showed the normal pattern of response – quicer decisions and larger brain responses to emotional than to neutral words – but the psychopaths did not: They responded to emotional words as if they were neutral words. This dramatic finding provided strong support for the argument that words do not have the same emotional affective coloring for psychopaths as they do for other people.
…. For whatever reason, psychopaths lack some of the ”feelable” components of language.
….. psychopaths differ from others either in the strategies they use to psocess emotional material or in the way their brain processes are organized.
Følelser
s. 132
….. like all psychopaths, her words of love could not be anything but hollow, for she lacks the capasity to impart real feeling to them.
Hjernen
s. 134
Indeed, although in most people, the right side of the brain plays a central role in emotion, recent laboratory evidence indicates that in psychopaths neither side of the brain Is proficient (dyktig) in the process of emotion.
Håndbevegelser
s.135
… many people make these hand gestures while talking on the telephone. The listener can´t see these gestures, so why does the speaker make them?
The answer may be related to evidence that the brain centers that control speech also control the hand gestures made during speech.
In some cases, a high rate of beat gestures appears to reflect difficulty in converting thoughts and feelings into speech.
Følelser
s. 136
Recent evidence suggests that psychopaths use moore beats than do normal people, particulary when they talk about things generally considered emotional – for example, describing the way they feel about family members or other ”loved ones”.
Løgn, motstridende utsagn
s. 136
Although psychopaths lie a lot, they are not the skilled liars we often make them out to be. As I discussed earlier, their speech is full of inconsistent contradictionary statements.
Motstridende utsagn
s.137
Consider the inmate quoted earlier who said he had never been violent but had to kill someone. We understand this as a contradictionary statement, because we treat this as a singel thought unit.
Most of us are able to combine ideas so that they are consistent with some underlying theme, but psychopaths seem to have difficulty doing so. This helps to explain the wild inconsistencies and contradictions that frequently characterize their speech.
Forandrer emne
s.138
They frequently change topics, go of on irrelevant tangents, and fail to connect phrases and sentences in a straightforward manner.
Ikke svar på spørsmål
s. 139
Psychopaths are notorious for not answering the question posed or for answering in a way that seems unresponsive to yhe question.
Of course minor breakdowns in communications are not uncommon in normal people, in many cases they represent little moore than carelessness or a momentarily lapse in consentration. But in psychopaths the breakdown are more frequent, more serious, and possibly indicative of an underlying condition in which the organisation of mental activity – but not its content – is defective. It is how they string words and sentences together, not what they actually say, that suggests abnormality.
Spiller syke
s.140
It is well known that psychopaths often convincingly malinger – fake mental illness – when it is to their advantage to do so.
Manipulasjon
s.142
This raises an important issue : If their speech is sometimes peculiar, why are psychopaths so belivable, so capable of deceving and manipulating us? Why do we fail to pick up the inconsistencies in what they say? The shoort answer is, it is difficult to penetrate their mask of normalicy : The oddities in their speech are often too subtle for the casual observer to detect, and they put on a good show. We are sucked in not by what they say, but how they say it and by the emotional buttons they push while saying it.
Ansvarlige
s.143
Still, some observers argue, psychopaths are deficient in the mental and emotional mechanisms needed to transelate their knoweledge of the rules into behaviour acceptable to sosiety. If they have failed to develop a concience, are unable to experience guilt or remorse, and have difficulty in monitoring their behaviour and its effects on others, the argument runs, then surely they are at a serious disatvantage compared to the rest of us. They understand the intelectual rules of the game, but the emotional rules are lost to them.
In my opinion, psychopaths certainly know enough about what they are doing to be held accountable for their actions.
Manipulasjon
s.145
Psychopaths tend to see any social exhange as a ”feeding” opportunity, a contest, or a test of wills, in which there can be only one winner. Their motives are to manipulate and take, ruthlessly and without remorse.
Manipulasjon
s.145
A good-looking fast talking psychopath and a victim who har ”weak-spots” is a devasting combination.
Of course, psychopaths are not the only ones capable of theatrical displays.
But unlike psychopaths, their intention is not simply to suck others dry.
Society runs on trust, and we ordinarily pay more attention to what someone saays than to the accompanying nonverbal behaviour – hand gestures, facial movements, smiles, eye contact. However, when the speaker is attractive and gives a realy impressive nonverbal performance, the effect can be reversed – we watch the show and pay little attention to what is said.
Manipulasjon
s.146
Again, psychopaths often maake use of body language when they speak, and often it is hard not to follow their actions with ouer eyes. Psychopaths also tend to intrude our personal space – for example, by means of intensive eye contact, leaning forward, moving closer and so forth. Overall, their siplay can be so dramatic or unnerving that it serves to distract, impress, control, or intimidate us, drawing our attention away from what is actually being said.
Manipulasjon
s.147
If you have any weak spots in your psychological makeup, a psychopath is sure to find and exploit them, leaving you hurt and bewildered (forvirret).
Manipulasjon
s.148
…even those familiar with the disorder have buttons that can be pressed. Viritually every psychiatrist, sosial worker, nurse or phsycologist who worked for any length of time I a mental hospital or prison knows of at least one staff member whose life was turned upside down by a psychopatic patient or inmate.
Manipulasjon
s.149
Psychopaths have an uncanny ability to spot and use ”nurturant” women – that is, those who have a poweful need to help or mother others. Many such woman are in the helping professions – nursing, social work, counseling – and tend to look for the goodness in others while overloking or minimizing their faults: ”He got his problems but I can help him”, or ”he had such a rogh time as a kide, all he needs is someone to hug him”. These woman will usually take a lot of abuse in their belif that they can help, they are ripe for being left emoyionally, physically, and financially drained.
s.150
What is clear, however ir that these devoted admierersare often victims of their own psychological hang-ups.
Manglende realitetsfølelse, fornektelse
s.152
… the sad fact is that the psychopaths need for self-gratification is often easely satisfied because some people are quite willing to play the role of victim. In some cases, the individual simply refuses to belive that he or she really is being taken advantage of. For example the husband of one of ouer female psychopaths vehemently denied the credibility of reports from friends that his wife was cheating on him.
Psychological denial is an important mechanism for screening out painful knowledge form concious awareness, but it can also blind us to truths that are obvious to others. Some people are immune to the truth because they manage to disort reality to make it conform to their idea of what it should be.
Unge psykopater
s.157
To many people the very idea of psychopathy in childhood is inconceivable. Yet, we have learned that elements of this persaonality dissorder first become evident at a very early age.
As he learned his way around the world he became more aware of his powers of manipulating and itimidation, this child became the chief actor in a chaotis and heartrending family drama.
Many people feel uncomfertable applying the term psychopath to children. They cite ethical and practical problems with pinning what amounts to a pejorative label on a youngster. But clinical experience and empirical research clearly indicates that the raw materials of the disorder can and do exist in children. Psychopathy does not suddenly spring, unannounced, into existence in adulthood. The precursors of the profile described in the preceding chapters first reveal themselves early in life.
Løgn
s.158
She lied even when she knew we were aware of the truth….
Ungdom
s.160
By adolescence, the chances of changing the behavioral patterns of the budding psychopath are slim.
Others feel uncomfertable with the potensial long-term consequenses to the child or adolescent who is diagnosed with a disorder widely belived to be untreatable.
Barn
s.163
As the signs of social breakdown grow more insistent we no longer have the luxury of ignoring the presence of psychopathy in certain children.
Ingen behandling.
s. 163
Psycologist Rolf loeber draw our attention to the well known fact that clinical practitioners have never had much luck in rehabilitating youngsters once their antisocial behaviour has become entrenched, and that most treatment programs result in little more than short term gain.
Akseptere
s.165
Events of this sort (horrific events) begin to make sense when we accept the fact that the personality traits of psychopathy are present in early stages of life.
Opphav
s. 165
Unfortunately, the forces that produce a psychopath are still obscure to researchers.
s.166
….. psychopathic attitudes and behaviours very likely are the result of a combination of biological factors and enviromental forces.
Opphavs teori - sosiobiologi
s. 166
The relatively new discipline of sociobiology argues that psychopathy is not so much a psychiatric disorder as an expression of a particular genetically based reproductivity strategy.
A different strategy is to have so many children that some are bound to survive, even if they are negected or abandoned. Psychopaths supposedly adhere to an extreme version of the latter strategy: They reproduce as often as possible and waste little energy in worrying about the Welfare of their ofspring…..
Fore male psychopaths, the most effective way to have lots of children is to mate with – and quickly abandon –a latge number of woman.
s.168
female psychopaths routinely physically or emotionally neglect their children or simply abandon them as they move from one sexual encounter to the next.
Their mobile, nomadic lifestyle, and the ease with which they adapt to new social enviroments, can be seen as part of a constant need for fresh breeding grounds.
The sosiobiological theory has strong intuitive appeal for some people, but is difficult to test scientifically, most of the supportive evidence is circumstantial and anectdotal.
Biologisk teori
s.168
A biological theory that has been around for a long time is that, for reason enknown, some of the psychopaths brain structure mature at an abnormaly slow rate. The basis for this theoty is twofold : similarities between the EEG (recorded brain waves) of adult psychopaths and those of normal adolescents; and similarities between some of the psychopaths characteristics – inkluding egocentricity , impulsivity, selfishness, and unwillingness to delay gratification – and those of children. To some investigators, this suggest that psychophaty reflects little moore than a developemental delay.
These are interesting speculations, but the brainwave characteristic in question are also associated with drowsiness or boredom in normal adults, and could as well result from the psychopaths sleepy disinterest in the procedures used to measure them as from a delay in brain development. Furthermore, I doubt that the egocentricity or impulsivity of children and psychopaths are really the same.
More important, few parents of te-year-old psychopath would confuse him or her with an ordinary ten-year-old.
Biologisk modell
s.169
An interesting biological model argues that psychopathy results from early brain damage or dysfunction, especially in the front of the brain, which play a major role in high-level mental activities.This model is based on some apparent behavioural similarities between psychopaths an patients with damage to the frontal lobes of their brains. These similarities include poor longterm planning, low frustration tolerance, shallow effect, irritability and aggressiveness, socially inappropiate behaviour and impulsivity.
However recent reasearch has failed to find any evidence of frontal lobe damaaage in psychopaths.
It it well established that the frontal lobes play a cruical role in the regulation of behaviour, and it seems resonable to hypothesize that, for some reason, - ”faulty wiring”, early damage – they are relatively inefective in regulating the behaviour of the psychopath.
Traumer
s.170
Perhaps the most popular generalization about psychopathy – that it is the result of early psychological trauma or adverse experience : poverty, emotional or physical deprivation or abuse, parental rejection, inconsistent disciplinary techniques and so on.
On balance however I can find no convincing evidence that psychopathy is the direct result of early social environmental factors.
Mishandling
s.170
The neglect and abuse of children can cause horrendous psychological damage. Children damaged in this way often have lower IQ and an increased risk of depression, suicside, acting out and drug problems.
s.171
In attemting to understand, they researched Tess´s case and learned that as babies in their biological family both children, but particulary tess, had suffered unimadginable sexual abuse and psychological and physical neglect.
s.172
The filure of the psychological parent-child bond to form at the proper developemental stage, from birth to age two , is a major factor in the development of psychological and behavioural problems, inkluding psychopathy.
There is little evidence that attachment difficulities have anything to do with the development of psychopathy.
Most of the external factors associated with the ”failure to bond” – rejecyion, deprivation, neglect, abuse, and so forth – can indeed produce terrible effects, and some of these effects may resemble a few of the traits and behaviours that define the disorder of psychopathy.
Wkile some assert that psychopathy is the result of attachement difficulties in infancy, I turn the argument around : In some children the very failure is a symptom of psychopathy. It is likely that these children lack the capasity to bond readily, and that their lack of attachment is largely the result, not the cause, of psychopathy.
Genetisk – Biologisk
s.173
The position I favor is that psychopathy emerges from a complex – and pooly understood – interplay between biological factors and social forces. It is based on evidence that genetic factors contribute to the biological bases of brain function and to basic personality structure, which in turn influence the way the individual responds to, and interacts with, life experiences and the social environment.
As a result the capasity for developing internal control and conscience and making ”connections” with others is greatly reduced.
Oppdragelse
s.173
Although psychopathy is not primarily the result of poor parenting or adverse childhood experiences, I think they play an important role in shaping what nature has provided. Social factors and parenting practices influence the way the disorder developes and is expressed in behaviour.
Thus an individual with mix of psychopathic personality traits who grows up in a stable family and has acess to positive social and educational resources might become a con artist or white-collar criminal, or perhapes a somewhat shady enepreneur, politician or professional. Another individual, with much the same personality traits but from a deprived and disturbed background, might become a drifter, mercenary, or violent criminal.
Voldelige
s.175
There is one important exception to these general conclusions : Our research indicated that psychopaths from unstable backgrounds committed more violent offenses than did those from stable backgrounds.
This is consistent with my earlier suggestion that social experience influence the behavioural expression of psychopathy.
Toleranse
s.177
Troubling indeed are the implications of the silece of those twenty Canadian youth who knew of a murder, knew the identity of a murder, but, whatever their reasons, told no one. They suggest that our society may be not only facinated but increasingly tolerant of the psychopathic personality.
Bakgrunn
s.178
….. we do not know why people become psychopaths, but current evidence leads us away from the commonly held idea that the behaviour of parents bears sole or even primary responsebility to the dissorder.
…. It may have a great deal to do with how the syndrome develops and is expressed. There is little doubt that poor parenting and unfavourable social and physical environments can greatly exacerbate (forverre) potential problems and that they play a powerful role in molding the behaviour pattern of children.
Sjekkliste
s.181
Psychopathy Checklist is such a valuable tool. Not only does it provide clinicians and decision makers with a reliable and valid diagnostic procedure, it provides others – including menbers og the criminal justice system – with a detailed description of precisely what goes into a diagnosis of psychopathy. Rather than having a clinician simply say ”In my professional opinion this individual is a psychopath” the reasons for the diagnosis are clearly spelled out.
Etiske problemer
s.191
The ethical problems adressed in this chapter stem from two sources : the lack of sientifically sound procedures, and questionable professional practice. Diagnoses yield sticky labels, faulty predictions based on inaccurate diagnoses can result in confusion and disaster. The antidote to the problem, the preventive against disaster, lies in the careful use of procedures derived from solid scientific research. Anything less is unacceptable.
Behandling
s.193
With few exeptions, the traditional forms of psychotherapy, inkluding psychoanalysis, group theraphy, client-centered therapy, and psychodrama, have proved ineffective in the treatment og psychopathy. Nor have the biological therapies, including psychosurgery, electroshock theraphy, and the use of various drugs, fared much better.
Betydning
s.11194
… it is essential that we continue the quest for methods to reduce the enormous impact that psychopaths have on society.
Ingenting virker
s.195
Psychopaths don´t feel they have psychological or emotional problems, and they see no reason to change their behaviour to conform to social standards with witch they do not agree.
To elaborate, psychopaths are generally well satisfied with themselves and with their inner landscape, bleak as it may seem to outside observers. They see nothing wrong with themselves, experience little personal distress, and find their behaviour rational, rewardeing, and satisfying, they never look back with regret or forward with concern. They perceive themselves as a superiour beings in a hostile, dog-eat-dog world in witch others are cometitors for power and resources. Psychopaths feel it is legitimate to manipulate and deceive others in order to obtain their ”right”, and their social interactions are planned to outmaneuver the malevolence they see in others. Given these attitudes, it is not suprising that the purpose of most psychotherapeutic approaches is lost on psychopaths.
Upåvirkelig
s.195
Psychopaths are not ”fragile” individuals. What they think and do are extensions of a rock-solid personality structure that is extremely resistant to outside influence.
Beskyttet
s.196
many psychopaths are protected from the conseqquences of their actions by well-meaning family menbers or friends, their behaviour remains relatively unchecked and unpunished.
Søker ikke hjelp
s.196
Unlike other individuals, psychopaths do not seek help on their own.
Once in theraphy they typically do little more than go through the motions.
Terapi
s.196
Most theraphy programs do little more than provide psychopaths with new excuses and rationalizations for their behaviour and new insights into human vulnerability.
Opptreden – hindrer kommunikasjon
s.107
”He refuses to talk about things he doesn´t initiate. He doesn´t like to be confronted or questioned about his behaviour….. He refuse to see how he block communication and dominates the theraphy…
Terapi hjelper ikke
s.199
They report that the psychopaths usually dominate the preceedings, frequently playing ”head games” with the group leaders and other pasients.
They frequently use prisonprograms designed to upgrade their education, courses in psychology, sociology and chriminology are very popular.
Unge psykopater
s.200
… attempts to deflect the person from his or her psychopathic pattern early in life generally have not been successful.
Terapi hjelper ikke
s.201
Viritually all the evidence on the effectiveness of treatment for psychopaths is based on programs for people in prison or psychiatric facilities or in trouble with the law. Many of these programs are intensive, well thought out and carried out under resonably good conditions. And still they are ineffective.
Many people confuse improvement in the behaviour of tha psychopath with changes in the way they themselves deal with the person.
s.202
The fact is, a well conceived and methodologically sound program for the treatment of psychopaths has yet to be designed, carried out, and evaluated.
s.203
The term treatment implies that there is something to treat, illness, subjective distress, maladaqptive behaviours and so forth. But as far as we can determine, psychopaths are perfectly happy with themselves, and they see no need for treatment, at least in the traditional sense of the term.
s.205
If you are dealing with a true psychopath it is important to recognize that the current prognosis for significant improvement in his or her attitudes and behaviour is poor.
Beskyttelse
s.207
… all the reading in the world cannot protect you from the devastating effects of psychopaths. Everyone, inkluding the experts, can be taken inn, manipulated, conned, and left bewildered by them
Your best defense is to understand the nature of these human predators.
Vinnende vesen
s.208
It is not easy to get beyond the winning smile, the captivating body language, and the fast talk of the typical psychopath. All of witch blind us to his or her real intentions.
Stirrende blikk
s.208
Normal people maintain close eye contact with others for a variety of reasons, but the fixated stare of the psychopath is more a prelude to selfgratification and the exercise of power than simply interest or empathic caring.
What ever the psychological meaning of their gaze, it is clear that intense eye contact is an important factor in the ability of some psychopaths to manipulate and dominate others.
Sjelens Vindu
s.208
Are the eyes ”windows to the soul”? Many people belive that they are.
(I så fall kan man si at psykopatenes tomme stirrende blikk vitner om en tom og intetsigende sjel!)
Følelse
s.210
Beskrivelse av jay Smith (psykopat) :
”You´ve never seen such a pir of eyes in all your life. There was no feeling in them. You might think you´ve known a few people with cold fish eyes, but not like his”
Ha øynene åpne
s.211
Enter new relationships with your eyes wide open. Like the rest of us, most psychopathic con artists and ”love thiefs” initially hide their dark side by” putting their best foot forward”.
Kjenn deg selv
s.212
psychopaths are skilled at detecting and ruthlessly exploiting your weak spots, at finding the right buttons to press. Your best defense is to understand what your weak spots are and to be extremely wary of anyone who zeros in on them.
Manipulasjon
s.213
The problem was that her husband always put on such a good show that her account of things was seldom belived. None of these clinicians could see beyond the husbands charming and convincing display.
Skyldfølelse
s.215
Whatever the reason for your involvement with a psychopath, it is important that you not eccept blame for his or her attitudes and behaviour.
… there is no evidence that parental behaviour causes psychopathy.
Offer-rollen
s.215
psychopaths often give the impression that it is they who are suffering and that it is the victims who are to blame for their misery.
Du er ikke alene
s.216
Recognize that you are not alone. Most psychopaths have lots of victims.
Vær forsiktig
s.215
be careful about powerstruggles. Keep in mind that psychopaths have a strong need for psychological and physical control over others.
Forandrer seg ikke
s.216
Don’t expect dramatic changes. To a large extent, the personalities of psychopaths are ”carved in stone”. There is little likelihood that anything you do will produce fundamental, sustaied changes in how they see themselves or others.