Psychopaths' capacity for charm is, needless to say, well documented. As is their ability to focus and “get the job done.” It's a powerful, and smart, combination.
Leslie, another inmate, has joined us and has a rather nice take on charm: “The ability to roll out a red carpet for those you cannot stand in order to fast-track them, as smoothly and efficiently as possible, in the direction you want them to go.”
With his coiffured blond locks and his impeccable cut-glass accent, he looks, and sounds, like a dab hand. He also has a good take on focus, especially when it comes to getting what you want. Leslie realized from a rather young age that what went on in his head obeyed a different set of operating principles than most.
“When I was a kid at school, I tended to avoid fisticuffs,” he tells me. “You see, I figured out pretty early on that, actually, the reason why people don't get their own way is because they often don't know themselves where that way leads. They get too caught up in the heat of the moment and temporarily go off track.
“Jamie was talking about boxing there a minute ago. Well, I once heard a great quote from one of the top trainers. He said that if you climb into the ring hell-bent on knocking the other chap into the middle of next week, chances are you're going to come unstuck. But if, on the other hand, you concentrate on winning the fight, simply focus on doing your job, well, you might just knock him into the middle of next week anyway.”
The triumvirate of charm, focus and ruthlessness can predispose someone for long-term life success. Take Steve Jobs. Jobs, commented journalist John Arlidge shortly after the Apple chief's death in 2011, achieved his cult leader status “not just by being single-minded, driven, focused … perfectionistic, uncompromising, and a total ball-breaker.” In addition, Arlidge noted, he had charisma. He would, as technology writer Walt Mossberg revealed, drape a cloth over a product—some pristine creation on a shiny boardroom table—and uncover it with a flourish.
Apple isn't the world's greatest techno innovator. Far from it. It wasn't the first outfit to introduce a personal computer (IBM), nor the first to introduce a smartphone (Nokia). What Jobs brought to the table was style. Sophistication. And timeless, technological charm.
Apple's setbacks along the road to world domination serve as a cogent reminder of the pitfalls and stumbling blocks that await all of us in life. Everyone, at some point or other, leaves someone on the floor, so to speak, and there's a pretty good chance that that someone, today, tomorrow or at some other auspicious juncture down the line, is going to turn out to be you.
Neural Steel
Psychopaths, lest Jamie and the boys have yet to disabuse you, have no problem whatsoever facilitating others' relationships with the floor. But they're also pretty handy when they find themselves on the receiving end. And such inner neural steel, such inestimable indifference in the face of life's misfortunes, is something that all of us, perhaps, could do with a little bit more of.
Studies of psychopaths have even revealed a brain signature for this relative indifference to setbacks. Anthropologist James Rilling of Emory University and his co-workers scanned the brains of those scoring high in psychopathy after these individuals experienced having their own attempts to cooperate unreciprocated. The scientists discovered that, compared with “nicer,” more equitable participants, the psychopaths exhibited significantly reduced activity in the brain's emotion hub, the amygdala. This diminished activity, suggestive of a muted emotional reaction, could be considered a neural trademark of “turning the other cheek,” a response that can sometimes manifest itself in rather unusual ways.
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45 Comments
Add CommentThis may be of interest to people who like this article. I wrote it after [I think erroneously] being assessed as having an anti-social personality by a psychologist. I believe that the anti-social personality exists mainly to separate heinous actors from the rest of us in our own minds.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"There is no doubt that James Homes is a menace to society. Nevertheless, blindly referring to anomalies like Homes as "sociopaths" further contributes to the pathologizing of a set of generally healthy traits that are necessary for social progress and counterbalancing "granfalloon" biases in society.
Psychopaths are today's "witch hunt" victims. Every criminal "must be a sociopath", right? The misguided public assumes that because someone lacks empathy he's necessarily dangerous, disruptive, and destructive. It might be more useful to think of the intelligent sociopath as rational, unbiased, and pragmatic as a decision maker. Are those not the very qualities necessary for social progress?
Ordinary (i.e. non-sociopathic) individuals extend empathy only to those perceived to be physically, behaviorally, or ideologically similar. At its core, empathy is merely confusing your own hypothetical will and intent with the will and intent of others. Thus, empathy is the root of much conflict as a result of frequent miscommunication and hopelessly biased assumptions about the will and intent of others.
The "selective" empathy of the "empathetic" ultimately leads to favoritism of similar groups and the polarization of opinion that ultimately contributes to the continual deepening of divergences between dissimilar peoples. That is to say, empathetics (as opposed to empathy or sociopathy) are the driving force behind notions of physical or ideological superiority. In contrast, the sociopath has no intellectual or instinctual inclination to show favoritism based on traits of inconsequential importance (i.e. race and sex). Thus, the sociopath serves as a counter balance to the empathetic's dangerously trivial fickleness."
I asked a young friend from Germany how the Holocaust was taught in public school. He said something like, "We're taught that a criminal gang seized control of the government." At the time, I thought that that characterization excused too large a body of law abiding citizens from responsibility, but this article makes me think about it again.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"Seized control of the government?" The Nazis were ELECTED TO OFFICE by citizens of what was then the most cultured country on earth. That made the entire German nation culpable and the carpet bombing of Hamburg and Dresden not war crimes.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLeslie is without fear. He has neither any concerns for nor any concept of the future possible consequences of his actions.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSuch skill is quite useful in military leaders early in a war: Generals Hood, Stonewall Jackson, and Jeb Stuart; Napoleon; and the Blitz. Sociopaths can make great generals in short wars. As the war changed they and their techniques failed.
In the early 70s, a number of places tried lying and pressure as a management technique. It produced great results for a few years. Suddenly corporations using that such techniques went bankrupt.
Sociopaths are capable of seeing what needs to be done right now. They should never be placed in a position requiring long range planning.
Not all prisoners are sociopaths.
One preacher simply got drunk and drove. He is in for DWI manslaughter. He does not act like a sociopath.
A doctor thought he had insurance fraud figured out. He had a good plan for his future. His was a well thought out decision. A rare audit caught him.
Others had illegal businesses going.
Many in prison do not meat the criteria.
Still, many in prison meet the criteria of being a sociopath. In this place their treatment consists of being warehoused for the length of their sentence. The legislature believes that way they are getting tough on crime. That makes as much sense as getting tough on disease by doing away with medicine in hospitals.
I find the argument presented here dubious at best, and glamorise a dangerous group in the population. Psychopaths are debatably not human. They are destructive, harmful, and dangerous. Their superficial successes are invariably short-term, and the result of the suffering of others.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisnullnvoid: I think you're rather off the path with the idea that empathy is somehow a negative value. I for instance cannot stand seeing others taken advantage of or being injured. I became anti-bully at an early age: which led me to risking life and limb on behalf of those who couldn't defend themselves. This kinds of mental trait makes for great cops, prosecutors, etc.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI'm a steadfast critic of ideologies also - but the one value I learned from one of them is: Never INITIATE the use of force or fraud. You'll find that both English & American law are founded almost entirely on that principle. So your "consultant" psychopaths don't qualify in that area
Focus: I see that's lauded in your article, with the late Steve Jobs given as an example of that and "charm." Here again - Never initiate the use of force OR FRAUD is pertinent. Steve Jobs relied on convincing people the products he promoted were "insanely great" when in fact, they were "handy" but not much more. Exaggeration for the sake of financial gain is a hallmark of good salesmanship - but it almost always involves covering up some negative consequences or features.
I agree: we can learn much from the traits you mention - in moderation. You've got a good theory posited: just hang on to that and avoid promoting those "consultants" you used for your study. They are where they are for a very, very good reason.
I think I have the explanation for "fearlessness" and I believe it serves a positive value: species survival. As the author points out from the beginning: everything in moderation. Too much fearlessness produces show-offs, thrill addiction and over aggressive behaviors. Fearlessness in the face of emergences: An on-coming car is out of control - the threat is recognized and dealt with as if it was routine - some endangered drivers use careful steering to avoid impact with the on-coming car. (But "normal drivers" panic and over-steer, over-brake, etc. - sending themselves EXACTLY where they didn't want to go.)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFearlessness (the good kind) enables strategic thinking. The brain actually speeds up (giving the perception that everything is slowing down). So there's "some fear" spurring rapid response - enough to save lives. Saving lives is a species survival plus: think of school kids threatened by a mass shooter (another kind of mentally ill [fearless] strategic planner). The fearless strategic defender starts living in the moment (to assess surroundings, formulate strategy). He or she picks a strategic position or makes one (such as coming up behind the mass shooter who's concentrating on wielding his gun/power). Taking advantage of knowing what the mass shooter is doing - the fearless strategic defender moves (aims & fires) to stop the threat without endangering bystanders.
Those who have phobic fears must learn to control their fear until it's only a spur to action, NOT as motivator to follow ideological "formulas" which are in reality magical thinking. Huddling in concealment does not always save the rabbit - and humans in a classroom don't have the advantage of camouflage like the rabbit in the bush. But the human who is armed AND concealed has the final advantage.
If you (and others) rethink on how elections are won in "western democratic countries", i. e. with the help of the press (lots of money) and with cosmetic information about politicians (of course to appear whatever needs to), and that the press publishes what it gets paid to publish, then you may find voters as ignorant regarding to the "right" choices (if this thing do exist). We do not choose politicians, parties offer then to us. If we are to blame a whole country by her government takes, then they should pay for it (usually afterwards their govs had gone). Start with your long list for this purpose, from "A" to "Z" country names...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI found it ironic that when you talked about Steve Job's abilities and traits, you stated that Apple is not the world's greatest techno innovator. Considering iTunes, iPod, iPhone, iPad and Mac, and the fact that it is bigger than any other computer company, it is clear that Apple is at least a great innovator. While there were similar products before those made by Apple, innovation is more than just being the first. It means good design and usefulness. I think Apple meets these qualifications.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI found it sad that you said that Apple wasn't the first company to introduce a personal computer, but IBM was. While there were PCs before Apple, like the Altair 8800, the Apple I was introduced in 1976 and the Apple II in 1977, four years before the IBM PC. I would hope that in the future, you get your facts right, considering how easy they are to check on the internet.
Jeff Utz, M.D.
Brooklyn, NY
Psychopaths are attracted to and supported by other psychopaths especially in the organizational setting. To the contrary, when psychopaths are surrounded by individuals of strong character and strong ethical values, they are not tolerated; and, are limited and constrained by the same, especially if those who have this strong character have the means to do the same.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy experience as an Infantryman in Vietnam was that psychopaths are aware of the aforementioned limitations;and, as a result, avoid groups and situations in which the aforementioned limitations might result. (The Vietnam War Movie, "Platoon", is exemplary of this.)
As my grandmother told me: "Birds of a feather flock together."
Psychopaths are very poor at long range planning (given their negative personal traits), in general.
As a result, the nations, organizations, and groups led by them tend to deteriorate and decline over time.
Cleckley's book, "Mask of Sanity", describes the personality and character traits of psychopaths and the consequences of the same.
my understanding is that the Nazis never got more than 40% of the vote that leaves 60% who basically had little to say or do but it is true they did not seize control they were elected. T
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPsychopath 'science' is baloney.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe estimates vary between 1 in 25 to 1 in a 100 being a psychopath. Let's split it...6 million psychopaths in the USA. A study of 18 serial killers showed 11 of them to be pyschopaths according to 'experts'.
The FBI estimates about 20 active serial killers in the USA at any given time....that's 12 psychopths.
12 out of 6 million! A minutia of even so called pychopaths are serial kilers. A minutia are even murderers...a small minutia.
Studying 'violent' psycopaths to get insight into 'whatever' is focusing on the one in thousands to describe the norm...sensational but just not good science
The silly theatricality of this narrative aside ("I promise I won't kill you") I'm baffled why anyone one would go to the trouble of soliciting opinions from these certified psychopaths on how to behave without empathy but also without violence toward other persons. Used car salesmen, repo men, insurance adjusters, televangelists, pimps and drug dealers do it all the time and their strategies for taking advantage of others without regard for their interlocutors' welfare is well documented. Wouldn't it be easier to ask them why they don't feel sorry for their victims?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSomebody has seen too many slasher movies. Maybe the researcher was hoping Jody Foster would show up.
I just finished the book. It's revelations are both enlightening and, at times quite scary. Many thanks to Kevin for writing this salient work. You forgot to put in a chapter on how to reverse the psychopathic increase vector - not enough on why but then, you are not an oracle.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSome wording remarks: "Conscience" or words sounding alike, is equivalent in many languages to "Awareness" or "Alert"; as the concept of "Conscience" as a source of moral warnings may be just cultural, without any neurologic or psychologic basis, perhaps it would be better to define psychopaths as people lacking any ethics, or not being able or not in the condition of distinguishing between good and evil, but this doesn't equals to actually harming, it's not the same a psychopath than a perverse psychopath, and not all psychopats are perverse. An anecdote: Chianti red wine excessive drinking is the kind of wine which produces more liver cirrhosis.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisjputz,
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt is you that needs to get his facts straight concerning when IBM introduced its first PC. In 1975, IBM released the first personal computer, the IBM 5100, which was before Apple had even formed as a company. The IBM PC you mentioned was the Model 5150 but it was introduced six years later.
Excerpt from 'What is the Primary Fundamental Right?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, now also called Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAS/E) is attributed to mothers drinking alcohol both before and after the birth if breast feeding. The damage to the fetal brain supposedly results in a person who is a liar, thief, very cunning and often quite charming. These are basic survival skills required to compensate for the lack of ability to perform ordinary tasks due to the alcohol damage to their brain. FAS/E victims are often not able to accept responsibility for any unsocial actions they cause or to feel remorse. Possibly many thugs are FAS/E affected people.
ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is possibly linked to the same cause as FAS/E and the National Institute of Mental Health suggests pregnant women should not use alcohol or tobacco to minimize the chances of having an ADHD child. A Canadian study in a Manitoba prison in 1999 found that over 50% of the inmates were FAS/E affected. Again the War on Drugs helps perpetuate crime and violence by restricting recreational drug usage to only the legal drugs, alcohol, tobacco and caffeine.
Because of their innate aggression supposedly some Australian football coaches look for signs of FAS/E when seeking new players. There is also a possibility that high amounts of FAS/E people fit the description of DSM-IV sociopaths/psychopaths, otherwise known as antisocial personality disorder (APD). The stringent off field behavior controls placed by many football clubs on their players is strangely exceptional for an employer but now completely understandable."
http://www.primaryfundamentalright.org/index.php?pageName=pfrWhatIs
My interest in psychopathy dates to early in my career when I worked for four psychopaths in an eleven year period. At first I thought they were just crazy -- dishonest, manipulative, destructive -- but their own superiors thought they were quite capable. Two of them went through personality and career collapse while I worked for them when their bosses awakened to their real natures. I now have professional confirmation that these four characters did in fact exhibit behaviors typical of psychopaths. I finished my professional engineering career when I was laid off from Enron, a classical psychopathic disaster that disrupted thousands of careers and destroyed billions of dollars in value.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDr. Kevin Dutton is creating a cottage industry in finding virtue among psychopaths, where no such virtue exists. Dutton has at least two previous articles extoling the virtues of a "psychopathic" surgeon and a "psychopathic" SOCOM combatant, and fails to make any mention of narcissistic behavior or anti-social behavior, the dominant characteristics of psychopaths, in reference to his subjects. In fact, as described, the surgeon and the combatant were clearly exhibiting conditioned responses to stressful environments.
So now Dutton is seeking insight into the thinking of psychopaths by visiting a DSPD ward. But among Dr. Cleckley's memorable observations was that psychopaths are adept at presenting a sincere, believable, charismatic persona when they want something. Psychopaths are typically very attentive during therapy sessions, not so that they can become well, but to improve their practice of psychopathy.
The only information Dutton (or we) can derive from this article is that Dutton is being played by his psychopathic subjects, and that psychopaths are more cunning than Dutton is intelligent.
There are many ways to "kill" someone, including destroying someone's spirit, dignity and identity. I've been unfortunate to be the victim twice of individuals who used a gift for deceit, ruthlessness, a lack of conscience, charm and reliance on "pack mentality" to do this in the workplace. They go on to be successful having "bullied" the person they see a competition out of a job and livelihood, destroying one's reputation, relationships and health in the process. I would say, these corporate psychopaths are enabled in a culture and economy that rewards those who say what others want to hear rather than the truth. I, for onr, would prefer to be on the receiving end than go through life determined to get what I want at the expense of others. Several mention the psychopath's inability to plan ahead and their penchant to live in the moment. this has not been my experience, including with my ex-husband, diagnosed as a "dangerous psychopath." Instead they are cunning and stalk their victims like animals, waiting till they are most vulnerable to pounce. The operative word here is "animals." These inviduals, lacking not only in empathy but conscience, have somehow lost their humanity. Those who commit "relational murder" rather than phsycial violence get away with it because we are afraid of them and they know it. It is no different than watching ape behavior. These individuals remind us of our animal origins. To never forget this and, therefore, not be surprised when they attack is, I believe, the most important "lesson" they have to teach us...not in anyway to be like them but recognize them for what (not who) they are and to run as fast as possible in the other direction.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisContrary to the others, nullvoid, I think you have an excellent point. I work as a psychiatric social worker, and am appalled by the unawareness The Empathetic have about their own motives. They do indeed favor people like them, or who they imagine are like them. They believe they can understand the feelings of others when they are merely projecting. They are quite certain that they are the good people that the world needs more of, while those others - the bad people, need to be disempowered and their culture sent to the rubbish heap.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWell, they are no worse than most others in that way, are they? Except, if one believes that you and yours are the few who are immune to such tribal loyalty, you begin to become dangerous. I don't know that sociopaths are spared that temptation, as you claim, but I know that empathy does carry its own tyranny in its roots.
The Nazis did not get 100% of the vote. You might also beignoring the context. Social darwinism and anti- Semitism were pervasive outside of Germany too; the country had been unfairly punished for World War I, and many Germans did not have much food on the table, the sort of things that often lead to bad decisions at election time.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt doesn't do much good to hold an entire country responsible for the atrocities that were committed.
Assistant Village Idiot and Nullnvoid bring up interesting points on empathy. Psychopaths have no real empathy, but they can fake it superbly. The premise of Dr. Cleckley's book, "The Mask of Sanity," was based on this very point; psychopaths fabricate a charismatic personality for use when they want to impress someone, usually superiors or influential people, otherwise they can be dishonest and vicious toward others, usually subordinates.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis is at the center of our current political discussion. The poor in the big city ghettos reliably vote for politicians who exploit them, and this has gone on for many decades. Even now, blacks, women, and the young are the most constant Democratic voters, and they are among the most ignored and exploited when it is time to create jobs.
The same way humans today continuously vote for idiots? I mean come on... name me one leader anywhere in the world who has an alternative vision of the future for human beings. Imagine a world without Debt. A world where wars are fought with fists instead of unmanned drones controlled from thousands of miles away.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn a society where fear is main selling point on way of life, biggest fear is from someone who do not fear.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWell, fear is the driver of this civilization and it does what it needs to do.
And someone without a fear is not compatible with our way of thinking.
Of course it is easier to eradicate little few. Out of fear.
Muammar al-Gaddafi in Libya
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI guess you've just explained why the Republicans keep imploding, ever since the Grand Dunce (Reagan) led them into the Forest of Fundamentalism.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHi, please could I use your idea about the drawbacks of empathy as a small part of a blog post?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGermans elected Hitler liked Americans elected Bush Jr. There's plenty of blame to go around but Bush wasn't really elected either. In the Gore election the completed Florida recount that the Supreme Court stopped in a "non-precedent setting decision" shows Gore not only won the popular vote, but technically the electoral vote as well. In the Kerry election massive voter suppression and voting irregularities were enough to tip the balance (i.e. election fraud). Please see:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/voter-fraud-august-2005/
Thinksahol, why can't you liberals drop Bush v. Gore, or at least actually read the case. All the Supreme Court decided was that Gore could not cherry pick which particular precincts would undergo a recount. It had to be an all or nothing recount as required by state law. If the idiot had not messed around in the courts insisting of doing the recount as required by law, he would have won the presidency. So the idiot shot himself in the foot. Such total misjudgment of a situation and misuse of the court system is frequently typical of sociopaths.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLikewise, there is probably global warming. When scientists lie about data relating to the probable cause and Gore uses that as his argument it does not give him credibility.
What can work for a sociopath on a micro scale can fail miserably on a macro scale.
I feel for sociopaths because I cannot imagine living my life without empathy. So much of what I do as a human utilizes empathy. To watch a movie, to talk with a friend, and to give and receive love; all deal with the use of empathy. If I couldn't relate to the main character, If I couldn't listen and feel what I friend was feeling, If I couldn't feel pain and worry when my mother or sister where hurt or sick; I wouldn't feel human at all.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI am mostly motivated by my amygdala or my ability to feel fear. I fear for myself and others, I worry about the future, and so I choose to do something good and kind. I recycle, I choose to spend time with my sister even if it is doing something I don’t want to do, and I volunteer for a nonprofit by making their website and graphics for free. Fear and empathy are emotions essential to living life as a human. Thus, I feel sorry for sociopaths because they are missing more than they can ever know.
As for the dilemma Kevin Dutton refers to, the tenant who wouldn't leave, I don’t find the sociopath’s solution clever, but really mean and juvenile. Unlike a sociopath, I can imagine being old. Even though I am young, I understand the fear of leaving a place that I lived for years, and I understand not wanting to leave a place I've been happy. Besides, where would the tenant go? He probably couldn't afford to live anyplace else. Problems don't just need solutions, for they need compassion too. A much better solution would have been assistance in finding a new apartment.
I don’t believe anything can be learned from sociopaths, for their brains aren't proficient in experiencing empathy. Having been a victim of sociopaths in the past, I know firsthand how much pain they can afflict. All a sociopath can think about is how do I make myself look good, and how do I keep others from making me look bad. Life is a game to sociopaths. Sociopaths like to put people against each other, for no other purpose than their own entertainment. It is like watching a cat play with a mouse. Sociopaths cause billions of dollars in damage each year, but most of all; they ruin functional and loving groups.
If anything, we shouldn't be looking for the good in sociopaths, but instead, finding ways to recognize them and fight back against the sociopathic menace.
This article certainly gave some food for thought. Can we learn from these personality traits? I think there is some merit in thinking about these quotes on wisdom from both regular members of society and those being detained. The <a href=”http://wise-quotes.net”>wise quotes</a> given in this article and the following comments made need careful consideration before making any generalisations about certain members of society. Maybe science can find an answer to the many questions this article raises.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEvery psychopath needs a prey. That is the hallmark of the psychopathic maneuver. The psychopath thrives on doing someone in, getting away with something, successfully pulling off some "con." Sometimes the results of this psychotic maneuver are paltry. It is not the point. The psychopath gets a rush from the game and the success of bringing down his prey. While a successful marketeer such as Jobs may "prey" on our consumerism, his game was not to put one over on the buying public. He was out to sell product. This distinction makes the premise of this article nonsensical. We have nothing to learn from humans who objectify other humans as "prey" except that to conceptualize a problem in such a way can only lead to monstrosities.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSome of the previous posters don't get the difference between empathy and a psychotic need for dominance. Empathy causes one to say "I see your situation and understand that you feel a certain way even if I don't feel that way myself". The psychotic need for dominance says "You are not like me so I must either destroy you or transform you into a copy of me".
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEmpathy allows a great deal of flexibility in choosing a course of action. You can choose to be sympathetic by helping the other person or group achieve their goals. You can choose to encourage an alternative goal, for example; "Instead of setting Bobby on fire for smashing your mailbox you should call and have him charged with vandalism". You can also stand in polite opposition, for example; "I'm not going to let you set Bobby on fire because that is very extreme behavior and not socially acceptable".
Not being psychotic or a mental health professional specializing in psychosis, I can't give examples of options for psychotics.
Your article promised much and delivered nothing in the way of wisdom from psychopaths. The only knowledge I gained was an understanding of how shallow the thinking of the writer was and how little was gleaned from the conversations in the article. Possibly the book will delve deeper and redeem you, Mr. Dutton. I hope so, for your sake. I agree with a previous comment that it is troubling to give credence or credit to these individuals who have perpetrated the worst of crimes with no remorse. Fine to analyze the behavior and motives, but to impute wisdom to the psychopaths absence of conscience is ridiculous. The damage that psychopaths and sociopaths cause in every second of every day to countless people in their paths is profoundly disturbing and should not be applauded in any way. Further, the casual joking tone of your interactions with the inmates made me wonder about your own level of understanding of consequences. In poor taste and on the wrong track.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou're correct. The IBM 5100 was out before the Apple I. But, the Altair 8800 was out 8 months before the IBM 5100. So, the IBM 5100 is still not the first PC.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLOTS OF LUCK
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisor as the song says "Start again......
You are free to pay selective attention to folks who fail large at public relations, but please wash with kindness soap before you incorporate their 'wisdom?' or cleverness.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe same thing occurred to me. The article was written by a naive fool, in my opinion, like a geek who wanders into a biker bar and leaves with the impression that the killers, violent offenders and drug-dealers he rubbed shoulders with can teach us all something.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI've seen the people in question at work, after dark, when the geeks are home and safe in bed. When things turn violent and evil, they're right in their element. Geeks, on the other hand, tend to wet their pants and cry for mommy when the violence surrounds them and there's no help near at hand.
Actually, nothing new here, EXCEPT,that it highlights the fact that psychopaths are very much like the rest of us. This with the sole exception that they don't have a mental stop sign.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisApple is bigger than Microsoft? Wow,now I see that it blew past Microsoft in 2010. Didn't know that. Does this means that fashion beats innovation in the market place? At the beginning Apple was the odd man out. It's appeal was the appeal of being avant garde and exclusive, country clubbish. Now, I don't know. I really like Siri though. Microsoft on the other hand suffered and still suffers from its heritage of needing to be all things to all people, a kind of technological greed. Apple's getting there, what with their Apple map. It's called the dinosaur syndrome, when the company, (its executives really,) changes from being innovators to become conservative and unable to adapt to changes in the market place. Facebook brings out changes to its customer interface every month or so. Users gripe about it but soon get used to the changes.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhen did the US initiate the use of force? WWI? WWII? Korea? Vietnam? Iraqi Wars I or II? Afghanistan? It's true that in some of those, the force wasn't directly against us, but was against our allies.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAmerica has gone out of its way to attempt peace negotiations before we sent troops. We've been extremely reactive. And often that has given opponents the wrong idea that we won't stand up to them. Timidity usually causes war.
On the question of empathy, caring and interests of psychopaths and sociopaths, or lack there of...perhaps the mistaken assumption is that this 'class' of citizen has only personal interests at heart or none at all. I posit that what has been overlooked is that it's not so much that they don't care but rather they don't care about the same things as the larger population. There are plenty of stories illustrating those we label psycho who kept pets or worked gardens etc. on their down times, some hobbies or interests were no doubt on an extreme end but none the less they demonstrated caring or interest in that realm. High levels of empathy are just as abnormal, as the article states it comes down to moderation. Lastly, the way the people in this article approach problems can be applied in a useful non-destructive manner which requires no high level caring about other parties involved, only about outcomes. As the saying goes," small people talk about other people, average people talk about things and intelligent people talk about ideas"... Just because the majority cares about 'x' doesn't mean someone who doesn't care about 'x' but instead cares about 'y' is broken. In the end, the argument can be made for focus to the exclusion of worrying about the majority point of view, short of violence of course, though some would argue it still has its place. Democracy is at first an idea, how many have been killed who stood against it, yet the killers aren't labeled sociopaths per se, and did they always feel remorse?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI don't get it. Is it better to be empathetic to everyone equally or not empathetic at all?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDiesel67 said: ""Seized control of the government?" The Nazis were ELECTED TO OFFICE by citizens of what was then the most cultured country on earth. That made the entire German nation culpable and the carpet bombing of Hamburg and Dresden not war crimes."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOnly some are elegible to vote. Fewer still actually vote. If 51% of this demographic slice vote for Nazis, then everyone in the nation, including children and the infirm, deserves to be immolated?
By the way, did the polls in Dresden and in Hamburg, specifically, favor the Nazis? Or was Hitler elected despite the preference against him in either or both of those cities?
disorderedworld
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI agree with Archimedes and Pa Deuce that seeking to persuade people that psychopaths can teach us valuable lessons is a dangerous path to tread. It is also misleading. One can of course argue that some traits of psychopaths - such as fearlessness and lack of empathy - are useful in certain circumstances. This is particularly true because the cultures in many of our societies and organisations today are shaped by psychopaths, so the psychologically normal majority are forced to act accordingly. However there is a fundamental difference between a trait, which a person can chose to apply or not depending on circumstances, and a rigid pathology such as psychopathy where lack of empathy is not a choice but a pathological disorder. A trait we can learn from. As for a fixed pathology that applies callous disregard and heartlessness every time it can get away with it - the main lesson to be learned from that is the extreme danger that psychopaths pose to peace and justice in our world.