Friday, September 08, 2006

Profile of a Psychopath

This article came from a posting on http://thetyee.ca/ > The Tyee and was written by “A Saskatchewan Farmer.” I think it a really good summation of the nature of the psychopath and the relation between this illness and authoritarianism. (Posted with permission from the author.)

Profile of a Psychopath.


- controlling (always, its is controlling the free will of others, usually through force or intimidation)
- shallow, self centered (its always me, I, mine, with a narrow perception created by a complete disconnect with the needs and wants of anyone else (mainly because of a belief structure that states "it will get in the way of my own needs and wants". Its "me first" at all costs regardless of the environmental, emotional, mental, physical and life damage and destruction. And don't they sing the this first and that first to get their way first? Its military first, Canada first, Ontario first, BC first, unions first, America first, Republicans first, Jesus first, minorities first, women and children first, can't anyone get it right? Try all life in the universe first!)
- vengeful and spiteful to those who will not let them get their way, or challenge their self appointed authority.
- authoritarian
- driven by their own self getting mechanisms and ego driven goals, regardless of who or what has to pay or in other words, "to succeed at everyone else's expense".
- Predatorial (all else is considered prey or conquest)
- Highly opportunistic (again, at everyone and anyone else's expense.)

The psychopath is quite prevalent in civilizations around the world, exhibiting bizarre, cold behavior for anything that gets in the way of their lust for power. Approximately 1 to 3% of the population is considered to have psychopathic tendencies or traits, depending on the severity of their destructive behavior. The sad truth is that their pursuit of power is often accompanied by those who believe the psychopath has "excellent leadership qualities" due to their drive for power and the bottom line. Whatever the goal is, be it money, sex, social prestige, political and or corporate power or otherwise, it is an ego run amuck and there are far more psychopaths out there than anyone would like to admit. Truly.

We have in this world, CEO's and politicians that are killing the life on this planet through the destruction of the environment from war, waste, and control freaked disregard for all life, never mind human and a good number of us are lauding them as heroes because they are merely wealthy and powerful. In the end, in the final summation, the positions of power are beacons of light to the "psychopath". And until the average Joe realizes the true profile of a psychopath, how to spot and recognize one, and finally, how to "heal" them through reconnecting them with the wants and needs of all other life, we will never be safe regardless of how many bombs and guns we own. Its just how it is In the end, we will know the truth behind this statement. "In order to lead, one must follow." And this next one. "In order to follow, one must lead." And in case this confuses some of you, then try to wear other hats and shoes besides your own. Try other perspectives, not just from the the psychopaths point of view of role playing solely to define weaknesses and strengths to rule and plunder what a psychopath considers as enemy, ally or pawn... But from the perspective that is at all levels, emotional, logical and yes, spiritual for without this last connection, there is no connection to the universal needs of the whole and without it, the big picture is never seen.

Some notable psychopaths of this present day according to such profiles are, GWB junior, Steven Harper, drunkard Campbell, Ehmud Ohbert, various cult leaders, serial killers, sexual predators, Satanists, and a large host of CEO's, namely in chemicals, oil, defense, HMO's, financial institutions and so on.

No one will ever be truly safe until the psychological profile of a psychopath is truly revealed for all that it is and heavily screened from childhood on up, with major scrutiny given in leadership roles. And this is also next to impossible to stop, it seems, for the vast majority of all psychological profiles, psychopaths being but one of them, have one thing in common. They've been abused. Part of an ongoing wheel of perpetual abuse, from one generation to the next. Combine this with the lies and fallacies that one swallows as real even though it might be absent of personally experienced abuse, and... like I say. We can serve the truth hot, or cold. Take your pick. But in the end, peace will not come until the truth is truly served with love.

9 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

It is very interested concept, that a lot of leaders today and in the past have been actually psychopaths. By the term “leaders” I mean family leader, social group leaders, corporate leaders, political leaders. I do see that is real problem of the human race.

It might sound funny to impose mandatory “medical screening” for psychopathic behavior, similar to some other kind of medical screening for diseases. There are too many examples of terrible consequences of psychopathic behavior if we give to such person tools to implement their ideas. Millions are killed in stupid wars, even more people are suffering due to in-family violence. We should not think twice about asking our leaders to prove that they are not “F-60 – psychopaths” (Based on: ICD-10: International Statistical Classification of Diseases and related health problems). Of course, it is too early in today’s human civilization, to ask for such screening, but who knows in 50 years or so, that might be normal thing to do. It would be like “fitness entry exam” for athletes if they want to join some sport club. If they prove that they are capable of achieving certain performance level, they are welcomed. It is too dangerous to assume that our leaders are “F-60 free”; they should prove it.

It would be interesting to hear from world experts in this field, how the “F-60 screening”
would look like. One of those experts is Robert D. Hare, Ph.D. He is considered one of the world's foremost experts in the area of psychopathy and he is the author of the popular book Without Conscience. Dr. Hare is a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia, and has researched psychopathy for more than twenty years. He has given us well-known psychopathy checklist. It might be good base for such “F-60 screening”.

8:06 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

uh... psychopath here..

What exactly would you recommend? That average Joe's be the one's who lead? That is nonsense.

It is a reality that the genetic makeup of 'psychopath' is programmed into us, has been passed throughout recorded history and before, and that we have a greater chance at surviving, hence we have survived up until now.

Perhaps you should change your term of identifying 'psychopaths' and label it 'healthy.'

2:42 PM  
Blogger Larry Gambone said...

I would recommend what the Inuit do when they have a psychopath disturbing their community. They take him out hunting and he has a fatal accident.

I am joking, of course. Dangerous people can be isolated in commodious surroundings. The point is not to punish them, but rather to keep them off the backs of the rest of us. I also do not believe that it is entirely an inherited condition. Abusive child rearing is one of the contributing factors. It is no coincidence that the USA has more psychos per capita than most other places.

3:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hey i just picked up on what has been said, im currently undergoing therapy and have been on quite a journey the last couple of months, to cut a long story short im being treated with anti depressants and anti psychotics, and as i soul search im finding i share so many atttributes with a psychpath its almost scary... im just hoping it isnt the case and theres something less severe wrong with me...

7:47 PM  
Blogger Larry Gambone said...

Chances are your condition has causes based in your childhood - ie, they are environmental rather than genetic and therefore can be changed in the long run, so don't give up hope. Furthermore, do you really share those psychopathic attitudes or are you just depressed and suffering from a very low sense of self-worth?

7:58 PM  
Anonymous Teen said...

I'm 16 years old, and have looked up the profile of a sociopath and a psychopath. I am very worried, because I fit every description. I am currently on an anti depressant called Cipralex, but I am scared that it isn't working. I have really bad thoughts about things, the only difference between me and most people labbeled as a sociopath or psychopath is that I have boundries, I never act on my thoughts. But I do believe I need help and I don't know what I can do to stop these thoughts, they are driving me crazy.

11:06 AM  
Blogger Larry Gambone said...

I remember when I was your age reading a medical encyclopedia. I was horrified. It seemed I had the symptom of every disease imaginable! Of course, I was perfectly healthy. In other words you should not read too much into this article. The very fact that you don't act on the thoughts you have, indicates there can't be much wrong with you, for it is not the thought that is the problem, but the action. Indeed, we all have distasteful thoughts popping into our heads from time to time. (I would have killed thousands of people by now had I acted upon some of my thoughts.) If you are really worried about how you are I suggest you look up a good therapist. Good luck to you!

1:45 PM  
Anonymous Teen said...

I never do exactly what is in my thoughts, I don't take it out on people, I take it out on animals. I am in therapy, but it doesn't make a difference. I feel confused because I have SPD which I also take pills for and my doctor will soon be giving me anti-psychotics. I never tell anyone my thoughts, because the last time I spoke about them I was sent into a little white room for hours. My peers tend to make fun of me and I feel that one of these days I'm going to end up getting my revenge and ending up in jail. I really don't care if I go to jail, as long as the shut their mouths I don't care what happens to them or me. My parents are scared of me because of my SPD and they have even said that I was a psychopath since I was 4 years old. You probably don't want to hear my whole life story so I won't write here anymore. In fact this will be the last time I visit this site. So have fun speaking with psychos and what not.

3:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would suspect that, if anyone admitted to having sought treatment from a psychiatrist for psychopathy, that they were merely forming ways to micromanage their interpersonal relationships for the future. As someone who has used what they know about bi-polar mood disorder and schizophrenia to obtain a diagnosis from a psychiatrist, I have experience in making myself seem the victim rather than the predator. Needless to say I fit the profile on the mark, and furthermore find no faults with them. The psychopath, or as I would prefer it to be called the ''Machiavellian'', is a survivalist, artist, and precociously resourceful. This is no personality disorder, it is a superior psychological disposition.

9:01 AM  

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home

Blogging Change
BCBloggers Code: Progressive Bloggers Site Meter