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PSYCHOPATHSAMONGUS
Dr.RobertHareclaimsthereare300,000psychopathsin
Canada,butthatonlyatinyfractionareviolent
offenderslikePaulBernardoandCliffordOlsen.Whoare
therest?Takealookaround
ByRobertHercz

"Psychopath!psychopath!"
I'maloneinmylivingroomandI'myellingatmyTV."Forget
rehabilitationthatguyisapsychopath."
EversinceIvisitedDr.RobertHareinVancouver,Icansee
them,thepsychopaths.It'sprettyeasy,onceyouknowhowto
look.I'mwatchingadocumentaryaboutanAmericanprison
tryingtorehabilitateteenmurderers.They'reusingan
emotionallyintensekindofgrouptherapy,andIcansee,as
plainasday,thatoneoftheinmatesisapsychopath.Hetries,
buthecan'tmusteraconvincingbreakdown,can'tfakeany
feelingforhisdeadvictims.He'slearnedthewords,asBob
Harewouldputit,butnotthemusic.
Theincrediblething,thereasonI'myelling,isthatnoonein
thisdocumentarythetherapists,thewarden,theomniscient
narratorseemstoknowtheword"psychopath."Itisnever
uttered,yetitchangeseverything.Apsychopathcanneverbe
madetofeelthehorrorofmurder.Weeksofintensetherapy,
whichareproducingrealbreakthroughsintheotheryouths,
willprobablymakeapsychopathmorelikelytoreoffend.
Psychopathsarenotliketherestofus,andeveryonewho
studiesthemagreestheyshouldnotbetreatedasiftheywere.
IthinkofBobHare,who'sinNewOrleansreceivingyetanother
award,andwonderifhe'swatchingthesameshowinhishotel
roomandfeelingthesamefrustration.Alifetimespentlooking
intotheheadsofpsychopathshasmadetheslight,slightly
anxiousemeritusprofessorofpsychologyattheUniversityof
BritishColumbiatheworld'sbestknownexpertonthespecies.
Harehasn'tmerelychangedourunderstandingofpsychopaths.
Itwouldbemoreaccuratetosayhehascreatedit.
Theconditionitselfhasbeenrecognizedforcenturies,wearing
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evocativelabelssuchas"madnesswithoutdelirium"and"moral
insanity"untilthelate1800s,when"psychopath"wascoined
byaGermanclinician.Buttheterm(andits1930ssynonym,
sociopath)hadalwaysbeenasortofcatchall,widelyand
looselyappliedtocriminalswhoseemedviolentandunstable.
Evenintothemid1970s,almost80percentofconvictedfelons
intheUnitedStateswerebeingdiagnosedassociopaths.In
1980,HarecreatedadiagnostictoolcalledthePsychopathy
Checklist,which,revisedfiveyearslater,becameknownasthe
PCLR.Popularlycalled"theHare,"thePCLRmeasures
psychopathyonafortypointscale.Onceitemerged,itwasthe
firsttimeinhistorythateveryonewhosaid"psychopath"was
sayingthesamething.Forresearchinthefield,itwaslikea
startinggun.
ButforHare,ithasturnedouttobeaPandora'sbox.Recently
retiredfromteaching,hisverylastPh.D.studentaboutto
leavethenest,Hare,sixtyeight,shouldbebaskingin
professionalaccoladesandenjoyinghiswellearnedrest.But
heisn't.
ThePCLRhasslippedtheconfinesofacademe,andisbeing
usedandmisusedinwaysthatHareneverintended.Insome
oftheplaceswhereitcoulddosomegoodsuchastheprison
intheTVdocumentaryIwasyellingattheideaof
psychopathygoesunacknowledged,usuallybecauseit's
politicallyincorrecttodeclaresomeonetobebeyond
rehabilitation.Attheoppositeextreme,therearecasesin
whichHare'sworkhasbeenoverloadedwithpoliticalbaggage
ofanothersort,suchasintheUnitedStates,whereahighPCL
Rscoreisusedtosupportdeathpenaltyarguments,andin
England,whereadebateisunderwayaboutwhethersome
individualswithpersonalitydisorders(suchaspsychopaths)
shouldbedetainedeveniftheyhaven'tcommittedacrime.
So,afterdecadesoflabourinpeacefulobscurity,BobHarehas
becomeamanwithasuitcase,apassport,andaPowerPoint
presentation,areluctantcelebrityatgatheringsofjudges,
attorneys,prisonadministrators,psychologists,andpolice.His
postretirementmissionistobeagoodshepherdtohis
PsychopathyChecklist.
"I'mprotectingitfromerosion,fromdistortion.Itcouldeasily
becompromised,"hesays."I'mascientistIshouldjustbe
doingbasicresearch,butI'mbeingcalledonallthetimeto
interveneandmediate."
Andit'sreallyjustbeginning.Psychopathymayprovetobeas
importantaconstructinthiscenturyasIQwasinthelast(and
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justassusceptibletoabuse),because,thankstoHare,wenow
understandthatthegreatmajorityofpsychopathsarenot
violentcriminalsandneverwillbe.Hundredsofthousandsof
psychopathsliveandworkandpreyamongus.Yourboss,your
boyfriend,yourmothercouldbewhatHarecallsa"subclinical"
psychopath,someonewholeavesapathofdestructionand
painwithoutasinglepangofconscience.Evenmoreworrisome
isthefactthat,atthisstage,noonenotevenBobHareis
quitesurewhattodoaboutit.
BobharehastomeetmeinthelobbyoftheUBCpsychology
building,sincehe'snotlistedinthedirectory.He'shadthreats,
byemailandinperson.Anexconshoweduponeday,angry
thatafriendofhishadbeendeclaredadangerousoffender
thankstoHare'schecklist.Othercharactershaveappearedin
hislabdoorway,lookinginandsayingnothing.
Weimmediatelyfindourselvesdiscussingthecriminaldujour,
thejetsettingFrenchconmanChristopheRocancourt,
notoriousforpassinghimselfoffasamemberofthe
Rockefellerfamily,whohasjustbeenarrestedinVictoria.
"I'dsureashellliketohaveacloselookathim,"Haremuses.
Likeeveryscientist,Harelikesagoodpuzzle,andthatwas
reasonenoughtomakeacareeroutofpsychopaths."These
wereparticularlyinterestinghumanbeings,"hesays.
"Everythingaboutthemseemedtobeparadoxical.Theycould
dothingsthatalotofotherpeoplecouldnotdo"lie,steal,
rape,murder"buttheylookedperfectlynormal,andwhen
youtalkedtothemtheyseemedokay.Itwasapuzzle.I
thoughtI'dtryandunravelit."
HarearrivedatUBCin1963,intendingtofollowuphisdoctoral
researchonpunishment.Certainprisoners,itwasrumoured,
didn'trespondtopunishment,andHarewenttothefederal
penitentiaryinNewWestminster,BritishColumbia,tofind
theseextremecases.(Hefoundplenty.Inhischilling1993
bookonpsychopathy,WithoutConscience:TheDisturbing
WorldofthePsychopathsAmongUs,hequotesonespecimen's
memories:"[M]ymother,themostbeautifulpersoninthe
world.Shewasstrong,sheworkedhardtotakecareoffour
kids.Abeautifulperson.IstartedstealingherjewellerywhenI
wasinthefifthgrade.Youknow,Ineverreallyknewthebitch
wewentourseparateways.")
Forhisfirstpaper,nowaclassic,Harehadhissubjectswatcha
countdowntimer.Whenitreachedzero,theygota"harmless
butpainful"electricshockwhileanelectrodetapedtotheir
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fingersmeasuredperspiration.Normalpeoplewouldstart
sweatingasthecountdownproceeded,nervouslyanticipating
theshock.Psychopathsdidn'tsweat.Theydidn'tfear
punishmentwhich,presumably,alsoholdstrueoutsidethe
laboratory.InWithoutConscience,hequotesapsychopathic
rapistexplainingwhyhefindsithardtoempathizewithhis
victims:"Theyarefrightened,right?But,yousee,Idon'treally
understandit.I'vebeenfrightenedmyself,anditwasn't
unpleasant."
InanotherHarestudy,groupsofletterswereflashedto
volunteers.Someofthemwerenonsense,someformedreal
words.Thesubject'sjobwastopressabuttonwheneverhe
recognizedarealword,whileHarerecordedresponsetimeand
brainactivity.Nonpsychopathsrespondfasteranddisplay
morebrainactivitywhenprocessingemotionallyloadedwords
suchas"rape"or"cancer"thanwhentheyseeneutralwords
suchas"tree."Withpsychopaths,Harefoundnodifference.To
them,"rape"and"tree"havethesameemotionalimpact
none.
Haremadeanotherintriguingdiscoverybyobservingthehand
gestures(calledbeats)peoplemakewhilespeaking.Research
hasshownthatsuchgesturesdomorethanaddvisual
emphasistoourwords(manypeoplegesturewhilethey'reon
thetelephone,forexample)itseemstheyactuallyhelpour
brainsfindwords.That'swhythefrequencyofbeatsincreases
whensomeoneishavingtroublefindingwords,orisspeakinga
secondlanguageinsteadofhisorhermothertongue.Ina
1991paper,Hareandhiscolleaguesreportedthat
psychopaths,especiallywhentalkingaboutthingstheyshould
findemotional,suchastheirfamilies,produceahigher
frequencyofbeatsthannormalpeople.It'sasifemotional
languageisasecondlanguageaforeignlanguage,ineffect
tothepsychopath.
Threedecadesofthesestudies,byHareandothers,has
confirmedthatpsychopaths'brainsworkdifferentlyfromours,
especiallywhenprocessingemotionandlanguage.Hareonce
illustratedthisforNicoleKidman,whohadinvitedhimto
Hollywoodtohelpherprepareforaroleasapsychopathin
Malice.How,shewondered,couldsheshowtheaudiencethere
wassomethingfundamentallywrongwithhercharacter?
"Isaid,'Here'sascenethatyoucanuse,'"Haresays."'You're
walkingdownastreetandthere'sanaccident.Acarhashita
childinthecrosswalk.Acrowdofpeoplegatherround.You
walkup,thechild'slyingonthegroundandthere'sblood
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runningallovertheplace.Yougetalittlebloodonyourshoes
andyoulookdownandsay,"Ohshit."Youlookoveratthe
child,kindofinterested,butyou'renotrepelledorhorrified.
You'rejustinterested.Thenyoulookatthemother,andyou're
reallyfascinatedbythemother,who'semoting,cryingout,
doingallthesedifferentthings.Afterafewminutesyouturn
awayandgobacktoyourhouse.Yougointothebathroomand
practicemimickingthefacialexpressionsofthemother.'"He
thenpausesandsays,"That'sthepsychopath:somebodywho
doesn'tunderstandwhat'sgoingonemotionally,but
understandsthatsomethingimportanthashappened."
Hare'sresearchupsetalotofpeople.Untilthepsychopath
cameintofocus,itwaspossibletobelievethatbadpeoplewere
justgoodpeoplewithbadparentsorchildhoodtraumaand
that,withcare,youcouldtalkthembackintobeinggood.
Hare'sresearchsuggestedthatsomepeoplebehavedbadly
evenwhentherehadbeennoearlytrauma.Moreover,since
psychopaths'brainswereinfundamentalwaysdifferentfrom
ours,talkingthemintobeinglikeusmightnotbeeasy.Indeed,
tothisday,noonehasfoundawaytodoso.
"Someofthethingshewassayingabouttheseindividuals,it
wasunheardof,"saysDr.StevenStein,apsychologistandceo
ofMultiHealthSystemsinToronto,thepublisherofthe
PsychopathyChecklist."Nobodybelievedhimthirtyyearsago,
butBobhasn'twavered,andnoweveryone'swhereheis.
Everyone'scomefullcircle,exceptasmallgroupwhobelieve
it'sbadupbringing,familypoverty,thosekindsoffactors,even
thoughscientificevidencehasshownthat'snotthecase.There
arewealthypsychopathswho'vedonehorrendousthings,and
theywerebroughtupinwonderfulfamilies."
"There'sstillalotofoppositionsomecriminologists,
sociologists,andpsychologistsdon'tlikepsychopathyatall,"
Haresays."Icanspendtheentiredaygoingthroughthe
literatureit'soverwhelming,andunlessyou'resemibrain
deadyou'restunnedbyitbutalotofpeoplecomeoutof
thereandsay,'Sowhat?Psychopathyisamythological
construct.'Theyhavepoliticalandsocialagendas:'Peopleare
inherentlygood,'theysay.'Justgivethemahug,apuppydog,
andamusicalinstrumentandthey'reallgoingtobeokay.'"
IfHaresoundsalittlebitter,it'sbecauseadecadeago,
CorrectionalServiceofCanadaaskedhimtodesigna
treatmentprogramforpsychopaths,butjustafterhesubmitted
theplanin1992,therewerepersonnelchangesatthetopof
CSC.Thenewteamhadadifferentagenda,whichHare
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summarizesas,"Wedon'tbelieveinthebadnessofpeople."
Hisplansankwithoutatrace.
Bythelate1970s,afterfifteenyearsinthebusiness,BobHare
knewwhathewaslookingforwhenitcametopsychopaths.
Theyexhibitaclusterofdistinctivepersonalitytraits,themost
significantofwhichisanutterlackofconscience.Theyalso
havehugeegos,shorttempers,andanappetiteforexcitement
adangerousmix.Inatypicalprisonpopulation,about20
percentoftheinmatessatisfytheHaredefinitionofa
psychopath,buttheyareresponsibleforoverhalfofallviolent
crime.
Theresearchcommunity,Harerealized,lackedastandard
definition."Ifoundthatwewerealltalkingadifferent
language,wewereondifferentdiagnosticpages,andIdecided
thatwehadtohavesomecommoninstrument,"hesays."The
PCLRwasreallydesignedtomakeiteasiertopublisharticles
andtoletjournaleditorsandreviewersknowwhatImeantby
psychopathy."
ThePsychopathyChecklistconsistsofasetofformsanda
manualthatdescribesindetailhowtoscoreasubjectintwenty
categoriesthatdefinepsychopathy.Ishe(or,morerarely,she)
glibandsuperficiallycharming,callousandwithoutempathy?
Doeshehaveagrandiosesenseofselfworth,shallow
emotions,alackofremorseorguilt?Isheimpulsive,
irresponsible,promiscuous?Didhehavebehaviouralproblems
earlyinlife?Theinformationforeachcategorymustbe
carefullydrawnfromdocumentssuchascourttranscripts,
policereports,psychologists'reports,andvictimimpact
statements,andnotsolelyfromaninterview,since
psychopathsaresuperbliars("pathologicallying"and
"conning/manipulative"arePCLRcategories).Aprisonermay
claimtolovehisfamily,forexample,whilehisrecordsshowno
visitsorphonecalls.
Foreachitem,assessorspsychologistsorpsychiatrists
assignascoreofzero(theitemdoesn'tapply),one(theitem
appliesinsomerespects),ortwo(theitemappliesinmost
respects).Themaximumpossiblescoreisforty,andthe
boundaryforclinicalpsychopathyhoversaroundthirty.Last
year,theaveragescoreforallincarceratedmaleoffendersin
NorthAmericawas23.3.Hareguesseshisownscorewouldbe
aboutfourorfive.
In1980,Hare'sinitialchecklistbegancirculatinginthe
researchcommunity,anditquicklybecamethestandard.At
lastcountnearly500papersand150doctoraldissertationshad
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beenbasedonit.
It'salsofoundpracticalapplicationsinpolicesquadrooms.
Soonafterhedeliveredakeynotespeechataconferencefor
homicidedetectivesandprosecutingattorneysinSeattlethree
yearsago,Haregotaletterthankinghimforhelpingsolvea
seriesofhomicides.Thepolicehadasuspectnailedfora
coupleofmurders,butbelievedhewasresponsibleforothers.
Theywereusingtheusualstrategytogetaconfession,telling
him,'Thinkhowmuchbetteryou'llfeel,thinkofthefamilies
leftbehind,'andsoon.Afterthey'dheardHarespeakthey
realizedtheyweredealingwithapsychopath,someonewho
couldfeelneitherguiltnorsorrow.Theychangedtheir
interrogationtacticto,"Soyoumurderedacoupleof
prostitutes.That'sminorleaguecomparedtoBundyorGacy."
Theappealtothepsychopath'sgrandiosityworked.Hedidn't
justconfesstohisothercrimes,hebraggedaboutthem.
ThemoststartlingfindingtoemergefromHare'sworkisthat
thepopularimageofthepsychopathasaremorseless,smiling
killerPaulBernardo,CliffordOlson,JohnWayneGacy
whilenotwrong,isincomplete.Yes,almostallserialkillers,
andmostofCanada'sdangerousoffenders,arepsychopaths,
butviolentcriminalsarejustatinyfractionofthepsychopaths
aroundus.Hareestimatesthat1percentofthepopulation
300,000peopleinCanadaarepsychopaths.
Hecallsthem"subclinical"psychopaths.They'rethecharming
predatorswho,unabletoformrealemotionalbonds,findand
usevulnerablewomenforsexandmoney(andinevitably
abandonthem).They'retheconmenlikeChristophe
Rocancourt,andthey'rethestockbrokersandpromoterswho
causedForbesmagazinetocalltheVancouverStockExchange
(nowpartoftheCanadianVentureExchange)thescamcapital
oftheworld.(Harehassaidthatifhecouldn'tstudy
psychopathsinprisons,theVancouverStockExchangewould
havebeenhissecondchoice.)Asignificantproportionof
persistentwifebeaters,andpeoplewhohaveunprotectedsex
despitecarryingtheAIDSvirus,arepsychopaths.Psychopaths
canbefoundinlegislatures,hospitals,andusedcarlots.
They'reyourneighbour,yourboss,andyourblinddate.
Becausetheyhavenoconscience,they'renaturalpredators.If
youdidn'thaveaconscience,you'dbeonetoo.
Psychopathslovechaosandhaterules,sothey'recomfortable
inthefastmovingmoderncorporation.Dr.PaulBabiak,an
industrialorganizationalpsychologistbasednearNewYork
City,isintheprocessofwritingabookwithBobHarecalled
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WhenPsychopathsGotoWork:Cons,Bulliesandthe
Puppetmaster.Thesubtitlereferstothethreebroadclassesof
psychopathsBabiakhasencounteredintheworkplace.
"Theconmanworksoneonone,"saysBabiak."They'llgo
afterawoman,marryher,takehermoney,thenmoveonand
marrysomeoneelse.Thepuppetmasterwouldmanipulate
somebodytogetatsomeoneelse.Thistypeismorepowerful
becausethey'rehidden."Babiaksayspsychopathshavethree
motivations:thrillseeking,thepathologicaldesiretowin,and
theinclinationtohurtpeople."They'lljumponanyopportunity
thatallowsthemtodothosethings,"hesays."Ifsomething
bettercomesalong,they'lldropyouandmoveon."
Howcanyoutellifyourbossisapsychopath?It'snoteasy,
saysBabiak."Theyhavetraitssimilartoidealleaders.You
wouldexpectanidealleadertobenarcissistic,selfcentred,
dominant,veryassertive,maybetothepointofbeing
aggressive.Thosethingscaneasilybemistakenforthe
aggressionandbullyingthatapsychopathwoulddemonstrate.
Theabilitytogetpeopletofollowyouisaleadershiptrait,but
beingcharismatictothepointofmanipulatingpeopleisa
psychopathictrait.Theycansometimesbeconfused."
Onceinsideacompany,psychopathscanbehardtoexcise.
BabiaktellsofasalespersonandpsychopathcallhimJohn
whowasperformingbadlybutnotsufferingforit.Johnwas
managinghisbossflatteringhim,takinghimoutfordrinks,
flyingtohissidewhenhewasintrouble.Inreturn,hisboss
coveredforhimbyhidingJohn'spoorperformance.The
arrangementlasteduntilJohn'sbosswasmoved.Whenhis
replacementcalledJohntotaskforhisabysmalsalesnumbers,
Johnwasastepahead.
He'dalreadygonetothecompanypresidentwithasetoffacts
heusedtoarguethathisnewboss,andnothe,shouldbe
fired.Buthemadeacrucialmistake."Itwasactuallystolen
data,"Babiaksays."Theonlyway[John]couldhaveobtainedit
wouldbeforhimtohavegoneintoafileintowhichnoonewas
supposedtogo.Thatseemedtobeenough,andhewasfired
ratherthantheboss.Evenso,intheend,hewalkedoutwitha
companycar,abagofmoney,andagoodreference."
"Alotofwhitecollarcriminalsarepsychopaths,"saysBob
Hare."Buttheyflourishbecausethecharacteristicsthatdefine
thedisorderareactuallyvalued.Whentheygetcaught,what
happens?Aslaponthewrist,asixmonthbanfromtrading,
anddon'tgiveusthe$100millionback.I'vealwayslookedat
whitecollarcrimeasbeingasbadorworsethansomeofthe
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physicallyviolentcrimesthatarecommitted."
Thebestwaytoprotecttheworkplaceisnottohire
psychopathsinthefirstplace.Thatmeanstraininginterviewers
sothey'relesslikelytobemanipulatedandconned.Itmeans
checkingresumsforliesanddistortions,anditmeans
followingupreferences.
PaulBabiaksayshe's"notcomfortable"withoneresearcher's
estimatethatoneintenexecutivesisapsychopath,buthehas
noticedthattheyareattractedtopositionsofpower.Whenhe
describesemployeessuchasJohntootherexecutives,they
knowexactlywhomhe'stalkingabout."Iwastalkingtoa
groupofhumanresourcesexecutivesyesterday,"saysBabiak,
"andeveryoneofthemsaid,youknow,IthinkI'vegot
somebodylikethat."
Bynow,you'reprobablythinkingthesamething.Thenumber
ofpsychopathsinsocietyisaboutthesameasthenumberof
schizophrenics,butunlikeschizophrenics,psychopathsaren't
loners.Thatmeansmostofushavemetorwillmeetone.Hare
getsdozensoflettersandemailmessageseverymonthfrom
peoplewhosaytheyrecognizesomeonetheyknowwhile
readingWithoutConscience.Theygoontodescribeabrother,
asister,ahusband."'Pleasehelpmyseventeenyearoldson.
...'"Harereadsaloudfromonesuchmissive."It'saheart
rendingletter,butwhatcanIdo?I'mnotaclinician.Ihave
hundredsofthesethings,andsomeofthemarethirtyorforty
pageslong."
Hare'sbookopenedmyeyes,too.Readingit,IrealizedthatI
mighthaveknownapsychopath,Jonathan,atthecomputer
companywhereIworkedinLondon,England,overtwenty
yearsago.Hewascharmingandconfident,andfromthe
momenthearrivedhewasonexcellenttermswiththe
executiveinnercircle.Jonathanhadbigplansandpromisedme
thatIwasabigpartofthem.OnenightwhenIwasalonein
theoffice,Jonathanappeared,accompaniedbywhatanyone
shouldhaverecognizedastwoprostitutes."Thesearetwo
highrankingstafffromtheMinistryofDefence,"hesaid
withoutmissingabeat."We'regoingoverthedetailsofa
contract,whichI'mafraidisclassifiedtopsecret.You'llhaveto
leavethebuilding."Hisvoiceandeyeswereabsolutely
persuasiveandIcomplied.AfewweekslaterJonathanwas
arrested.Hehadembezzledtensofthousandsofpoundsfrom
thesmallfirm,usedthecompanyasamailingaddressfora
marijuanaimportingbusinesshewasrunningontheside,and
robbedtheapartmentofthecompany'sowner,whowasletting
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himstaytheretemporarily.
Likeeveryonewhohasbeensuckeredbyapsychopathand
BobHareincludeshimselfandmanyofhisgraduatestudents
(whohavebeentrainedtospotthem)inthatlistI'm
ashamedthatIfellforJonathan.Buthewasbrilliant,
charismatic,andaudacious.Heradiatedmoneyandpower
(thoughinfacthehadneither),whilehisrealself
manipulative,lying,parasitic,andirresponsiblewasjustfar
enoughunderhissurfacetobeinvisible.Orwasit?MaybeI
didn'tknowhowtolook,ormaybeIdidn'treallywantto.
Isawhisnameinthenewsagainrecently."Aconmantricked
topsportscarmakersLotusintolendinghima70,000model.
..thenstoleitanddrove6,000milesacrossEurope,acourt
heard,"thestorybegan.
KnowingJonathanisprobablyapsychopathmakesmefeel
better.It'sanexplanation.
Butawayfromtheworkplace,backintheworldofthe
criminallyviolentpsychopath,Hare'schecklisthasbecome
broadlyknown,sobroadlyknown,infact,thatitisnowa
constantsourceofconcernforhim."Peoplearemisusingit,
andthey'remisusingitinreallystrangeways,"Haresays.
"Therearelotsofclinicianswhodon'tevenhaveamanual.All
they'veseenisanarticlewiththetwentyitemspromiscuity,
impulsiveness,andsoforthlisted."
Incourt,assessmentsofthesamepersondonebydefenceand
prosecution"experts"havevariedbyasmuchastwentypoints.
Suchdrasticdifferencesarealmostcertainlytheresultofbias
orincompetence,sinceresearchonthePCLRitselfhasshown
ithashigh"interraterreliability"(consistentresultswhena
subjectisassessedbymorethanonequalifiedassessor).In
onecourtcase,itwasusedtolabelathirteenyearolda
psychopath,eventhoughthePCLRtestisonlymeanttobe
usedtorateadultswithcriminalhistories.Thetestshouldbe
administeredonlybymentalhealthprofessionals(likeallsuch
psychologicalinstruments,itisonlyforsaletothosewith
credentials),butasocialworkeronceusedthePCLRin
testimonyinadeathpenaltycasenotbecauseshewas
qualifiedbutbecauseshethoughtitwas"interesting."
Itshouldn'tbeusedindeathpenaltycasesatall,Haresays,
butU.S.FederalDistrictCourtshaveruleditadmissible
becauseitmeetsscientificstandards.
"Bobandotherslikemyselfaresayingitdoesn'tmeetthe
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ethicalstandards,"saysDr.HenryRichards,apsychopathy
researcherattheUniversityofWashington."Apsychological
instrumentanddiagnosisshouldnotbeadeterminantof
whethersomeonegetsthedeathsentence.That'smoreofan
ethicalandpoliticaldecision."
Andintotheethicalandpoliticalrealmtherealmof
extrapolation,ofspeculation,ofopinionHarewillnotstep.
He'sbeenaskedtobeaguestonOprah(twice),60Minutes,
andLarryKingLive.Oprahwantedhimalongsideapsychopath
andhisvictim."Isaid,'Thisisacircus,'"Haresays."Icouldn't
dothat."60Minutesalsowantedto"makeitsexy"bythrowing
reallivepsychopathsintothemix.LarryKingLivephonedhim
athomewhileO.J.Simpsonwasrollingdownthefreewayin
hiswhiteBronco.Haresaysnoeverytime(whilehispublisher
gentlyweeps).
Eveninhisparticulararea,Hareisunfailinglycircumspect.
Askedifhethinkstherewilleverbeacureforpsychopathya
drug,anoperationHarestepsbackandexaminesthe
question."Thepsychopathwillsay'Acureforwhat?'Idon't
feelcomfortablecallingitadisease.Muchoftheirbehaviour,
eventheneurobiologicalpatternsweobserve,couldbe
becausethey'reusingdifferentstrategiestogetaroundthe
world.Thesestrategiesdon'thavetoinvolvefaultywiring,just
differentwiring."
Arethesepeoplequalitativelydifferentfromus?"Iwouldthink
yes,"saysHare."Dotheyformadiscretetaxonorcategory?I
wouldsayprobablytheevidenceissuggestingthat.Butdoes
thismeanthat'sbecausetheyhaveabrokenmotor?Idon't
know.Itcouldbeanaturalvariation."Truesaints,completely
selflessindividuals,arerareandunnaturaltoo,hepointsout,
butwedon'ttalkabouttheirbeingdiseased.
Psychopathyresearchisraisingmorequestionsthanitcan
answer,andmanyofthemareleadingtomoralandethical
quagmires.Forexample:thePCLRhasturnedouttobethe
bestsinglepredictorofrecidivismthathaseverexistedan
offenderwithahighPCLRscoreisthreeorfourtimesmore
likelytoreoffendthansomeonewithalowscore.Shouldahigh
PCLRscore,then,besufficientgroundsfordenyingparole?Or
perhapsapsychopathytestcouldbeusedtopreventcrimeby
screeningindividualsorgroupsathighriskforexample,
whenpolicegetafrantic"Myboyfriendsayshe'llkillme"call,
orwhenateacherreportsastudentthreateningtocommit
violence.Shouldsocietyinstitutionalizepsychopaths,evenif
theyhaven'tbrokenthelaw?
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1/24/2016

PsychopathsAmongUs,byRobertHercz

TheUnitedKingdom,partlyinresponsetothe1993abduction
andmurderoftwoyearoldJamesBulgerbytwotenyearolds,
andpartlyinresponsetoPCLRdata,isintheprocessof
creatinganewlegalclassificationcalledDangerousandSevere
PersonalityDisorder(DSPD).Asitstands,thegovernment
proposestoallowauthoritiestodetainpeopledeclaredDSPD,
eveniftheyhavenotcommittedacrime.(Sampletextfrom
oneoftheWebsitesthathavesprungupinresponse:"Iwas
diagnosedwithanuntreatablepersonalitydisorderbyadoctor
whosawmefortenminutes,helaterclaimedIwasa
psychopath....Pleasedon'tletthemdothistomedon'tlet
themdoittoanybody.I'mnotadangertothepublic,norare
mostmentallyillpeople.")
HareisaconsultantontheDSPDproject,andfindsthe
potentialforabuseofpowerhorrifying.Sodoscientistssuchas
Dr.RichardTees,headofpsychologyatUBC,acolleagueof
Hare'ssince1965."Iamconcernedaboutourpoliticalmasters
decidingthatthePCLRisthesilverbulletthat'sgoingtofix
everything,"hesays."We'llletpeopleout[ofprison]onthe
basisofscoresonthis,andwe'llputthemin.Andwe'lltake
childrenwhodobadlyonsomeversionofthisandsegregate
themorsomething.Itwasn'tdesignedtodoanyofthese
things.Theproblemsthatpoliticiansaretryingtosolveare
fundamentallymorecomplicatedthantheonethatBobhas
solved."
Somanyoftheseawkwardquestionswouldvanishifonlythere
wereafunctioningtreatmentprogramforpsychopathy.But
thereisn't.Infact,severalstudieshaveshownthatexisting
treatmentmakescriminalpsychopathsworse.Inone,
psychopathswhounderwentsocialskillsandanger
managementtrainingbeforereleasehadan82percent
reconvictionrate.Psychopathswhodidn'ttaketheprogram
hada59percentreconvictionrate.Conventional
psychotherapystartswiththeassumptionthatapatientwants
tochange,butpsychopathsareusuallyperfectlyhappyasthey
are.Theyenrolinsuchprogramstoimprovetheirchancesof
parole."Theseguyslearnthewordsbutnotthemusic,"Hare
says."Theycanrepeatallthepsychiatricjargon'Ifeel
remorse,'theytalkabouttheoffencecyclebuttheseare
words,hollowwords."
Harehascodevelopedanewtreatmentprogramspecifically
forviolentpsychopaths,usingwhatheknowsaboutthe
psychopathicpersonality.Theideaistoencouragethemtobe
betterbyappealingnottotheir(nonexistent)altruismbutto
their(abundant)selfinterest.
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1/24/2016

PsychopathsAmongUs,byRobertHercz

"It'snotdesignedtochangepersonality,buttomodify
behaviourby,amongotherthings,convincingthemthatthere
arewaystheycangetwhattheywantwithoutharmingothers,"
Hareexplains.Theprogramwilltrytomakethemunderstand
thatviolenceisbad,notforsociety,butforthepsychopath
himself.(Lookwhereitgotyou:jail.)Asimilarprogramwill
soonbeputinplaceforpsychopathicoffendersintheUK.
"TheironyisthatCanadacouldhavehadthisallsetupand
theycouldhavebeenleadersintheworld.Buttheydropped
theballcompletely,"Haresays,referringtohisdecadeold
treatmentproposal,sittingonashelfsomewherewithin
CorrectionsCanada.
EvenifHare'streatmentprogramworks,itwillonlyaddress
theviolentminorityofpsychopaths.Whataboutthemajority,
thesubclinicalpsychopathsmillingallaroundus?Atthe
moment,theonlythingHareandhiscolleaguescanofferis
selfprotectionthroughselfeducation.Knowyourown
weaknesses,theyadvise,becausethepsychopathwillfindand
usethem.Learntorecognizethepsychopath,theytellus,
beforeaddingthatevenexpertsareregularlytakenin.
Afterthirtyfiveyearsofwork,BobHarehasbroughtustothe
stagewhereweknowwhatpsychopathyis,howmuchdamage
psychopathsdo,andevenhowtoidentifythem.Butwedon't
knowhowtotreatthemorprotectthepopulationfromthem.
Therealworkisjustbeginning.Solvingthepuzzleofthe
psychopathisaninvigoratingprospectifyou'reascientist.
Perhapstherestofuscanbeforgivenforourimpatiencetosee
thewholethingcometoanend.
2001RobertHercz.Usedwithpermission.

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