Sociopath or Sociopaths; Psychopath or Psychopaths (also known as Antisocial Personality Disorder): A website about the sociopath or psychopath, also known as sociopathic or psychopathic personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder.
This website includes selected, related articles about the sociopath or sociopathic (or psychopathic) personality disorder, research on the effect on society by sociopathic behaviour, and useful resources and references, including various links.
Although he deliberately cheats others and is quite conscious of his lies, he appears unable to distinguish adequately between his own pseudointentions, pseudoremorse, pseudolove, and the genuine responses of a normal person.
Apparently blocked from fulfillment at deep levels, the psychopath is not unnaturally pushed toward some sort of divertissement. Even weak impulses, petty and fleeting gratifications, are sufficient to produce in him injudicious, distasteful, and even outlandish misbehavior.
Hervey Cleckley, The Mask of Sanity
.. . . a person lacking eros (love) can be charming . . . the presence of eros makes life difficult for people . . . Eros means caring, and if someone cares for whatever or whoever it may be, worries, nervousness, even neurotic tensions can be the result. Loving persons are seldom cool and relaxed, but people suffering from a deficient eros are unconcerned and so do not worry; often they are very relaxed and easy-going.
Relationships (for psychopaths) are things of the moment . . . their motto seem(s) to be "Out of sight, out of mind."
Adolph Guggenbuhl-Craig, The Emptied Soul.
Callous, deceitful, reckless, guiltless . . . The psychopath understands the wishes and concerns of others; he simply does not care . . . The psychopath believes that rules and morals are for other, weaker people who obey because they fear punishment . . . No matter how bright, and a psychopath is often very bright, he rarely maintains a regular job . . . he may have an ingratiating manner and superficial charm, be persuasive, poised . . . Lying, evasiveness, feigned forgetfulness, vague and inconsistent answers about his past . . .
Dr. David B. Adams
You can't "negotiate" or bargain with psychopaths.
Dr. William Higgins.
This website is dedicated in memory of my late father and crime writer Jack Olsen.
If you've visited this website in the past, you may have noticed some changes.
A brief summation of this website is that it has changed in scope because I have tried presenting alternative research regarding psychopathy, rather than give a stereotypical, one-sided viewpoint.
In truth, psychopathy knows no boundaries.
First of all, it is found among all social classes. Such character disordered people are not only the charming con men and dangerous gold diggers that Dr. Hare warns us about, not only are they the lower-class, drunken, drug abusing "sociopaths" which Dr. Black writes about, they are also people who hold high positions in society, as Jungian author Guggenbuhl-Craig has said, because those who cannot love want power.
Some may disagree, but it has been well known that the socially adept psychopath, while his personal life may lie in disarray, is not incapable of reaching the heights of power (Hitler was a very good example of this). Hervey Cleckley also wrote about the socially adept psychopath in great detail.
Only as of late, with all the Enron scandals and related crimes, people are waking up to the fact that the most dangerous psychopath of all is the educated, socially adept psychopath, in fact, Dr. Hare recently said that he would probably be able to find many psychopaths involved in the stockmarket. It is time for American to "wake up" says Dr. Wolman, because we are being threatened by a serious epidemic of psychopathy.
In addition, the majority of psychopaths (4% of the population, although some think this is a modest estimate) are not just serial killers or greedy, cut-throat CEOs, but many are abrasive personalities who enjoy making life difficult for others. These psychopaths enjoy controlling others and "winning," and creating an environment of hostility and bitterness.
As a result of all the contradictions within the subject of psychopathy, I leave it up to you, the reader, to investigate the various links I've included below.
The Psychopath's Bible has plenty of insights about how to "wreak chaos" and destroy people. From a review by Alex Burns regarding the book
The Psychopath's Bible
, written by psychotherapist Christopher Hyatt.
Recommended Literature:
The Sociopath Next Door This is a new book coming out in February of 2005. A brief summary reads: "We think of sociopaths as criminals in prison or as dictators of Middle Eastern or Latin American countries, but in fact sociopaths are often the petty tyrants in our lives--high school teachers, cheating spouses, your awful boss. The 4% of ordinary people who have no conscience--no capacity to feel shame, guilt, or remorse--can do absolutely anything to other people without ever feeling guilty . . . These sociopaths learn early on to show sham emotion, but underneath they are cold as a snake and live to dominate and win. THE SOCIOPATH NEXT DOOR is about recognizing sociopaths. What is their behavior like? What goes on in their minds?"
PEOPLE OF THE LIE This book is not exactly about psychopathic personalities, or so the author claims, yet I would encourage everyone to read this book, because of of the insights Scott Peck has about what he calls the "evil" person.
The Gift of Fear The gift of fear protects us, instinctually, from those who may cause us harm. Learn why it is important to trust in your instints, and the gift of fear.
The Emptied Soul Guggenbuhl-Craig gives an explanation of the main symptoms of psychopathy, suggests an approach to treatment, and also exposes the successful psychopath in business, professions, and politics, revealing that plenty who walk among us are often those who hold high positions in society, what he calls compensated psychopaths.
Violent Attachments Meloy's brilliant foray into the twisted relationships between psychopaths and the women who love them. This is a more clinical type of book, but still makes for very interesting reading.
The Criminal Mind
Antisocial Behavior Dr. Wolman believes that our society is already showing evidence of an "epidemic of sociopaths" and says he wrote his book as a "wake up call."
Without Conscience The classic book by Dr. Hare. A must read.
Bad Boys, Bad Men An excerpt from Dr. Black's book states, "whether called black sheep, sociopaths, felons, con men, or misfits, some men break all the rules. They shirk everyday responsibilities, abuse drugs and alcohol, take up criminal careers, and lash out at family members . . . What makes these men--men we all know, whether as faces in the news or as people close to us--behave the way they do?" Also includes a section on how to deal with the psychopath in your life.
I: The Creation of a Serial Killer Jack Olsen's last book. Olsen is reknown for writing books about psychopaths.
Highly recommended links (more to be added in the near future):
The Psychopath In Film and Literature These are the best-known films depicting the psychopath in various forms: violent and/or predatory; covetous; malicious; also includes a short list of films depicting "societial" psychopathic behaviour.
Dangerous, Undiagnosed, and In Your Life: The Psychopathic Personality A work-in-progress about the psychopathic personality.
Antisocial or Psychopathic Behaviour Research about sociopath (psychopathic) behaviour and its impact on society.
From "A discussion with Adolf Guggenbuhl-Craig & James Hillman about Psychopaths" An excellent discussion with Jungian author of The Emptied Soul about the psychopath and "low neuroticism."
Inside The Criminal Mind These are some ideas from Dr. Samenow's book which contradicts the sociological theory that psychopaths are "created." I highly suggest that everyone read a copy of this book. It is a must read.
Psychopathy: A Basic Definition and Major Traits A page with a basic but essentially useful definitions and facts about psychopathy.
Quotes About Psychopathy These are selected excerpts from my previous, more extensive site which I thought might be informative.
Symptoms of Psychopathy A list of symptoms by Adolf Guggenbuhl-Craig.
Hare's Psychopathy Checklist Dr. Robert Hare's well-known and implemented Psychopathy Checklist.
Psychopathy Checklist Another checklist of psychopathic indicators.
Spotting the Antisocial Personality Another checklist of traits obtained from various sources with characteristics found to be highly relevant.
Compensated Psychopaths The Compensated Psychopath, by Adolf-Guggenbuhl-Craig.
An American Obsession . . . The Psychopath NEW link.
Psychopath - Early Warning Web Page NEW link.
The Alpha Male: Romantic Sociopath . . . NEW link.
The Hidden Suffering of the Psychopath An interesting yet controversial article.
Psychopaths as Cult Leaders, Dictators, Gurus, and Tyrants These are individuals whose narcissism is so extreme and grandiose that they exist in a kind of splendid isolation in which the creation of the grandiose self takes precedence over legal, moral or interpersonal commitments.
The Cyberpath Exploitation is easier to accomplish on-line. The level of exploitation is all over the place. Clearly the most dangerous are the Cyberpaths.
The Psychopath: The Mask of Sanity For those who missed the older version of this website, you can find much of my past writing within this article.
The Inner Landscape of The Psychopath From: The Mask of Sanity, by Hervey Cleckley, 5th edition. Excellent reading.
Are You Involved With A Psychopath? "I have known several psychopaths in my life..." writes Dr. Michael Conner; ". . .Are you involved with a psychopath? You may not know because they can be very charming and friendly until you get close and disappoint them."
The Psychopathic Personality Dr. Conner writes, "Psychopathic personalities are much more common than most of us realize."
Internet Dating: Risks and Hazards I read that this website was featured on television not too long ago, and I highly recommend it. Before you get involved with someone from America Online or the internet, please read this.
A Letter to the Future Professor Chris Crittenden writes, Do not honor our leaders, our military "geniuses," our captains of industry; they represent the most selfish faction among us. Many are sociopaths and the rest are mostly so; how else could they go through life choosing mass murder and oppression for greedy purpose?
Inequality.Org "We can either have democracy in this country or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." (Louis Brandeis)
"The Lost Inheritance" by Rob Morton Rob Morton has some very good points to make, as well as a good argument against Capitalism.
Essay by social philosopher Geoffrey Hill According to Hill, our culture is enveloped in a morass of selfishness and narcissism, two hallmarks of a psychopathic society.
Essay by Alexis Dolgorukii Alexis has concluded that America is also a psychopathic society, and that "the data bases of our citizens are remarkable empty, shallow, superficial, and worst of all, very small."
For more essays by Dolgorukii regarding America "The Psychopathic Society", please see the following link.
Psychopathy and Consumerism An interview with Dr. E.T. Barker, who warns us about the compensated or "partial psychopaths."
Psychopaths and The American Dream Includes an excellent analysis of The Corporate Psychopath.
Article from CrimeLibrary Yet another article explaining why psychopaths "make successful businessmen or world leaders."
Essay by Stevie Redfield on the BPD Myth Abuse against women -- the stigmatization of Borderline Personality Disorder.
Article by Dr. Plasker Dr. Plasker believes that drugging people up with psychotropic medications is the evil invention of "psychopathic geniuses."
America's Opium War against Its Own Children Abusing children and using them as guinea pigs per drug companies, HMOS, and even the APA.
Prozac Backlash Literature for those interested in the anti-drug movement within psychiatry, and why some are vehemently against the prescription of anti-depressants and psychotropic drugs.
The Great Con An excellent site which is geared towards halting abuse, also containing information on the psychopathic personality.
Romeo's Bleeding The author of this long article about sociopathic, narcissistic, and/or borderline abusers reveals an incredibly precise insight about the human psyche.
The Flying Free Netring is the main route to many other closely related sites.
The Safety Zone A highly recommended support group for victims. After several years of investigation into various internet support groups for victims, this is the only one that I would personally recommend. I would warn readers, however, that I cannot vouch for any of the other groups due to my findings and observations.
Mental Health Directory's Antisocial Web Site Links
Compensated Psychopaths - Socially Dangerous Partial Psychopaths Intro Check out internetidiot.net to help others learn about psychopathy, which can be hard to explain.
The Psychopath Excellent, highly recommended information.