When we picture a sociopath in our head, we often conjure up dangerous people like Ted Bundy or the Silence of the Lamb character Hanibal Lector. But sociopathy—or antisocial personality disorder (ASP)—exists on a spectrum, and certainly not all sociopaths are killers. And of the estimated 3.8% of Americans that meet the condition’s diagnostic criteria, most are men. Odds are long then that you might've fallen for a sociopath. But if you did, what are the feasons you fell for a … [Read more...]
A Sadistic or Psychopathic Personality – the Difference.
Mark Travers** has written an article about the whether someone is a sadistic or psychopathic personality. Here's the gist of it; Sadistic or Psychopathic Personality "Dark personalities come in different shades. Here’s how to discern various maladaptive personality types. For most people, the term “bad guy” is sufficient to describe the suite of personality traits that can put us on “high psychological alert.” But, for psychologists, that’s just a starting point. Terms such as … [Read more...]
The new Frida Kahlo. Are Appearances Deceiving?
If my prior post showed skepticism about the latest self-reinvention of Paris Hilton, then this post is different. I invite you to learn about the private life of well-respected Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. After you learn some of the against-type characteristics of the artist's personal life, reflect on whether Kahlo’s unconventional life seems more real and honest than Hilton’s. BTW, search my website for other posts about "appearances being deceiving," like my blog about President … [Read more...]
Insanity in the courtroom: detecting Fakery – Part II
This blog is a continuation of last month's blog about insanity in court cases.A number of years ago, a New York courtroom tried Pedro Hernandez for the murder of Etan Patz who was one of the first missing children to be featured on a milk carton. The defendant said at one point that he put Etan inside a plastic bag and then inside a box and left him a block away from his home in an alleyway with some trash. He said the child was still alive when he abandoned him. He also denied that he had … [Read more...]
Insanity in court cases: Test, Fakery – Part I
As I worked on the footnotes for my soon-to-published Privileged Killers, I wondered how much the insanity test had changed recently. The case I write about in my book, one among a few homicides, showed how a killer got off easy using a mental illness defense. So, insanity is on my mind. In fact, I recently blogged about the speculation that Bryan Kohberger, the suspect in the brutal Idaho stabbing deaths of four, might use mental illness as a defense. Definitions of Insanity. There’ve … [Read more...]
Visual-Snow Effects/Mental Illness-Defenses for Kohberger?
MENTAL HEALTH – DEFENSES FOR KOHBERGER? "The ringing in my ears and the fuzz in my vision is simply all of the demons in my head mocking me " – statement attributed to the Idaho multicide suspect, Bryan Kohberger. Allegedly visual snow plus tinnitus (ringing in the ears from an unknown source) bothered Kohberger enough that he once said he didn't want to live anymore. Allegedly, he also had drug use issues, especially with heroin, and was bullied for being overweight. There are … [Read more...]
Psychopaths in C-Suites Thrive
Nine years ago, author and psychologist Fred Kiel reported on his research about psychopaths in leadership positions at a Tedx Talk. Psychopaths in C-Suites Kiel titled his talk, "Psychos in the C-Suite." The term C-suite usually refers to a company's top management positions, where the C stands for "Chief," O for Officer). Various chief officers (e.g., CExecutiveO, CInformationO, CFinancialO, etc.) occupy the C-suite. Kiel and others suggest C-suites are overpopulated with … [Read more...]