USER'S CORNER -
They Are All Around Us. It Is Frightening From Ajit Joshi
Imagine - if you can - not having a
conscience, none at all, no feelings of guilt or remorse no
matter what you do, no limiting sense of concern for the
well-being of strangers, friends, or even family members.
Imagine no struggles with shame, not a single one in your
whole life, no matter what kind of selfish, lazy, harmful,
or immoral action you had taken. And pretend that the
concept of responsibility is unknown to you, except as a
burden others seem to accept without question, like gullible
fools. Now add to this strange fantasy the ability to
conceal from other people that your psychological makeup is
radically different from theirs. Since everyone simply
assumes that conscience is universal among human beings,
hiding the fact that you are conscience-free is nearly
effortless. You are not held back from any of your desires
by guilt or shame, and you are never confronted by others
for your cold-bloodedness. The ice water in your veins is so
bizarre, so completely outside of their personal experience
that they seldom even guess at your condition. In other
words, you are completely free of internal restraints, and
your unhampered liberty to do just as you please, with no
pangs of conscience, is conveniently invisible to the world.
You can do anything at all, and still your strange advantage
over the majority of people, who are kept in line by their
consciences, will most likely remain undiscovered. How will
you live your life? What will you do with your huge and
secret advantage, and with the corresponding handicap of
other people (conscience)? The answer will depend largely on
just what your desires happen to be, because people are not
all the same. Provided you are not forcibly stopped, you can
do anything at all. If you are born at the right time, with
some access to family fortune, and you have a special talent
for whipping up other people's hatred and sense of
deprivation, you can arrange to kill large numbers of
unsuspecting people. With enough money, you can accomplish
this from far away, and you can sit back safely and watch in
satisfaction. Crazy and frightening - and real, in about 4
percent of the population....
The prevalence rate for anorexic eating
disorders is estimated a 3.43 percent, deemed to be nearly
epidemic, and yet this figure is a fraction lower than the
rate for antisocial personality. The high-profile disorders
classed as schizophrenia occur in only about 1 percent of
[the population] - a mere quarter of the rate of antisocial
personality - and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention say that the rate of colon cancer in the United
States, considered "alarmingly high," is about 40 per
100,000 - one hundred times lower than the rate of
antisocial personality. The high incidence of sociopathy in
human society has a profound effect on the rest of us The
individuals who constitute this 4 percent drain our
relationships, our bank accounts, our accomplishments, our
self-esteem, our very peace on earth. Yet surprisingly, many
people know nothing about this disorder, or if they do, they
think only in terms of violent psychopathy - ,for e.g.
murderers We are not aware of, nonviolent sociopaths among
us, people who often are not blatant lawbreakers, and
against whom our formal legal system provides little
defense. It is chilling. Simple and profound, the link is
the absence of the inner mechanism that beats up on us,
emotionally speaking, when we make a choice we view as
immoral, unethical, neglectful, or selfish. Those who have
no conscience at all are a group unto themselves-- ruthless
social snipers. The presence or absence of conscience is a
deep human division, more significant than intelligence,
race, or even gender. What distinguishes all of these people
from the rest of us is an utterly empty hole in the psyche,
where there should be the most evolved of all humanizing
functions. "Likeable," "Charming," "Intelligent," "Alert,"
"Impressive," "Confidence-inspiring," and "A great success
with the ladies":In many instances, the magnetic attraction
of the psychopath for members of the opposite sex seems
almost supernatural.
Many function normally in the community
as businessmen, doctors, and even psychiatrists. Also, read
Cleckley's speculations on what was "really wrong" with
these people. He comes very close to suggesting that they
are human in every respect - but that they lack a soul. This
lack of "soul quality" makes them very efficient "machines."
Being very efficient machines, like a computer, they are
able to execute very complex routines designed to elicit
from others support for what they want. In this way, many
psychopaths are able to reach very high positions in life.
The psychopath recognizes no flaw in his psyche, no need for
change. Their friends and associates are known as victims
