56. Unresponsiveness in general interpersonal relations
The psychopath cannot be depended upon to show the ordinary responsiveness
to special consideration or kindness or trust. No matter how well he is treated, no
matter how long-suffering his family, his friends, the police, hospital attendants, and
others may be, he shows no consistent reaction of appreciation except superficial and
transparent protestations. Such gestures are exhibited most frequently when he feels
they will facilitate some personal aim. The ordinary axiom of human existence that one
good turn deserves another, a principle sometimes honored by cannibals and
uncommonly callous assassins, has only superficial validity for him although he can cite
it with eloquent casuistry when trying to obtain parole, discharge from the hospital, or
some other end.
As in attempting to delineate other aspects of the psychopath, we find ourselves
again confronting paradox. Although he can be counted on not to be appreciably
swayed in major issues by these basic rules, we often find him attentive in small
courtesies and favors, perhaps even habitually generous or quasi-generous when the cost
is not decisive. Occasionally his actions may suggest profound generosity in that large
sums are involved or something presumably of real value is sacrificed. Usually,
however, these appearances are deceiving.
The psychopath who squanders $1,000 on a lady of the night usually seems not
to share very actively in the distressing worry and deprivation that his wife and children
(or his parents) may experience quite substantially. The motives of a boy at boarding
school who casually sells his new clothes to buy candy bars and Coca-Colas (for the
whole dormitory) seem to lack an important dimension of magnanimity. This
dimension could be presumed if after his extravagance the boy set to work assiduously
in efforts to carry the burden he had created.
In relatively small matters psychopaths sometimes behave so as to appear very
considerate, responsive, and obliging. Acquaintances who meet them on grounds where
minor issues prevail may find it difficult to believe that they are not highly endowed
with gratitude and eager to serve others. Such reactions and intentions, although
sometimes ready or even spectacularly facile, do not ever accumulate sufficient force to
play a determining part in really important issues. The psychopath who causes his
parents hardship and humiliation by repeatedly forging checks and causes his wife
anguish by sordid (and perhaps halfhearted) relations with the housemaid, may gain a
considerable
CATALOGING THE MATERIAL 355
reputation in the community by occasionally volunteering to cut the grass for the frail
old lady across the street, by bringing a bottle of sherry over now and then to bedridden
Mr. Blank, or by leaving his work to take a neighbor's injured cat to the veterinarian.
Outward social graces come easy to most psychopaths, and many continue,
throughout careers disastrous to themselves and for others, to conduct themselves in
superficial relations, in handling the trivia of existence, so as to gain admiration and
gratitude. In these surface aspects of functioning, the typical psychopath (unlike the
classic hypocrite) often seems to act with undesigning spontaneity and to be prompted
by motives of excellent quality though of marvelously attenuated substance.
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Next: Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 57. Fantastic and uninviting behavior with drink and sometimes without
Energy Enhancement Enlightened Texts Psychopath The Mask Of Sanity
Section 3, Part 3
- Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 44. Synopsis and orientation
Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 44. Synopsis and orientation, In an earlier chapter it was noted that an attempt would be made to follow the general methods of science. Let us stop for a moment to orient ourselves. In Section two some examples of the material were offered and certain observations recorded. In the preceding parts of this section an effort was made to consider traditional concepts of the problem and to differentiate broadly the subject of this study from certain other personality reactions. These may be regarded as preliminary steps in the process of sifting and arranging our observations into some sort of order for the purpose of giving them, as much as possible, distinct and comprehensible form at energyenhancement.org
- Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 45. Superficial charm and good "intelligence"
Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 45. Superficial charm and good 'intelligence', More often than not, the typical psychopath will seem particularly agreeable and make a distinctly positive impression when he is first encountered. Alert and friendly in his attitude, he is easy to talk with and seems to have a good many genuine interests at energyenhancement.org
- Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 46. Absence of delusions and other signs of irrational thinking
Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 46. Absence of delusions and other signs of irrational thinking, The so-called psychopath is ordinarily free from signs or symptoms traditionally regarded as evidence of a psychosis. He does not hear voices. Genuine delusions cannot be demonstrated. There is no valid depression, consistent pathologic elevation of mood, or irresistible pressure of activity. Outer perceptual reality is accurately recognized; social values and generally accredited personal standards are accepted verbally. Excellent logical reasoning is maintained and, in theory, the patient can foresee the consequences of injudicious or antisocial acts, outline acceptable or admirable plans of life, and ably criticize in words his former mistakes at energyenhancement.org
- Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 47. Absence of "nervousness" or psychoneurotic manifestations
Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, ASection 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 47. Absence of 'nervousness' or psychoneurotic manifestations, There are usually no symptoms to suggest a psychoneurosis in the clinical sense. In fact, the psychopath is nearly always free from minor reactions popularly regarded as 'neurotic' or as constituting 'nervousness.' The chief criteria whereby such diagnoses as hysteria, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety state, or 'neurasthenia' might be made do not apply to him. It is highly typical for him not only to escape the abnormal anxiety and tension fundamentally characteristic of this whole diagnostic group but also to show a relative immunity from such anxiety and worry as might be judged normal or appropriate in disturbing situations at energyenhancement.org
- Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 48. Unreliability
Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 48. Unreliability, Though the psychopath is likely to give an early impression of being a thoroughly reliable person, it will soon be found that on many occasions he shows no sense of responsibility whatsoever. No matter how binding the obligation, how urgent the circumstances, or how important the matter, this holds true. Furthermore, the question of whether or not he is to be confronted with his failure or his disloyalty and called to account for it appears to have little effect on his attitude at energyenhancement.org
- Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 49. Untruthfulness and insincerity
Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 49. Untruthfulness and insincerity, The psychopath shows a remarkable disregard for truth and is to be trusted no more in his accounts of the past than in his promises for the future or his statement of present intentions. He gives the impression that he is incapable of ever attaining realistic comprehension of an attitude in other people which causes them to value truth and cherish truthfulness in themselves at energyenhancement.org
- Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 50. Lack of remorse or shame
Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 50. Lack of remorse or shame, The psychopath apparently cannot accept substantial blame for the various misfortunes which befall him and which he brings down upon others, usually he denies emphatically all responsibility and directly accuses others as responsible, but often he will go through an idle ritual of saying that much of his trouble is his own fault. When the latter course is adopted, subsequent events indicate that it is empty of sincerity-a hollow and casual form as little felt as the literal implications of 'your humble and obedient servant' are actually felt by a person who closes a letter with such a phrase at energyenhancement.org
- Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 51. Inadequately motivated antisocial behavior
Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 51. Inadequately motivated antisocial behavior, Not only is the psychopath undependable, but also in more active ways he cheats, deserts, annoys, brawls, fails, and lies without any apparent compunction. He will commit theft, forgery, adultery, fraud, and other deeds for astonishingly small stakes and under much greater risks of being discovered than will the ordinary scoundrel. He will, in fact, commit such deeds in the absence of any apparent goal at all. Yet we do not find the regularity and specificity in his behavior that is apparent in what is often called compulsive stealing or other socially destructive actions carried out under extraordinary pressures which the subject, in varying degrees, struggles against. Such activities, and all disorder distinguished by some as impulse neurosis,14 as we have mentioned, probably have important features in common with the psychopath's disorder at energyenhancement.org
- Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 52. Poor judgment and failure to learn by experience
Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 52. Poor judgment and failure to learn by experience, Despite his excellent rational powers, the psychopath continues to show the most execrable judgment about attaining what one might presume to be his ends. He throws away excellent opportunities to make money, to achieve a rapprochement with his wife, to be dismissed from the hospital, or to gain other ends that he has sometimes spent considerable effort toward gaining at energyenhancement.org
- Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 53. Pathologic egocentricity and incapacity for love
Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 53. Pathologic egocentricity and incapacity for love, The psychopath is always distinguished by egocentricity. This is usually of a degree not seen in ordinary people and often is little short of astonishing. How obviously this quality will be expressed in vanity or self-esteem will vary with the shrewdness of the subject and with his other complexities. Deeper probing will always reveal a selfcenteredness that is apparently unmodifiable and all but complete at energyenhancement.org
- Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 54. General poverty in major affective reactions
Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 54. General poverty in major affective reactions, In addition to his incapacity for object love, the psychopath always shows general poverty of affect. Although it is true that be sometimes becomes excited and shouts as if in rage or seems to exult in enthusiasm and again weeps in what appear to be bitter tears or speaks eloquent and mournful words about his misfortunes or his follies, the conviction dawns on those who observe him carefully that here we deal with a readiness of expression rather than a strength of feeling at energyenhancement.org
- Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 55. Specific loss of insight
Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 55. Specific loss of insight, In a special sense the psychopath lacks insight to a degree seldom, if ever, found in any but the most seriously disturbed psychotic patients. In a superficial sense, in that he can say he is in a psychiatric hospital because of his unacceptable and strange conduct, and by all other such criteria, his insight is intact. His insight is of course not affected at all with the type of impairment seen in the schizophrenic patient, who may not recognize the fact that others regard him as mentally ill but may insist that he is the Grand Lama and now in Tibet at energyenhancement.org
- Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 56. Unresponsiveness in general interpersonal relations
Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 56. Unresponsiveness in general interpersonal relations, The psychopath cannot be depended upon to show the ordinary responsiveness to special consideration or kindness or trust. No matter how well he is treated, no matter how long-suffering his family, his friends, the police, hospital attendants, and others may be, he shows no consistent reaction of appreciation except superficial and transparent protestations. Such gestures are exhibited most frequently when he feels they will facilitate some personal aim. The ordinary axiom of human existence that one good turn deserves another, a principle sometimes honored by cannibals and uncommonly callous assassins, has only superficial validity for him although he can cite it with eloquent casuistry when trying to obtain parole, discharge from the hospital, or some other end at energyenhancement.org
- Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 57. Fantastic and uninviting behavior with drink and sometimes without
Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 57. Fantastic and uninviting behavior with drink and sometimes without, Although some psychopaths do not drink at all and others drink rarely, considerable overindulgence in alcohol is very often prominent in the life story. Delirium tremens and other temporary psychoses directly due to alcohol were not commonly found in the hundreds of patients observed by me at energyenhancement.org
- Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 58. Suicide rarely carried out
Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 58. Suicide rarely carried out, Despite the deep behavioral pattern of throwing away or destroying the opportunities of life that underlies the psychopath's superficial self-content, ease, charm, and often brilliance, we do not find him prone to take a final determining step of this sort in literal suicide. Suicidal tendencies have been stressed by some observers as prevalent. This opinion, in all likelihood, must have come from the observation of patients fundamentally different from our group, but who, as we have mentioned, were traditionally classified under the same term. It was only after a good many years of experience with actual psychopaths that I encountered my first authentic instance of suicide in a patient who could be called typical at energyenhancement.org
- Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 59. Sex life impersonal, trivial, and poorly integrated
Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 59. Sex life impersonal, trivial, and poorly integrated, The psychopath's sex life invariably shows peculiarities. The opinion has already been expressed that homosexuality and the other specific deviations, though of course occurring in psychopaths, are not sufficiently common to be regarded as characteristic at energyenhancement.org
- Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 60. Failure to follow any life plan
Psychopath Hervey Cleckley THE MASK OF SANITY, Section 3: Cataloging the material, Part 3: A clinical profile, 60. Failure to follow any life plan, The psychopath shows a striking inability to follow any sort of life plan consistently, whether it be one regarded as good or evil. He does not maintain an effort toward any far goal at all.47,53 This is entirely applicable to the full psychopath. On the contrary, he seems to go out of his way to make a failure of life. By some incomprehensible and untempting piece of folly or buffoonery, he eventually cuts short any activity in which he is succeeding, no matter whether it is crime or honest endeavor at energyenhancement.org
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