If you are going to read only one book on sociopathy, Robert Hare's Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us, might just be the book to read. Although it was first published a dozen years ago, it remains an extremely useful overview of a troubling topic.
Hare, a clinical psychologist with years of experience interviewing prisoners, estimates that there are as many as two million sociopaths at large in the United States. This estimate is lower than some, which contend that as much as four percent of the population lacks conscience. Even so, the number is troubling. As Hare notes, many sociopaths never end up behind bars. They circulate among us, causing distress whereever they go.
As Hare tells it, a sociopath lacks conscience. They can understand the words we use to convey moral sentiments, but they lack the feeling associated with those words. Hence, moral talk by a sociopath is mere gamesmanship, designed to get the rest of us to give what they want, whether it be money, power or some other thing of value.
What are the telltale signs of sociopathy? Hare has developed something called the Pshcopathology Checklist. Here are the key symptoms.
*glib and superficial;
*egocentric and grandiose:
*lack of remorse and guilt;
*lack of empathy;
*deceitful and manipulative;
*shallow emotions:
*impulsive:
*poor behavior controls;
*need for excitement;
*lack of responsibility;
*early bahavior problems;
*adult antisocial behavior.
Not all need be present in any given person. As Hare describes the syndrome it presents as a "cluster of related feelings." A common observation that he and others report on sociopathic encounters is the unusual stare or gaze of the sociopath, eyes devoid of expression seeming to bore in on their target, eyes almost reptilian in character studying and their prey for signs of the false and fatal move.
It did not suprise me to learn of the extent of sociopathy in prisons. I am still looking for a book on sociopathy in civil settings. My suspicion is that there is a great deal of sociopathy in civil litigation, especially in the employment law context. Many is the lawyer who has been seduced by a good tale on the intact interview. A client presents well with a good and compelling story. Only months into the case is the employer's perspective clear. The client was not promoted, or fired, or whatever the case may be because the client cannot get along with others. I wonder how many of these clients are sociopaths, and what lawyers can do to avoid becoming their hostages.
